A museum of the present

MoRUS, or the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space opened yesterday.

MoRUS, as its website says "preserves the rich history of grassroots movements in New York City’s East Village and showcases the unique public spaces for which the neighborhood is renowned."

According to a review, the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space re-conceives the traditional role of the museum by becoming a "shrine" to the "recent radical history" of New York City's East Village:

The radical history ranges from the "1988 riots in Tompkins Square Park, the standoffs with the police and developers over community gardens, the formation of squats, the civil disobedience actions waged by bicyclists for more bike-friendly streets." 

One of the highlights of the Museum exhibits is the famous bicycle-powered generator, which was used to generate electricity during Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in Zuccotti Park.

Imagine this: Most museums are visited by folks who wish to have a glimpse of the past. MoRUS's visitors include people who have been part of the events that are enshrined by the Museum as "history." 

According to Bill Dipaola, a founder of the Museum, visitors include "people who got beat up by police in the park who are going to walk in here. They lost their gardens. They lost their homes. A lot of people didn’t do too well during gentrification.”