The Archive of Significant Objects is a community-curated cabinet of curios and an art project by Felicia Cooper.

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The Archive of Significant Objects is a community-curated cabinet of curios and an art project by Felicia Cooper. *

Where is the archive going next?

Come find us!

Local selections of the archive are currently on display at the Red Wing Public Library

Interviews at Winona State University Nov 12 &13

Artist talk @ WSU November 19

Interviews at Minnesota Museum of Marine Art Nov 14!

This digital version of the archive is a work in progress! Audio and interview transcripts coming soon.

Taxonomy of the Archive infographic showing six color-coded themes: personal identity, familial ties, momento mori, luck or prayer, collection, and relational validation.
White house-shaped eco humidifier with a blue filter, displayed in Minneapolis as Object 1 of the Archive of Significant Objects.
Exhibit card for Object 2 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, featuring a blue, cream, and yellow fringed blanket and its story from April 2024.
Worn orange BOSS DS-1 Distortion guitar pedal pictured in an archive exhibit card.
Archival exhibit slide featuring a redacted Pennsylvania junior driver's license and text describing its discovery in a stolen car in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dated April 2024.
Archive exhibit labeled Object 5, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024, displaying found objects or “ground scores,” including a sketchbook, handwritten notes, small objects, and a corn tortillas label.
Vintage belt buckle depicting a skeleton rabbit playing trumpet, displayed in a Minneapolis significant-objects archive exhibit.
Handcrafted pink ceramic object with a stylized smiling face, documented as a memorial tribute in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Display card featuring a flattened penny squished by a train, identified as Object 8 from Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Museum display featuring a carved wooden bowl holding a basketball game ticket, with an archival note about Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Archive card featuring a photograph of a crystal ball and text about Nora Young, a Romani fortune teller from Blackpool, England.
Archive exhibit page featuring a small wooden board on red fabric, identified as Object II from Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
White zip-up waffle-knit sweater displayed in a vintage-style archive exhibit card.
Archive card featuring a jade-green ceramic elephant figurine with a red and yellow flower, identified as Object 13 from Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Hand-turned wooden spinning top decorated with colorful marker patterns, displayed on blue fabric in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Exhibit card featuring a hanging collection of bells on a wooden stand, identified as Object 15 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Archive card showing two vials and a segmented rattlesnake tail, with text describing gold flecks and Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Archive card featuring a small fuzzy tan stuffed dog photographed against a blue background, labeled Object 17, Minneapolis, MN, April 2024.
Archive exhibit card featuring three-panel bird-themed comics exchanged by mail during the COVID-19 quarantine in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Archive card featuring two rocks found in an abandoned building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024
Archive card for Object 21 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, featuring a flyer about reverse seasonal affective disorder (R.S.A.D.) and a description of its personal significance.
Wooden carved box and polished dark rock displayed in an archival exhibit labeled Object 22, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
White puppet head mold displayed against red fabric, with an archival card describing its Minneapolis origin and 2024 documentation.
Archive card for Object 24 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, featuring an invitation reading “a happening is happening” and “In front of Smith, May 7, 2018, 11:15 AM.”
Display of eight heart-shaped rocks on red fabric, with an archival description from Minneapolis, Minnesota, dated April 2024.
Photograph of a handwritten carnival wristband displayed on a blue surface, labeled Object 26 from Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Foot-long brown pinecone displayed on a dark blue surface, with archival text identifying it as Object 27 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Archival display featuring a painted birthday rock with a vintage girl holding flowers and a message from Grandma, labeled Object 28, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 2024.
Archive card featuring a preserved four-leaf clover, labeled Object 29, Minneapolis, MN, April 2024.
Plastic baby doll limb keychain covered in fake blood, displayed beside an archive card from Mankato, Minnesota.
Display of a floral bowl holding an “I Love My Grandma” photo frame, lime Jell-O box, and red tulip on a black-and-white checkered tablecloth, with text describing a grandmother’s family influence.
Framed section of a colorful childhood cowboy blanket displayed in The Archive of Significant Objects exhibit in Mankato, Minnesota.
Black Darth Vader figurine with cape and lightsaber displayed on a round base
Archive display featuring a sympathy card reading “In the Loss of Your Beloved Dog,” with a rainbow landscape illustration, labeled Object 34, Mankato, MN, May 2026.
Archive exhibit slide showing two framed colorful artworks created by children, with text describing their sentimental value in a Mankato, Minnesota bedroom.
Vintage leather case, reading glasses, and wooden smoking pipe displayed on blue fabric beside a memorial card from Mankato, Minnesota.
Vintage Hawaiian shirt with sailboat, palm tree, and floral patterns displayed on a checkered fabric background, alongside an archive card describing its personal significance.
Open cardboard time capsule box containing a handwritten letter, colorful clothing, a softball jersey, comic book, and Sweet Valley Twins book, with archive description text.
Display card featuring a vintage miner’s helmet light and text describing its use in a Nebraska limestone quarry.
Vintage compass in a wooden case displayed beside an exhibit description for Object 41 in New London, Minnesota.
Vintage metal harmonica displayed in a scrapbook-style archive card labeled Object 42, New London, Minnesota, June 2026.
Handmade white quilted baby bib embroidered with a smiling chick, flowers, and grass, displayed in a vintage-style archive card labeled Object 43, New London, MN, June 2026.
A wrinkled black walnut photographed on blue fabric, displayed in a vintage archive card labeled Object 44, New London, MN, June 2026.
Black beaded rosary with a cream-colored cross displayed on purple fabric beside an archive card labeled Object 45, New London, MN, June 2026.
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Archive Audio

Archive Audio