When a relationship ends, sometimes it’s the little things that tip the emotional scale: the discovery of an old love-note or favorite coffee cup, the t-shirt that was an inside joke. Myra knows these objects well. Soothing and strong, she’s the friend who helps you pull yourself back up when you’ve been beaten down. It’s only natural, then, that she’s invited us to the Museum of Broken Relationships, an exhibition she says is a must for anyone familiar with heartbreak.

At the Museum of Broken Relationships, visitors explore vestiges of failed partnerships—the toys and trinkets, gifts, and other artifacts left behind when the dust settles. The show comprises nearly 100 objects culled from an international call for submissions. Representing former flames, splintering family units, or failed business enterprises, the museum’s exhibits are presented humbly; each item is paired with a history provided by the donor. Some of these stories are sad, of course, but not all—some are testaments to hope and human strength, to change and moving on. While the objects themselves are symbolic and cathartic, together, they remind us that the pain of failed relationships is universal.

Founded by two artists in the midst of their own breakup, the exhibit first opened in 2006. The Museum of Broken Relationships has since become a popular traveling show with a permanent collection in Croatia. Los Angeles’s own Museum of Broken Relationships opened in May, with contents selected by Alexis Hyde and Amanda Vandenberg. Hyde and Vandenberg have arranged the objects to take visitors on an emotional journey, and ultimately remind them that “broken” relationships, in the end, may not be broken at all.

The Museum of Broken Relationships is located at 6751 Hollywood Blvd. General admission: $18; students and military with I.D.: $15; seniors (65+): $15. For more information, visit https://brokenships.la/. The museum is accepting donations on an ongoing basis: https://www.brokenships.la/donate.

Follow the museum on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

When a relationship ends, sometimes it’s the little things that tip the emotional scale: the discovery of an old love-note or favorite coffee cup, the t-shirt that was an inside joke. Myra knows these objects well. Soothing and strong, she’s the friend who helps you pull yourself back up when you’ve been beaten down. It’s only natural, then, that she’s invited us to the Museum of Broken Relationships, an exhibition she says is a must for anyone familiar with heartbreak.

At the Museum of Broken Relationships, visitors explore vestiges of failed partnerships—the toys and trinkets, gifts, and other artifacts left behind when the dust settles. The show comprises nearly 100 objects culled from an international call for submissions. Representing former flames, splintering family units, or failed business enterprises, the museum’s exhibits are presented humbly; each item is paired with a history provided by the donor. Some of these stories are sad, of course, but not all—some are testaments to hope and human strength, to change and moving on. While the objects themselves are symbolic and cathartic, together, they remind us that the pain of failed relationships is universal.

Founded by two artists in the midst of their own breakup, the exhibit first opened in 2006. The Museum of Broken Relationships has since become a popular traveling show with a permanent collection in Croatia. Los Angeles’s own Museum of Broken Relationships opened in May, with contents selected by Alexis Hyde and Amanda Vandenberg. Hyde and Vandenberg have arranged the objects to take visitors on an emotional journey, and ultimately remind them that “broken” relationships, in the end, may not be broken at all.

The Museum of Broken Relationships is located at 6751 Hollywood Blvd. General admission: $18; students and military with I.D.: $15; seniors (65+): $15. For more information, visit https://brokenships.la/. The museum is accepting donations on an ongoing basis: https://www.brokenships.la/donate.

Follow the museum on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.