Austin, Texas story
The Museum in a Living Room
Did you know that one of Americas most unique museums is actually run right out of a family home? The Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata is one of the last remaining in-h…
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Did you know that one of Americas most unique museums is actually run right out of a family home? The Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata is one of the last remaining in-home, family-run museums in the United States. Its fascinating journey began way back in Tucson, Arizona, in nineteen twenty-one, when it was founded by Mercury Curie and Rasputin Zaplatynska.
Decades later, current curators Scott and Jen Webel reopened the museum and eventually moved it here to Austin in two thousand one. Step inside this East Austin treasure, and you will find whimsical, themed exhibitions ranging from Celebrities and Snow Globes to Sleep. The museums mission is simple yet profound, to preserve endangered modes of collection and provide a venue for the public to share objects and stories.
It is a reminder that even the smallest, most fleeting objects can hold immense meaning.
Updated June 2026