Curators of the new Makeup Museum had to completely rethink their first exhibition.
New York’s first Makeup Museum, an immersive, interactive concept focusing on touch and experimentation, was slated to open in May. Its premiere exhibition, “Pink Jungle: 1950s Makeup in America,” would encourage visitors to take part in experiences like mixing their own makeup or indulging in facials modeled on the ones given to Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo. Artifacts of that halcyon era, like elaborate compacts or rhinestone-studded lipstick cases, would be available for handling. Then the pandemic hit. All museums closed, of course, and have only recently started to reopen, with many new restrictions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example, which reopened in late August, only takes timed tickets or reservations and requires masks and temperature checks. An interactive makeup museum, however, devoted to the idea of applying products to one’s face, seemed like another challenge to figure out altogether. But on Tuesday, the Makeup Museum finally opened to the public after a complete rethink of the place. Sampling colors and handling objects were replaced with social distancing rules, enhanced technology and mask requirements. In addition to the usual creative demands of mounting an exhibit, the curators faced “so much uncertainty, so many more logistical challenges,” said Doreen Bloch, a museum co-founder.
