Weird Museums: The World Famous Crochet Museum

Mar 7

Shari Elf, a singer, songwriter, fashion designer, raw food chef, life coach, and maker of art from trash, founded the World Famous Crochet Museum in 2006, in Joshua Tree, CA. The museum building was originally an abandoned one-hour drive thru photo booth, and Shari painted it electric green and made it look almost like a retro television. Shari, although she is a wonderful artist, does not actually know how to crochet. She simply collects the items that are on display in this museum. Shari says “I like the crafts of old ladies. I sometimes say they’re goddesses. I love that they’re so human, and that they’re so made with love and made with heart.” Shari had been collecting crocheted items long before the museum was born. When she came across the old photo booth, she bought it without really having a plan for what to do with it. Within the museum is an eclectic collection of crocheted items including but not limited to poodles, bears, unicorns, and smiley faces. In fact, there’s an entire poodle wing of the museum. By the way, the capacity limit for the Crochet Museum is two.

The World Famous Crochet Museum in Joshua Tree [photo from www.brwnpaperbag.com]

The person who actually holds the title of “curator” for the museum isn’t really a person at all. Bunny, a crocheted Alligator, is the curator of the Crochet Museum. Bunny spends most of her time hanging out with her friend Buddy, and of course, hosting her talk show.

One of Shari’s many gifts is her ability to write music. Her songs are unique, to say the least. In 2001, she released her debut album, entitled “I’m Forcing Goodness Upon You.” Some songs featured on this album are “Jesus at the hardware store,” “Tenderness vs watering the lawn backwards,” and “some thoughts on if I should die.” Shari hosts a weekly group meeting called “Art- not walmart” at her gallery called “Art Queen.” It’s a supportive get-together, where artists come to create and support one another while they do so. The sign for this meeting reads “We are a Joshua Tree collective, mentored and invented by Shari Elf. We are making art and selling it cheap, instead of working jobs that are not fulfilling.”