“Funkemporium!” May 1st, 2009Gotta give some link love to The Museum of Uncut Funk!Described by curator Pamela Thomas, aka “Sister Tofunky,” as “The planet’s first virtual museum dedicated to the celebration and preservation of the FUNK!,” The Museum of Uncut Funk has more galleries than the Smithsonian Institution. Before you click the link, get yourself a two-day pass and pack a lunch, ’cause you’ll definitely be there a while and you’ll STILL have to come back for more.The Museum of Uncut Funk is split into approximately 7 different virtual “galleries.” The galleries spin off from the main collection. Each gallery focuses on a different aspect of 70’s Black pop culture, and most combine the blog format with permanent exhibits dedicated to that focus. My favorite gallery is sort of a hodge-podge, catch-all for Ms. Thomas, entitled “Can’t Get Enough…Of that Funky Stuff Blog,” however I also dug the “Jim Kelly Exhibit,” for its breezy, but informative, multi-media look at the man’s life and career . Each gallery boasts a wide array of funky memorabilia from Ms. Thomas’ personal collection, like Blaxploitation movie posters, Blaxploitation soundtrack album cover art, and Blaxploitation-themed comic books. One of the most interesting aspects of The Museum of Uncut Funk is that every exhibit contains at least one “Where The Hell Did She Get That?” entry. I thought I knew a little something about Blaxploitation culture, but Sister ToFunky humbles even the most jaded collector with unexpected treasures like the Egyptian poster for Sheba Baby or original production art from an aborted Hanna-Barbera cartoon called The Blackstones. (Think The Flintstones, but…y’know, Black.)Along with the fun, Ms. Thomas’ site includes sobering glimpses of how Blacks were depicted before we had the means and opportunities to control our images with an exhibit showcasing pre-Civil Rights era crate labels that included stereotypical images of bug-eyed mammies and barefoot pickaninnies toting baskets full of yams. The Museum is also building exhibits dedicated to Blacks on stamps and currencies from around the world.The only minor drawback to The Museum of Uncut Funk is that the main gallery pages are embedded with sound files that automatically load when you go to the page. The sound files are fantastic, tight cuts from groups like The Ohio Players and The Jimmy Castor Bunch, but if your computer loads slowly, it could be the equivalent of going to the museum and waiting in line behind an old lady with six screaming grandkids, trying to pay by check. You might be in line a while, but it’s definitely worth the wait.www.worldofhurtonline.comwww.museumofuncutfunk.com- JEP
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