Art Of Breakups: Museum Enshrines Relics Of Relationships Past

Featured on npr.org

Ever wondered what to do with that special memento from a past relationship, that token that's just too challenging to toss, not feasible to return, but yet too painful to hold on to?

And no, we're not talking about your broken heart, although we would all relish a quick fix for such.

While emotional fallout might be the thing we most often wish to be rid of after a relationship has ended, the tangibles — the bits and pieces of a life built together – can also make it challenging to let go and move on.

Well, now you can donate those trinkets of love to a museum, The Museum of Broken Relationships, to be precise. The new museum is set to open in Los Angeles in May and they're currently in the process of building their collection.

(We asked people on Twitter to share some of their items from relationships past, and you'll find those memories shared throughout this story.) 

Alexis Hyde is the museum's director and she says they're accepting submissions from persons overcoming any type of broken relationship.

We're talking about all relationships," Hyde tells NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro. "It is lovers and it is romantic, but it's also your family, your friends, maybe business relationships, or even like with your country. I actually even got submissions from someone breaking up with your younger more idealistic self."

The brokenhearted have been submitting a potpourri of souvenirs ranging from "ratty T-shirts," to photo albums and pieces of jewelry.

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