Mad Women

I’ve been devoted to AMC’s Mad Men since 2007 when Stephanie and I lived on the Upper East Side. I fell in love with the characters and the depiction of life in New York from the mid fifties through the 1960’s. Watching the outfits evolve as plot lines developed only fueled my interest in the Sunday night show. So when Steph invited me to Queens to visit Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men exhibit at the Musem of the Moving Image, I didn’t hesitate (http://www.movingimage.us/exhibitions/2015/03/14/detail/matthew-weiners-mad-men/).

Megan’s infamous Zou Bisou Bisou dress

The museum is located next door to the Kaufman Astoria Studios where shows like Orange is the New Black and Nurse Jackie are currently filmed. It has been in existence since 1988 but the most recent renovation took place in 2011. The current home to the museum  is impressive and easy to navigate. We also had brunch at a great neighborhood spot called Monikas Cafe Bar (http://cafebarastoria.com/)

The exhibit had a lot of great features. It included early show notes written by Matthew Weiner, the show’s creator, while he was still working at The Sopranos. There are also production notes that he kept throughout the seasons depicting story lines for each of the characters. I personally loved the recreation of the sets such as the Drapers’ kitchen in Ossining and Don’s office at the advertising firm Sterling Cooper. I also really enjoyed looking at the costumes the characters wore throughout the show. Clips from the show adorn the exhibition hall and they include commentary from Matthew Weiner as well.

A recreation of the writer’s room during Season 7

The most disappointing thing about the exhibit is that it’s too small; we left wanting more. Also it certainly could have been laid out more efficiently or in a space that was more conducive to walk through to see the artifacts more easily. As the final season of the show comes to an end, it was exciting to spend time delving deeper into the mind of Matthew Weiner. I hope he has a lot more creative genius up his sleeve because Stephanie and I will be watching!