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"Nobody Mentioned the Yelping Coyote Head": Online Critics Scorn the Museum of Jurassic Technology

Yelp! reviewers are still unclear on the concept of David and Diana Wilson's Museum of Jurassic Technology. A sampling of recent reviews:

"Does not contain dinosaurs."
—Eva G., San Francisco

"We got tickets thinking it was about dinosaurs. It is NOT about dinosaurs."
—David K., California

"The name 'Jurassic Technology' is misleading."
—Jimmy L., San Francisco

"This place is trash."
—Adrienne S., Los Angeles

"Boring boring boring… Odd exhibits of boring stuff; nothing interesting or worth seeing. Couldn't wait to get out of there."
—Jayne G., Santa Monica

"Arguably, it is not a museum. There are no objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest.… There is no science or knowledge to be had."
—Taylor L., Los Angeles

"Nobody mentioned the yelping coyote head."
—ZoeAnn G., Los Angeles

"Absolutely DO NOT waste your time at this joke. It's a museum of crap that most people would give to goodwill."
—Michael D., Eugene, OR

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Ted Gallagher NYC said…
Where's the bed of nails? Sounds like a clown-car circus act, and not in a good way.
An afternoon you'll never get back.
January 26, 2023 at 2:48 PM
William Poundstone said…
Wilson won a MacArthur grant for the MJT, and it's the subject of Lawrence Weschler's 1995 book, Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder (1995).

https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2001/david-wilson#searchresults

As the MacArthur site puts it, Wilson's installations "question what museums are, mean, and do. Fact and fiction are displayed with equal precision and diligence, and natural history items share space with artifacts of surreal technology. His displays challenge perceptions of what is real and what is not, and demand reinterpretations of our understanding of science, natural history, mythology, and vernacular art forms."

This however is a recipe for confusing the uninitiated, as the Yelp reviews indicate.
January 27, 2023 at 9:11 AM
Anonymous said…
The one star reviews of the Museum of Jurassic Technology are almost artworks themselves- it's a polarizing, beloved place. But museums are hardly alone in one star reviews that perhaps do not see the forest for the trees, e.g. https://www.nationalparktrips.com/national-park-stories/subpar-parks/.
January 27, 2023 at 11:06 AM
bronco mmxv said…
One of my favorite places in Los Angeles. There's on reviewer you quote who I think actually nails it, even though unintentionally:
"Arguably, it is not a museum. There are no objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest.… There is no science or knowledge to be had."
January 31, 2023 at 5:02 PM
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