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The Museum of Bad Art is a community-based, private institution dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms and in all its glory.
The pieces in the MOBA collection range from the work of talented artists that have gone awry, to works of exuberant, although crude, execution by artists barely in control of the brush. What they all have in common is a special quality that sets them apart in one way or another from the merely incompetent.
The Museum of Bad Art was founded in the fall of 1993 and presented its first show in March 1994. The response was overwhelming. Since then, MOBA's collection and ambitions have grown exponentially.
From Humble Beginnings...
Until early 1995 MOBA was housed in the basement of a private home in Boston. This meager exhibition space limited the museum to being a regional cultural resource for the New England area. As the only museum dedicated to bringing the worst of art to the widest of audiences we felt morally compelled to explore new, more creative ways of bringing this priceless collection of quality bad art to a global audience.
To this end, we now exhibit on the World Wide Web (Lawlor Gallery, Frances Jackson Gallery, Daly Gallery and Deardorff Gallery), publish The MOBA News, and have built a Virtual Museum of Bad Art on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM is a collaborative project from the ever growing legions of The Friends Of MOBA.
In an effort to reach acroos the technical chasm to those less technologically inclined of the bad art loving public, the museum published "The Museum Of Bad Art" book.
Meanwhile ...
... MOBA continues to hold physical events in the Boston area including:
* "Bright Colors / Dark Emotions" exhibition opened at MOBA's original gallery to capacity crowds and rave reviews.
* CD-ROM Release Party/Exhibition at Cybersmith Cafe in Cambridge MA
* "Gallery In The Woods - Art goes out the window" - The entire MOBA collection was transported to Cape Cod and hung from the swaying pine trees.
* "Know What You Like / Paint How You Feel" Exhibition- MOBA's first foray into the hallowed halls of academia opened to record crowds at Montserrat College of Art's Main St Gallery in Beverly MA.
* "Battle of The Museum Titans" charity softball game against Boston's other art museum (Museum Of Fine Arts) on Boston Common. *** To be rescheduled
* Opening of MOBA's permanent gallery in The Dedham Community Theater.
* "I Just Can't Stop" Exhibition - The artist as slave to creativity - An exploration of the compulsive need to create - tirelessly, relentlessly, repetitively, repetitively, endlessly.
* "Fine Wine / Bad Art " Exhibition in downtown Boston
Please Get Involved
The Museum Of Bad Art is constantly expanding its permanent collection. If you have a unique and spectacular work of bad art and would consider donating it to MOBA, please contact us.
To become a Friend of MOBA, and receive the MOBA News, send email to moba@world.std.com, or call or write to the museum's offices at.
Museum of Bad Art
10 Vogel St.
Boston, MA 02132
(617) 325-8224
or visit the museum's Permanent Gallery in Dedham MA.at the Dedham Community Theater, 580 High St in Dedham Center, just south of Boston. The gallery is free and open to the public from 6-10 PM Mon-Fri and 1-10 PM on Sat, Sun, and holidays.
Call MOBA (617) 325-8224 or the Dedham Community Theater (617) 326-1092 for directions.
Open Your Wallet
The MOBA Permanent Gallery and all MOBA Public Events are always free to the public. Even in this age of severe cutbacks in public funding for the arts, MOBA remains committed to it's free admission policy.
The entire operation of this not-for-much-profit institution is funded from the proceeds from the MOBA Gift Shop. So open your wallet and spend freely.
"Art too bad to be ignored"
