# Velveteria

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**Velveteria: The Museum of Velvet Art** was a museum dedicated to [paintings on velvet](/source/Velvet_painting), established in 2005 in Portland Oregon and relocated in 2013 to [Los Angeles, California](/source/Los_Angeles,_California). In Los Angeles it was formally known as **Velveteria Epicenter of Art Fighting Cultural Deprivation.**[1] The establishment housed hundreds of paintings from founders Caren Anderson and Carl Baldwin's personal collection of over 2,000 pieces, and was reportedly the only one of its kind.[2] The Velveteria closed in Portland in January 2010 due to financial difficulties and the couple's relocation to Southern California. It was reopened in [Chinatown, Los Angeles](/source/Chinatown,_Los_Angeles) in 2013. It was permanently closed c. 2020-2021 during the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic).

## History

The museum was established by Caren Anderson and Carl Baldwin, California natives residing in Portland, Oregon.[2] It opened in 2005 at 518 NE 28th Avenue with a $3 admission price.[3][4]

During the month of May 2008, a collection of works were showcased at [Powell's Books](/source/Powell's_Books).[5] The museum relocated to a larger space, located at 2448 East Burnside Street, in 2008, and increased the admission price to $5.[6] However, rental costs were more than three times higher and in January 2010, Velveteria closed when Anderson and Baldwin relocated to Southern California.[2] According to Anderson and Baldwin, they "never made any real money" from Velveteria, a name they trademarked. The couple wrote a book about the museum, titled *Black Velvet Masterpieces: Highlights from the Collection of the Velveteria Museum*.[2]

In December, 2013, Velveteria re-opened as the Velveteria Epicenter of Art Fighting Cultural Deprivation in Los Angeles.[7] The cost of admission was $10 as of 2017. In 2019, the Velveteria was facing financial difficulties again.[8]

## Description

Velveteria was originally located in an "incongruously bland-looking storefront" on East Burnside Street.[2] Leading to the museum were "hot-pink crushed" velvet curtains. The entrance had a sign describing the museum as "a life-changing experience! Without crawling over broken glass or walking on hot coals!"[2] The museum housed 400 velvet paintings from the couple's personal collection of more than 2,000 pieces.[2] No items were for sale.[5] The first location included a "Nudes Room".[4] Some works were displayed within a [black light](/source/Black_light) room.[5] Handwritten comments from the couple were displayed throughout the museum.[2]

Works depict blessed virgins, landscapes, sad clowns and "voluptuous" nude women.[2][6] *Unicorn Combover* portrayed a unicorn whose mane morphed into a woman's hairdo.[2] The museum included a shrine to [Michael Jackson](/source/Michael_Jackson); other portrait pieces depicted [Anderson Cooper](/source/Anderson_Cooper), [Jesus](/source/Jesus), [Abraham Lincoln](/source/Abraham_Lincoln) and [Elvis Presley](/source/Elvis_Presley).[2][5]

## Reception

Velveteria was featured on *[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno](/source/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno)* in September 2006,[9] *[Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations](/source/Anthony_Bourdain:_No_Reservations)* in January 2007,[10] and *[CBS News Sunday Morning](/source/CBS_News_Sunday_Morning)* and [MSN](/source/MSN)'s *Appetite for Life* with [Andrew Zimmern](/source/Andrew_Zimmern) in 2009.[2][11][12] In 2010, Kristi Turnquist of *[The Oregonian](/source/The_Oregonian)* wrote that Anderson and Baldwin personified the "[Keep Portland Weird](/source/Keep_Portland_Weird)" slogan and that the museum was "evidence of the city's quirky creativity".[2] Anderson admitted to being tired of this association.[2]

## Los Angeles rebirth and closure

Velveteria was located in a storefront on New High Street in the Chinatown neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, and was the idea of Caren Anderson and partner Carl Baldwin, a Los Angeles native.[13] It is now listed as permanently closed.

## See also

- [Glossary of textile manufacturing](/source/Glossary_of_textile_manufacturing)
- [List of museums in Oregon](/source/List_of_museums_in_Oregon)

## References

1. ["Velveteria: Museum of Velvet Paintings (Closed), Los Angeles, California"](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16227). *RoadsideAmerica.com*. Retrieved 2024-05-27.

