The 2022 Museum Gift Guide Is Here!
The holidays are right around the corner, and we all know what that means: ’tis the season for gift giving. For those of you still scrambling to check off every name on your list, or who feel like treating yourself, fear not! Beyond giving the gift of adventure with a Watson Adventures gift card, our holiday gift guide is here to save the day.
In running virtual games and in-person scavenger hunts at museums around the country, we’ve searched museum gift shops high and low to find the most unique gifts around. The best part? With these gifts, you can bask in the knowledge that your purchase will support a beloved cultural institution like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Getty Center. It’s basically a write-off!
Without further ado, here are 11 amazing gift ideas from museum gift shops.
One For the Books
Buying for the voracious reader in your life can be tricky. Don’t bother picking up that latest buzzy title or bestseller—they’ve already read it. The solution? Buy your book fan this book fan. Elegant, unique, and perfect for keeping cool on the subway platform. Fan-tastic! New-York Historical Society Museum, $7
Trim Your Tree—Organically!
Behold: the avocado toast ornament! The perfect gift to remind the millennial in your life exactly why they can’t afford to buy a house. Mmm, delicious. Brooklyn Museum, $16
Yeehaw, Pizza!
Speaking of delicious—it’s pizza time! There’s nothing more country than guitar music and a slice of ‘za. Maybe, we don’t know, we’re from New York. But we do know that we would totally buy this guitar pizza cutter. It’s the perfect intersection of style and function. With a guitar-shaped handle and a stainless steel blade, you’re ready to rock… and roll. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, $18
Bottoms Up
What do you get that friend who’s been begging you to watch House of the Dragon for the past four months, even though you have explained several times that the season finale of Game of Thrones burned you once, and you will not be burned again, thank you very much, you don’t care how great the reviews are? You get them this drinking horn, of course. Skal! Prost! Cheers! Getty Museum, $145
Make Waves
First, let’s clear something up: “Art Kid” is not a phase. It is eternal. So when we say that these are the boots every Art Kid’s dreams are made of, we mean every Art Kid, past and present. Whether the Art Kid in your life is currently deep into the Lifestyle or hasn’t so much as scribbled an anime eye in thirty years, they desperately need these boots emblazoned with Hokusai’s famed Great Wave. Really, can someone please buy these for us? Metropolitan Museum of Art, $180
Have a Nice Day
First it was the takeout coffee cup. Now NYC’s iconic plastic takeout bag has gotten the MoMA design store makeover. A reusable bag that’s playful, fashionable, and eco-friendly? We’d say that’s something to smile about. Museum of Modern Art, $16
Clock This
You know what they say—one woman’s collection of spare computer components is another woman’s treasure. Treasure, in this case, meaning these super cool clocks made by artist Carol Baum in partnership with the MFA in Boston. Do we know what we’re looking at? Not entirely. We just know that we like it. Big Art Kid energy from Carol, 10/10. (They might be out of stock at the moment, but they’ll be back.) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, $54
You Can Stand Under This Umbrella
Little-known fact: Rihanna’s iconic 2007 hit “Umbrella” was actually written about this very umbrella, because it’s so cool. This is a totally true fact that you should not Google to verify. Be like Rihanna. Turn a rainy day into a sunny Sunday on La Grand Jatte. Art Institute of Chicago, $38
Just Add Sugar
Give the gift of science with the help of the Museum of Science and Industry! This organic science kit makes the perfect gift for the curious kid—or grown-up, we don’t judge—in your life. Even better if you’re not the one stuck supervising. Museum of Science and Industry Chicago, $30
Rock On
Sorry, did you say the Beatles? We only know the Beetles. For the friend who’s a fan of the creepy-crawlies, consider this shirt that celebrates the rock stars of Chicago’s Field Museum—the flesh-eating beetles who’ve been helping prep specimens for display since the 1940s. All in a hard day’s night. Field Museum, $30
Happy Little Mug
Know someone who could use a little extra confidence? Look no further than this mug featuring America’s #1 folk hero, Bob Ross. This is a gift that reminds us: If you can muster up the hubris to paint an entire mountain landscape with zero formal training, what can’t you do? NOTHING, that’s what. So let’s get crazy! MoPOP Seattle, $13
Find More Fun
Contact us to learn more about our virtual holiday games: the new Puzzled for the Holidays Virtual Mystery Game, the Joy Around the World Virtual Scavenger Hunt, and the trivia-filled ‘Tis the Season for a Fun Virtual Holiday Game.
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Image credits: All product images via their respective museums