The Vagina Museum has launched a £30,000 crowdfunding campaign as it searches for its next permanent location in the capital.
It bills itself as the world’s first brick-and-mortar museum dedicated to vaginas, vulvas and the female anatomy. However, in January 2023, bosses were told to vacate their current property.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Why is the Vagina Museum crowdfunding for a new location?
WE ARE CROWDFUNDING!
— Vagina Museum (@vagina_museum) April 5, 2023
We've been looking around for the perfect new home, and so far nothing has been the perfect fit. We need your help to secure that perfect space to reopen our doors. We're aiming to raise £30,000 to assist with our search https://t.co/jsp1PUUPWu
The museum started life as a pop-up in 2017 and secured its first physical location in Camden Market in 2019 after its first crowdfunding campaign. But, in 2021, the museum’s lease came to an end and it spent six months without a premises. From March 2022 it took space in Bethnal Green but had to close its doors in February 2023 after it received notice to vacate.
The Vagina Museum said: “We’re sad about this development, but incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished in the ten months we’ve been at our Bethnal Green premises. We’ve welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through our doors, and received so much love and positive feedback. In our time at Bethnal Green, we’ve once again demonstrated just how much the world needs and wants a Vagina Museum.
“Times are, once again, uncertain for us, but we’ve been through this before and risen stronger than ever. With a community like you supporting us, we know we can get through this too.”
The museum said it now aims to find and move into a new London home, and is aiming to raise £30,000 to assist with costs including storage, moving, renovations and consulting.
Why does the Vagina Museum exist?
The Vagina Museum aims to end the stigma and shame about vaginas and vulvas.
About 65% of women aged 16-25 say they have a problem using the words vagina or vulva.
This embarrassment to talk about the gynaecological anatomy can literally kill: nearly a third of women aged 16-35 say they have avoided going to their doctor with gynaecological issues due to embarrassment.
Almost half of women (and more than half of men) cannot correctly label a diagram of the vulva.
So the Vagina Museum exists to break these taboos, to educate people and empower people to talk with confidence about anatomy which half of the world has.
How much money has been raised so far?
The crowdfunding campaign is being run on the GoFundMe platform.
The museum said even if its target is not met, funds raised will be used to support running costs.
At the time of writing, the museum has raised more than £6,000 from donations in less than two days.
On its fundraising page, the museum writes: “Every little helps, and what we raise from this campaign will go a long way to securing our dream home.”
“Our new home needs to be in London, and must be wheelchair accessible as well as being affordable to a small, grassroots organisation. Such sites are rare, which is why we need all the help that we can get.”