1. Turnquist, Kristi (January 4, 2010). ["It's curtains for the Velveteria velvet painting museum"](http://www.oregonlive.com/art/index.ssf/2010/01/its_curtains_for_the_velveteri.html). *[The Oregonian](/source/The_Oregonian)*. Portland, Oregon: [Advance Publications](/source/Advance_Publications). [ISSN 8750-1317](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/8750-1317). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20111013195406/http://www.oregonlive.com/art/index.ssf/2010/01/its_curtains_for_the_velveteri.html) October 13, 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 13, 2012.

1. Pramis, Joshua (October 10, 2008). ["The world's strangest museums: Bunnies, bad art, and Burt Reynolds — a showcase of the quirkiest passions"](https://www.nbcnews.com/id/26993065). [NBC News](/source/NBC_News). Retrieved July 18, 2012.[dead link]

1. Bao, Sandra; Sainsbury, Brendan; Ohlsen, Becky; Lee, John (April 1, 2008). [*Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest*](https://books.google.com/books?id=CtSAoO7FG_AC&pg=PA231). [Lonely Planet](/source/Lonely_Planet). pp. 231–232. ISBN 9781742203676. Retrieved July 20, 2012.

1. Frazier, Joseph B. (May 11, 2008). ["Offbeat freakier side snugly at home in Portland"](http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Offbeat-freakier-side-snugly-at-home-in-Portland-3214151.php). *[San Francisco Chronicle](/source/San_Francisco_Chronicle)*. [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20131217071943/http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Offbeat-freakier-side-snugly-at-home-in-Portland-3214151.php) December 17, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 19, 2012.

1. Palmerlee, Danny (March 1, 2009). [*Pacific Northwest Trips: 52 Themed Itineraries, 1009 Local Places to See*](https://books.google.com/books?id=P1a2muAWtPIC&pg=PA79). Lonely Planet. p. 79. ISBN 9781742203942. Retrieved July 20, 2012.

1. Hix, Lisa. ["Velvet Underdogs: In Praise of the Paintings the Art World Loves to Hate"](https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/velvet-underdogs-in-praise-of-the-paintings-the-art-world-loves-to-hate/). *Collectors Weekly*

1. Stuart, Gwynedd (2019-02-06). ["L.A.'s Velvet Painting Museum Is Hanging on for Dear Life in Chinatown"](https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/velveteria-chinatown/). *Los Angeles Magazine*. Retrieved 2022-07-31.

1. ["Velveteria with Tom Green on the Tonight Show"](http://velveteria.com/2010/09/velveteria-with-tom-green-on-the-tonight-show/). Velveteria. September 14, 2010. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120730125144/http://velveteria.com/2010/09/velveteria-with-tom-green-on-the-tonight-show/) July 30, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 20, 2012.

1. ["Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations: Pacific NW"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101129122028/http://velveteria.com/2009/03/anthony-bourdain-no-reservations-pacific-northwest/). Velveteria. March 2, 2009. Archived from [the original](http://velveteria.com/2009/03/anthony-bourdain-no-reservations-pacific-northwest/) on November 29, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2012. Note: Season 3, Episode 4.

1. ["Velveteria on CBS Sunday Morning with Bill Geist"](http://velveteria.com/2009/02/velveteria-on-cbs-sunday-morning-with-bill-geist/). Velveteria. February 19, 2009. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120421102433/http://velveteria.com/2009/02/velveteria-on-cbs-sunday-morning-with-bill-geist/) April 21, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 20, 2012.

1. ["MSN's "Appetite for Life" with Andrew Zimmern"](https://archive.today/20130205140353/http://velveteria.com/2009/05/msn-appetite-for-life-andrew-zimmern/). Velveteria. May 27, 2009. Archived from [the original](http://velveteria.com/2009/05/msn-appetite-for-life-andrew-zimmern/) on February 5, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2012.

1. ["L.A.'s Velveteria museum shows there's more to plush paintings than Elvis and clowns"](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/miranda/la-et-cam-velveteria-museum-paintings-20150612-column.html). *Los Angeles Times*. 2015-06-12. Retrieved 2024-01-16.

## External links

- [Velveteria's official site](http://velveteria.com/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120723022429/http://velveteria.com/) 2012-07-23 at the Wayback Machine

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Velveteria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velveteria) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velveteria?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.