Curator of Sex
Understanding Sex, Is Understanding People
“A story teller through objects, I've had the unique pleasure of being an "Indiana Jones" of sex.”
Sex in The Museum: My Unlikely Career At New York’s Most Provocative Museum
"Sex in the Museum is the perfect read for those of us who never dreamed that Curator of Sex is an actual job. Part detective story, part sex-ed, and wholly entertaining, this delicious memoir is much more than a one-night stand. I couldn’t put it down."
--Julie Klam, New York Times bestselling author of Friendkeeping
In SEX IN THE MUSEUM, Sarah invites readers to travel from suburban garages where men and women build sex machines, to factories that make sex toys, to labyrinthine archives of erotica collectors. Escorting us in to the hidden world of sex, illuminating the never-talked-about communities and eccentricities of our sexual subcultures, and telling her own personal story of a decade at The Museum of Sex, Sarah asks readers to grapple with the same questions she did: when it comes to sex, what is good, bad, deviant, normal? Do such terms even apply? If everyone has sexual secrets, is it possible to really know another person and be known by them? And importantly, in our hyper-sexualized world, is it still possible to fall in love?
Reviews:
"Sarah Forbes's memoir is as racy, funny, informative, and soulful as the Museum of Sex itself. After reading it, I craved a cigarette." --Michael Musto, Out.com
"Unpretentious and genuinely inquisitive...[Forbes's] crisp, chatty prose style nicely buffers the shock value of her material ... A provocative chronicle steeped in eyebrow-raising details and personal honesty." --Kirkus
"Sex in the Museum describes [Sarah Forbes's] anthropological adventures with wit, insight, and sanity. Unless you’re very jaded indeed, you’ll find something to delight and surprise on just about every page.” --Geoff Nicholson, author of Sex Collectors
"Both intimate and funny, Forbes’s memoir reminds us how much we have to learn about such an important, fascinating part of our lives." --Damon Brown, entrepreneur and author of Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture
"Isn't it every girl's dream to become a curator at the Museum of Sex? Sarah Forbes rose to the challenge, and this wildly entertaining account of her adventures in "MoSex" offers a fascinating insight into one of America's most extraordinary institutions. Hilarious and informative, filled with tidbits about erotic history and modern fetishes, it is required reading for anyone interested in the ever-shifting politics of human sexuality."--Tony Perrottet, author of Napoleon's Privates: 2500 Years of History Unzipped
“Animals make Sarah Forbes feel safe when it comes to talking openly about sex and she assumes her role alongside the birds and the bees with instinctual ease. Fabulously informative and remarkably personal, Sex in the Museum takes us on a rare journey behind the curatorial scenes of one of the most important museums of sex in the world. And like the bee to the flower, Sarah explores every aspect of the awe-inspiring nature of sex unabashedly.” –Betony Vernon, designer and author of The Boudoir Bible
Mama’s A Sexpert: Mama Sex Book
My forthcoming second book, Mama Sex, is an anthropological investigation of motherhood and sexuality.
My thoughts on Motherhood and Sexuality have been featured on:
Huffington Post
“Mama Sex: Something More Than MILF?”
WellRounded
Motherly
The Curator of Sex on how making a baby blew her mind by Sarah Forbes
New York Family
As "Millennial" Mama with an expertise in sex, I am proud to serve as an expert for Motherly Media.
What is a sexual Culturalist?
With an academic background in Anthropology and a decade of experience as the Curator of the Museum of Sex, I realized I had developed a truly unique and holistic perspective in my field. By synthesizing and collaborating across academic disciplines---art, history, science, cultural studies, technology, media, entrepreneurship, design---I decided this unique perspective needed its own name and could be applied with great success beyond museum walls.
As a sexual culturalist — someone who studies sexuality from a socio-cultural-historical perspective — I have used this perspective to created both content and strategy for those who recognize a better understanding of sex, sexuality, and identity are critical domains for the success of cultural institutions and corporations alike.
With this background, in addition to my curatorial and consultancy work, I serve on the Advisory Board for the forthcoming Vagina Museum, London, as an expert for Motherly Media as well as a member of the Sexual Misconduct Board for Summit, which designs experiences that connect and inspire a community of today's brightest leaders.
As a “Curator of Sex” I have been featured in:
The New York Times
Cosmopolitan Magazine
New York Post, Daily News, New York Observer, Time Out New York, Village Voice, El Diario
Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Independent
Associated Press, Reuters
Art Daily, I-D, Antenna, Print, Radar, Nylon, Sculpture, New Scientist, Huffington Post, Elite Daily, Galore, Vice’s Motherboard, Psychology Today and more. I have appeared on the Today Show, Discovery’s Curiosities with Maggie Gylenhaal, MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan, CBS, Huffington Post Live, HBO's Katie Morgan Show, Bravo’s Ironic Iconic America, Mike and Juliet, Montel, VH1 Brazil, Playboy Radio, Resto del Mundo and the documentaries Indie Sex, featured on IFC, as well as Behind the Burly Q directed by Leslie Zemeckis.
Consultancy
As a “Curator of Sex” my expertise is rooted in a decade of experience transforming information into immersive experiences, initiatives and activations. In 2011, I began working with a range of start-ups, cultural organizations, publications, websites and production companies interested in engaging their audiences with an intelligent, accessible, and creative approach toward sex, sexuality, gender and identity.
Some of my clients include:
Never Liked It Anyway, The Ebay of Break Ups
The Bozzwicks, Production Company
Paperny Entertainment, Production Company
SexToii, an e-commerce dubbed the “Amazon of Orgasms” by Glamour Magazine
Blackfin, Production Company