About
Ephemera -- a word that stems from the Greek word ephēmeros— refers to all the transitory, fragmentary documents of everyday life—are all of the beautiful, fragile, temporary things that pass through our fingers, upon which our eyes may rest for a minute or two, vitally important for a singular purpose, then discarded and forgotten. It is all of the things that have been lovingly dreamed and created for temporary use and disposal. They are the things that were never intended to be kept. Yet many of us, we magpies for surprising beauty, magnets to wondrous curiosity, may hang on to these things, unable and unwilling to discard these items, often furnished with delicate art or words, by an unknown artist. We become the keepers of these disposable works of art.
These are the things that are not intended as souvenirs. They are not sold in gift shops for that purpose. They are incidental mementos that gather meaning and memory by virtue of their association with an event or a moment. A coaster from a pub, a ticket stub from a concert, a matchbox from a hotel.
The Museum of Ephemera is a digital database of these fleet items, a place in which collectors might share and preserve these items with other like-minded individuals, for private enjoyment or scholarly pursuit.
You may submit your items for inclusion to the database. These items can be contemporary or vintage. If you can include some basic information about the items, all the better. Don’t despair if your item doesn’t appear immediately. If I do not have a collection already created for an item that you’d like to submit, that’s ok- submit anyway. It just might be the case that I have not had the opportunity. The categories are not finite. The possibilities are endless. I am one person, so it may take me time to properly catalogue it, or create a collection for it. I may need to contact you for more information. You may submit your items for inclusion to the database. These items can be contemporary or vintage. If you can include some basic information about the items, all the better. Don’t despair if your item doesn’t appear immediately. If I do not have a collection already created for an item that you’d like to submit, that’s ok- submit anyway. It just might be the case that I have not had the opportunity. The categories are not finite. The possibilities are endless. I am one person, so it may take me time to properly catalogue it, or create a collection for it. I may need to contact you for more information.
Thank you. Happy collecting.
Dr. Jolene Armstrong