CORNWALLVILLE - When does a tiny museum that collects eclectic and sundry things become a museum within itself and part of the history of a small town nestled between the Greene County valley and mountains?
Twenty-five years after its creation, the Paula Lalala Mvsevm (her spelling) is intimately ingrained in the hamlet of Cornwallville, welcoming visitors to its Silver Jubilee Celebration, last weekend.
The event also featured the inauguration of the Mystery Institute which is, well, a place where mysteries meet the everyday, obliterating the walls separating them which are non-existent anyway.
Inside the 2-story autobiographical archives, doors don’t necessarily open to somewhere, and there is something eye-catching around every corner and in each of multiple galleries packed with, well, come and see.
But seeing is simply a smidgeon of what can occur, with an emphasis on H.E.A.R.T. (Healing Energy and Regenerative Transformation).
Paula Lalala MVSEVM is an “experiment with relationships between the parts and the whole,” states Paula Lalala domain.
“It is an exploration of meaning and value. It is a domestic and sacred space rather than marketplace type of space.
“The MVSEVM probes the grey areas between public and private experience. It engages with the local community and the public at large, yet like work by so many women artists, it is very personal.
“The MVSEVM’s collection contains hundreds of individual artifacts, nearly all of which were made by Paula Lalala. Attuned to the emotional and psychological effects of environment and geography, the context and location are important.
“Born in 1966, Paula grew up in Texas. She survived life on the streets as a teenage runaway. Paula discovered art when she was seventeen years old and has been working passionately ever since.
“She has a true love and is a grandmother,” Paula Lalala domain states. The Museum, open through October or by appointment, is free to all, located at 2917 County 20, in a transformed church hall.
