Museum of Ice Cream

The Museum of Ice Cream is a company that develops and operates interactive retail experiences, or "selfie museums", in major American cities. These exhibits, typically hosted in storefronts, are ice-cream and candy-themed, with bright colors. The exhibits serve as backdrops for selfies, and the posts made by visitors to Instagram and other social media sites have served to promote the company's offerings. Employees offer visitors tastings throughout. Tickets must be purchased in advance for specific time slots online only.

Museum of Ice Cream
The San Francisco location is the Museum's flagship
Established2016
TypePop-up exhibition
Visitors500,000 (November, 2017)
DirectorMaryellis Bunn (Founder)
Websitewww.museumoficecream.com

Origins and history

Maryellis Bunn and Manish Vora founded the company.[1] Its first location, a pop-up, opened in the Meatpacking District in 2016. Bunn and Vora initially self-funded the company. Bunn drew inspiration for the company from her perspective on American retail and traditional museums, which she has respectively referred to as a "dead industry" and "archaic".[1] Despite positioning themselves as an alternative to more traditional institutions, the company does not produce "museums" as such;[2][3] writers have described the locations as "...[playgrounds] with no age [limits]" and as an "interactive multi-sensory exhibit".[4] Bunn has stated she regrets using the term "museum" and now prefers the portmanteau "experiums" to describe the company's offerings.[5]

The success of the first pop-up and subsequent locations inspired the establishment of other experience-focused companies, such as the Museum of Pizza, Cado, and Rosé Mansion.[1][3] Target began selling pints of Museum of Ice Cream ice cream in 2018.[6] Flavors included "Piñata" and "Sprinkle Pool". As of 2020, Target no longer sells Museum of Ice Cream products.[7] The Museum of Ice Cream also produced a makeup line for Sephora.[8]

The organization received criticism due to its "tone deaf" efforts to express solidarity with protestors after the killing of George Floyd.[7] A sign featuring the names of victims of police brutality, including Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice was placed outside the company's SoHo location in bright pink. Their names were preceded with the words "I scream for..." implicitly comparing the deceased to ice cream. Additionally, Ahmaud Arbery's name was misspelled "Ahmed Aubrey".[9] In the same Forbes article that reported on the "tone deaf" moves, founders Maryellis Bunn and Manish Vora received criticism for abuse directed at employees and difficult conditions and restrictions placed upon retail employees.[7]

Locations
CityDatesLocation
Meatpacking District, ManhattanJuly 2016 – September 2016100 Gansevoort Street
Los AngelesApril 2017 – December 20172018 E. 7TH Pl.
San Francisco (flagship)September 2017 – present1 Grant Ave.[10]
MiamiDecember 2017 – May 20183400 Collins Ave.
SoHo, ManhattanDecember 2019 –558 Broadway

See also

References
  1. Wiener, Anna (2 October 2017). "The Millennial Walt Disney". New York Magazine. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  2. Guse, Clayton (7 June 2018). "Stop saying the Museum of Ice Cream is cool". TimeOut. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  3. McCormick, Emily (15 August 2018). "What If the Museum of Ice Cream Is the Future of Retail?". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  4. Silman, Anna (21 February 2020). "Could You Survive a Day at the Museum of Ice Cream With No Phone?". The Cut. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  5. Cao, Sissi (9 October 2019). "Everything You Think You Know About the Museum of Ice Cream Is Wrong: Interview With CEO". Observer. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  6. Kelso, Alicia (11 June 2018). "Target scoops up exclusive partnership with Museum of Ice Cream". FoodDive. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  7. Wilson, Alexandra; McGrath, Maggie (2 July 2020). "The Meltdown at the Museum of Ice Cream". Forbes. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  8. Roof, Katie (14 April 2019). "Museum of Ice Cream Valued at $200 Million". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  9. Lakin, Max (22 June 2020). "When Luxury Stores Decorate Their Riot Barricades with Protest Art". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  10. "The Museum of Ice Cream extends SF stay and will debut two new installations". sfgate.com. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
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