History of the Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibilities

After MOA relocated its headquarters to Marjorie Park in late 2022, MOA once again teamed up with Lonnie Hanzon to reimagine this installation as a master work of Hanzon’s. This new Cabinet has been reenvisioned as a permanent installation in a new 500 sqft standalone structure at MOA’s Marjorie Park. The installation is open by guided tour only, by appointment and will also be open at select MOA events. Read the full press release with additional details.

Originally developed in 2010 by Lonnie Hanzon as a mainstay installation at MOA’s former Englewood headquarter galleries, MOA’s Cabinet of Curiosities & Impossibilities is a whimsical immersive exhibition showcasing the talents of various artists in a collaborative installation revealing unique stories, ephemera and radiant displays. The juxtaposition of disparate objects is sure to delight the historian, tinkerer, and armchair scientist. Among the many oddities, you will see Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland cabinet featuring bronze maquette’s by Harry Marinsky, an original 19th Century ‘rocking ships’ automaton by Jean-Marie Phalibois, Nick Bantock’s “Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man”, and David Zimmer’s “I am Lost”.

In 2018, MOA  revamped the installation to include even more whimsy. The rework was led by Scott Soffa.

Original cabinets dated from the 16th century and were entire rooms of specimens. The most famous, best documented cabinets of rulers and aristocrats, members of the merchant class, and early practitioners of science formed collections that were the precursors to the museum. In the Cabinet of Curiosities & Impossibilities, MOA seeks to recreate the wonder and contemplation once aroused in the 19th century cabinets.

Visit our Tours page for information about visiting the Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibilities.