Museum of Capitalism

For After the Plaster Foundation, or “Where can we live?”, The Museum of Capitalism presents a selection of objects related to housing and property in the U.S., titled Artifacts of Capitalist Housing. From land survey tools to white picket fences to underground board games, these implements and cultural artifacts represent the values that create inequities in homeownership and land distribution under capitalism.

Detail view of Replica of Landlord’s Game by Elizabeth J. Magie, Economic Game Company, New York, 1906. Courtesy Museum of Capitalism.
Detail view of Anti-Monopoly, first edition, first printing, 1973. Courtesy Museum of Capitalism.
Detail view of Cigar box label, chromolithograph, Surveyor brand, origin unknown, c. 1910. Courtesy Museum of Capitalism.
Detail view of Display of subdivision monument sign photographs, 2019–20. Courtesy Museum of Capitalism.
Hand sight level, Keuffel & Esser, New York, c. 1920s. Courtesy Museum of Capitalism.
Detail view of Collapsible extension rule, Lufkin Co., Ohio, date unknown. Courtesy Museum of Capitalism.
Detail view of White picket fence, c. early 20th century. Courtesy Museum of Capitalism.
Detail view of Barbed wire fencing, various types, 1868–1977. Courtesy Museum of Capitalism.
 

Museum of Capitalism’s exhibition design includes a 20-foot block of red wall paint, which stands in for redlining, a term for discriminatory policies and practices in home mortgage lending which date back to the 1930s. Under this system, neighborhoods were subject to valuation criteria based on demographic information, with inner-city neighborhoods that were home to lower-income and often Black or immigrant populations labeled as less desirable and too high risk for lending. Such practices contributed greatly to segregation and wealth suppression.

“How Real Estate Segregated America,” Dissent, Fall 2018
Sample email from Museum of Capitalism’s *Communicability: Landlord-Tenant Relations in a Pandemic*, 2020.
Sample email from Museum of Capitalism’s *Communicability: Landlord-Tenant Relations in a Pandemic*, 2020.
Sample letter from Museum of Capitalism’s *Communicability: Landlord-Tenant Relations in a Pandemic*, 2020.
 
Communicability: Landlord-Tenant Relations in a Pandemic, 2020.

The Museum of Capitalism (est. 2015) is an institution dedicated to educating this and future generations about the history, philosophy, and legacy of capitalism. The museum’s programs result from collaborations between a network of researchers, curators, artists, designers, filmmakers, writers, economists, historians, scientists, and non-specialists from all walks of life, including those with direct experience of capitalism. The Museum of Capitalism presented their inaugural exhibition in Oakland, California (June 17–August 20, 2017) and have since presented exhibitions at School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston (August 29–October 25, 2018) and Parsons School of Design at The New School, New York (October 30–December 10, 2019).

Museum of Capitalism

For After the Plaster Foundation, or “Where can we live?”, The Museum of Capitalism presents a selection of objects related to housing and property in the U.S., titled Artifacts of Capitalist Housing. From land survey tools to white picket fences to underground board games, these implements and cultural artifacts represent the values that create inequities in homeownership and land distribution under capitalism.

 

Museum of Capitalism’s exhibition design includes a 20-foot block of red wall paint, which stands in for redlining, a term for discriminatory policies and practices in home mortgage lending which date back to the 1930s. Under this system, neighborhoods were subject to valuation criteria based on demographic information, with inner-city neighborhoods that were home to lower-income and often Black or immigrant populations labeled as less desirable and too high risk for lending. Such practices contributed greatly to segregation and wealth suppression.

“How Real Estate Segregated America,” Dissent, Fall 2018
 
Communicability: Landlord-Tenant Relations in a Pandemic, 2020.

The Museum of Capitalism (est. 2015) is an institution dedicated to educating this and future generations about the history, philosophy, and legacy of capitalism. The museum’s programs result from collaborations between a network of researchers, curators, artists, designers, filmmakers, writers, economists, historians, scientists, and non-specialists from all walks of life, including those with direct experience of capitalism. The Museum of Capitalism presented their inaugural exhibition in Oakland, California (June 17–August 20, 2017) and have since presented exhibitions at School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, Boston (August 29–October 25, 2018) and Parsons School of Design at The New School, New York (October 30–December 10, 2019).