What is a museum? A collection of items meaningfully curated to tell a story. It can be large or small or any size in-between. It can be about 1 topic or about everything. It can be indoors or outdoors. There’s no right way to build a museum. Just make it matter.
That’s what I learned at The Treasures in the Trash Museum housed in the NYC Dept of Sanitation curated by Nelson Molina who worked for our wonderful city for over 30 years. He collected discarded items he found in the trash on his routes with DOS and there is now a mind-boggling treasure trove of items that represent the lives of countless New Yorkers.
I went with my adventure-seeking, history-loving pals, Ashley & Erin, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen in New York. Everything from diaries to dishes to photographs and diplomas and art and pez dispensers and view finders and typewriters and a Star of David made from the steal of the World Trade Center to stained glass windows from a church and yes, even taxidermy in the form of an old dog and a crotchety rooster.
I’d tell you more but I can’t think of any words adequate enough to describe it. So just go. Meet Nelson and get to know the fellow New Yorkers you’ll never meet by seeing the things they kicked to the curb.
Thank you New York Adventure Club for the tour!
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Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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Christa Avampato 