"I like the crafts of old ladies. I sometimes say that they are goddesses," explained artist Shari Elf in a 2012 video about the World Famous Crochet Museum. "I love that they're so human, and that they're so made with love and made with heart."
Crochet Museum. Photo copyright 2018 by Anna Boudinot
Repurposed from an abandoned photo mart, the World Famous Crochet Museum has become a bucket-list phenomenon that draws visitors to Joshua Tree from all over the world. Founder and curator Elf transported the empty building to her property, where she painted it a brilliant green and filled it with her collection of crocheted items. Any object that can be rendered in crochet, from animals to food to television characters, cover the shelves and give visitors an undeniable, warm, fuzzy feeling. In one corner, Bert and Ernie cozy up with the Pink Panther; in another, fuzzy poodles are stacked in a row. It's hard not to feel the heart behind these creations when gazing upon a crocheted birthday cake and tea set.
Inside the World Famous Crochet Museum. Photo copyright 2018, Anna Boudinot
The Art Queen gallery next door sells artwork and clothing made by Elf and other local artists and is the gathering place of Elf's artists collective, "Art Not Walmart." The collective's goal is to engage and nurture local artists and artists-in-the-making, giving them a means to "sell art cheap rather than working jobs that are not fulfilling." I snagged a painting of a woman in a crown, sitting backwards on a horse. "Just keep getting back on the horse," it says, a fitting message for emerging artists and desert wanderers alike.
The museum is free and open daily. It can be hard to find since the entrance is not facing the highway; approach it from the rear parking lot of the Joshua Tree Saloon and you can't miss it.
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