John G. Blog #9: The Warhol: Time Capsule 21

The Warhol: Time Capsule 21

The Warhol: Time Capsule 21 is a cool online exhibition from 2005 that showcases one example of the artists' collection of "time capsules" that contain a wide variety of items that he chose himself. According to the information on the website, there were 600 time capsules that Warhol created, but this online exhibition contains the items of only one time capsule, "Time Capsule 21."

Collection Principles

This online exhibition/collection showcases the items contained in "time capsule 21." The items range in date from the 1950's to the 1970's. They present a window into the artist's art, life, and socio-cultural aspects of his life. The items are part of the "Andy Warhol's Time Capsules" exhibition in the Andy Warhol Museum which is part of the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Object Characteristics

There are over 50 items in Time Capsule 21 that include: photobooth photos, source material for his paintings, business records, personal notes and cards, record albums, and newspaper reports and photos related to the June 3, 1968 attack on his life. The items are displayed on the website using Adobe Flashplayer 9.

Metadata

Overall, there is a significant amount of data associated with the items in this collection. This exhibition was organized by the Andy Warhol Museum (Carnegie Museum) and the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt, Germany, so the art is cataloged in a very detailed manner. The website offers a "Complete Inventory of Time Capsule 21" page that provides all of the metadata associated with the items in the exhibition. The metadata includes: the item number, title, description, materials used, dimensions, and the condition of the item. You can also sort the items on the "Selection of the Time Capsule 21 Contents" page by category or item type. There are also zoom capabilities and related links so that viewers can learn additional info about the items.

Intended Audience

According to the website, the intended audience is curators, scholars, and the general public and the hope is that the exhibition provides viewers with "important information about Warhol's life and his work and artistic practice." I thought that the items were very interesting and presented in an appealing manner and I learned some new things about the artist.