Note: Story updated below.
The mystery buyer of the house at 834 W. 24th St. has revealed herself! Quilter, artist, and Art Car builder Kim Ritter, who says she was “raised mid-century modern,” expects to close on the Museum of the Weird on December 15th. Museum curator Dolan Smith is planning his own art sale on the property two days earlier; Ritter says that the sale will run from 2 to 8 pm, and that the prices will be far less than what you’d expect to pay for, say, a sculpture made of hair:
Come by and get a bargain, stuff starting at 5 and 10 dollars!
Ritter tells Swamplot she’s purchased some of Smith’s work herself, including a piece entitled “Man of Ten Thousand Nails,” which she intends to keep on the property.
Does this mean the museum will be preserved?
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Sort of: Ritter says she’ll be opening a “Museum of Wit” in the same location:
It’s a little hard to know what will happen next untll all of Dolan’s stuff is moved and we see what repairs need to be made. I love work with a sense of humor, so I expect that will be our focus. I will most likely also teach some classes in the studio.
Ritter also reports that Smith is planning to reopen his museum at another location.
Ritter lost her own studio to Hurricane Ike but now works out of the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, where she is currently an artist in residence. She reports she’s working on an Art Car for next year’s parade, called the Peace Expedition.
Update, Dec. 16: Ritter says she intends the new Museum of Wit to be her studio and residence. It will not be open to the public.
Museum of the Weird interior photo: HAR
