CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, November 04, 2020

The Andy Warhol Museum showcases young voices with Gen-Z Time Capsule project

Visual Art | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: Andy Warhol made collecting things part of his work, eventually turning the practice into Time Capsules, a project where he filled and taped up boxes with items from his daily life. Those boxes – containing an estimated 500,000 objects – are being opened and cataloged by The Andy Warhol Museum staff, giving insight to the Pittsburgh-born artist's process and eccentricities.

10 comments:

Ella R said...

The Andy Warhol Museum showcases young voices with the Gen Z time capsule project. This project is an effort to call on young people to submit photos of objects they believe represent their generation’s experience. This will become a time capsule and an online exhibit with featured submissions from all over the world. I think this is an awesome way to capture a digital archive of Gen Z stuff. The anticipated intent of this project is to shed light on how Gen Z is impacting and influencing a vast array of areas, covering art, music, politics, current events, faith, spirituality, and mental health, etc. This feels like a really awesome project and I think that this representation of generation z is incredible because it is honoring this young group of people. I will definitely look at the Warhol website to find this digital time capsule once it goes online. I am excited to see what this project ends up being.

Hadley Holcomb said...

The Gen Z Time capsule is a fascinating idea. The generation in question is living through such a strange time as teenagers and young adults. I imagine that the photos collected will shed an interesting light on the perspective of this generation of the world. It will undoubtedly in the future tell a story about how the generation impacted the world. I will be fascinated to see in 20 years or so what artifacts from this collection are still relevant, and more importantly how they have changed or changed other things around them. This is a fascinating period of time to document and I love the Warhol's idea for how to document it. I also think that it is a good way for the museum to be to be up an running during the pandemic time and to be creating new and impactful pieces that will make a difference in the future.

Samantha Williams said...


This project really interests me. I have had so many conversations with my parents about how my generation’s experience is so monumentally different from theirs, and they just like, do not get it. A lot of the things that I think have defined the experience of Gen Z are things like Sandy Hook and Parkland, mass social movements largely led by young BIPOC, climate change, economic recession, major mental health crises, and technological expansion. We live in a world that often expects more than baseline from us in everything we do, and the delivery of that has created so much resilience and defined us as a group in so many ways. Exploring that through a time capsule will not only reveal what Gen Zers believe to be defining moments of the last two decades, but it will be an interesting way of showcasing young people’s voices. I love this and will probably see if I can participate in it.

Apriah W. said...

This is a really amazing thing that they are doing. I remember when I worked at a museum and learned that the museum was started by a man who went through life collecting, hoarding, if you must, items that he had collected on his travels, I was very intrigued by how something so small at the time had such a big impact. I'd watch the curators and conservators meticulously prepare surfaces and put on special gloves before unveiling something as simple as a flight schedule from 50 years ago, for example. A part of me would think...it's just a flight schedule. But the other part of me that understood would be so excited to see these artifacts from before my parents even existed. Especially after being personally interested in art history and such. Like these, I'm sure lots of the things we grew up playing with in the 90s will be amusing to people and they'd go to great lengths to see them. There are things that are already impossible to come across so I can't fully share them with my little brothers. I'm happy that the Andy Warhol Museum is not only doing this, but including the support of the community.

Maureen Pace said...

The Andy Warhol Museum’s idea to create a collaborative virtual time capsule for our generation is really interesting, and I like how they have stemmed it from Warhol’s own work. I am interested to see where it goes and what the digital time capsule looks like as the school year progresses, I think Gen-Z has a lot to share and put into this piece. Massive social justice movements, climate change and environmental concerns, the current pandemic, the beginning of a new century; the things and events we have experienced in our lives are crucial. As others have mentioned, looking back on this capsule in 20 or 30 years is going to be really interesting, to see where our generation is today and what changes in the years to come. This is a really great idea to create something together, during a time when we cannot actually be together.

JuanCarlos Contreras said...

I looove time capsules. This is such an amazing idea too, and I think Andy Warhol would be so down. Having worked on A/B Machines my first year, we talked about Warhol’s obsession with collecting things and just having things around as a source of comfort. Gen Z, and the Millennial generation, are living through such an intense time. Gen Z especially as they have really only lived in a world governed by…well, chaos and uncertainty. I read that some people draw that distinction between millennials and gen z by saying that millennials had a few years where we thought that anything could be possible (the whole American dream nonsense), but it was shot down after 9/11. Gen Z never had a moment of that. I wonder what things will be submitted in this capsule and I wonder what people will think in the future when they look at it.

Megan Hanna said...

Oh my. Knowing this generation, I can’t even begin to imagine what people are going to submit. I think this is such a great idea for the museum to do. This generation has had so many different experiences, like we are experiencing the pandemic at such a pivotal time in our lives. For many of us, we are going to college for the first time by logging into our computer and hopping on zoom. I’m sure many of the objects will reflect our unique experience in the pandemic. Additionally, we were the first generation to grow up with iphones and social media, so I’m curious how that will translate into objects. I hope I get a reminder in the future when they are opening it because I would love to see objects from my past. It’s so strange living in this time, I can’t imagine the feeling I will get looking back.

Brynn Sklar said...

Earlier in this semester, I did a project in my Basic Design class in which I did a powerpoint presentation about the Andy Warhol Museum. I learned about the time capsules that they regularly open and I find them so interesting. Relics from the past to be cherished should be held onto especially those of a well-known artist. As a part of Generation Z, I am really curious as to what will be in our time capsule. What items represent us as a whole generation? It is weird to think that something so miniscule can have such a large impact. I also think it is intriguing that the time capsule is digital. Having grown up in an age where the internet had already existed, this makes sense because most of the media we consumed was online. It is just odd to realize that maybe the generations after us, if they do a time capsule, might present it on something better than digital.

Jill Parzych said...

I chose to comment on this article because I have always loved the idea of a time capsule, and I have especially intrigued by the amount that Andy Warhol has saved to eventually be opened at his museum. Gen Z is really a thoughtful, self-aware, socially progressive crowd and I think it is great that they have a moment being embraced by the museum as they are coming to age in a truly scary, weird time. This digital ‘time capsule’ exhibit is a great way to engage a community- world wide- during the pandemic and it’s also a creative way to keep the museum active. The exhibit will serve as an “ultimate digital portrait of this unique and dynamic generation,” and gen z is free to submit photos that give any type of input into what their lives look like. For the most part, Gen Z is responsible for pushing this country forward and for demanding justice- so I look forward to seeing what they decide to include in their digital capsule.

Jonah Carleton said...

This is such a great idea. Literally right after I post this comment I plan to go submit an object for the time capsule. I don’t know if this was a direct reaction to the current climate or if this had been in the works for a while and just had to move online, but I think the timing could not have been better. I’m interested to see the variety of objects they will receive from young people. I’m sure they will get a large batch of COVID related submissions, but what else beyond that? Social justice oriented? Pop culture? It’s interesting because so much of what makes Gen Z unique is how much of us exists only online. I can't think of a physical object that represents tiktok or its many memes that have become ingrained in our generation. I can’t think of an object that represents our growing frustration with the government and the ruling class. I’m sure I’m just not thinking hard enough. I just can’t wait to see what members of my generation feel compelled to share.