#S2E39 | Miami’s Wilzig Erotic Art Museum

Wild & Sublime Podcast Transcript

#S2E39 | Miami’s Wilzig Erotic Art Museum

[Wild & Sublime theme music]

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: It's always interesting to me when people talk about pornography or technology today, used to create erotic imagery. And I'm like, hmm, people have been doing that for literally thousands of years. Any medium that comes out, any technology that's developed, is always used at some point to create erotic imagery. It's just part of human nature.

Karen Yates: Welcome to Wild & Sublime, a sexy spin on infotainment®, no matter your preferences, orientation, or relationship style, based on the popular live Chicago show. Each week, I'll chat about sex and relationships with citizens from the world of sex positivity. You'll hear meaningful conversation, dialogues that go deeper, and information that can help you become more free in your sexual expression. I'm sex educator Karen Yates.

Today we'll be investigating Miami's Wilzig Erotic Art Museum, talking with its Education Director about the intersection between the public, the museum, and sex. Keep listening.

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Hey, folks. I love Miami. It's one of my favorite cities — which I only discovered when a scuba trip in the Keys went awry due to weather, and I had to spend some time exploring the city. Lucky me. Sadly, at the time, I did not know about the Wilzig Erotic Art Museum in South Beach, which is gorgeous. You can see pictures online. But I was pleased recently to interview their Director of Education, Melissa Blundell-Osorio. Our lively conversation took a lot of interesting turns as we discussed the collection and sex education within a museum. We were also able to discuss, as two live event producers, how talking about sex changes when you are in a room with other people. Enjoy.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio, welcome.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Thank you so much for having me.

Karen Yates: I'm really excited about this interview. So, the Wilzig Erotic Art Museum comes from a collection of a single woman. Tell me about this.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yes. So it's a really interesting story, actually. The museum was founded by Naomi Wilzig. She originally called it the World Erotic Art Museum, and a couple years ago, the name was changed to reflect that it was her personal collection, and in her honor. And the name was changed to Wilzig Erotic Art Museum. But she founded the World Erotic Art Museum about 15 or 16 years ago, because at that point, she had amassed a huge collection of about 4000 pieces of erotic art. And the way it started — she'd been a collector for several years. And she was a collector of antiques. And one day, her son, her adult son, came to her and said that he wanted a piece of erotic art for his living room, to sort of be a conversation starter. And he knew that she was already used to going to markets, and looking for pieces, and things like that, and figured that she might be able to find something. She found a painting that she thought was appropriate, presented it to him, and he wasn't the biggest fan, because he thought that it wasn't, in his words, "Hot enough." That it wasn't erotic enough. And that sort of set her on a path, looking for more and more erotic art. And it just became a passion. Over 30 years, she collected about 3000, 4000 pieces of art, and then opened the museum, because she just wanted to share her collection with the world, and for people to be able to enjoy it as well. And I think she was also running out of space in her home for it. [laughing]

Karen Yates: Right. She was doing the collecting from approximately 50s to in her 80s? Was this kind of the zone?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah, that sounds about right.

Karen Yates: It's just sort of extraordinary that she was going around the world collecting erotic art. I think most people think that that's something that men would do rather than this, you know, middle-aged woman wandering around — especially, initially at the behest of her son. I mean, it's a very interesting story. What's the oldest piece?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: The oldest piece in the museum is from about 300 BC, and I believe it's a Roman amulet. So yeah, the collection dates back to 300 BC at the oldest

Karen Yates: Is the museum still acquiring pieces?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Not at the same rate as when Naomi Wilzig was still alive, because her passion really was collecting, and she was always looking for things that she could add. So when it's the right piece to add to the collection, there'll be an acquisition. But not as often as when Naomi Wilzig was living.

Karen Yates: I noticed that — this blew my mind — that the collection has the "Clockwork Orange" penis rocker in it. If you remember nothing about the movie, the penis rock scene is, like, the most intense. How did that come about?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: I believe it was purchased the way she purchased other pieces in her collection. She had contacts who had pieces, and if they interested her, she would buy them. There are people who ask if it's actually the original one from the movie. And it is, in fact. There were two that were created for the movie, and the one in the museum is one of the two. So there are several replicas, but there are certain characteristics of the originals, there's a certain weight to them, and they can rock back and forth the way replicas don't. So that's actually how she was able to verify that it was one of the originals from the film, one of the two. And so yeah, it is one of the one of the originals.

Karen Yates: Do people try to — they can't sit on it, I'm assuming.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah, no. It's on a platform... You're not supposed to touch.

Karen Yates: And you know, it's so funny. It's like, I key in on that. But let's not forget, the museum has some extremely important artists. Who are the more recognizable artists that are in the collection?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: So there's a Picasso there, there's Rembrandt, there's Egon Schiele, there's... Who else? There's some local heroes, local to Miami, who are well known in Miami. There's Helmut Newton photographs. So there are several pieces in one of the galleries — it's like, the main gallery, where what they call "the masters" are located. Including pieces from artists that people wouldn't think would be characterized as erotic artists, but they have pieces in their work, in their scope of work, that fall within — well, at least in our definition of erotic art, that are in the museum.

Karen Yates: Right, because a lot of times, artists made their money on the side by doing, like, private erotic art for patrons, right?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Mmhmm. In some cases, it can be difficult to trace certain pieces, just because some work they might have done under a different name, if it wasn't in line — if they thought that it might have been controversial. There have been instances where artists haven't been as forthcoming, or tracing the line of, 'this particular artist created this particular painting' is not as straightforward, because there have been taboos at certain times around particular subjects. And so, yeah, it's an interesting story, for sure.

Karen Yates: Talk a little bit about the breadth of the collection, and all of the various objects and art in the collection. You can just give an umbrella overview. And also, what, in your estimation, does that tell us about sexuality and the depiction of sexuality?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: The collection is huge. There's pieces from all around the world, as well as from, as I mentioned, as far back as 300 BC. There's all types of sexual acts depicted, all kinds of combinations of people in different sexual acts depicted. There are sort of gaps. Like, I think there's an interesting discussion that's been coming out around pieces that focus on female pleasure and female sexuality and how — because it's been sort of erased at certain times through history. And so those gaps are also there in the collection, because a collector is only able to collect what's available, what's produced. And so there are gaps, I think, that are also just related to what has been available, what has been taboo at particular times, you know, what was kept hidden. So I think the collection is a reflection of that. It is also a reflection of, in my opinion, just how universal these themes are — that people all around the world have been interested in these things. People through time have been interested in these things. So, it's always interesting to me when people talk about pornography or technology today used to create erotic imagery. And I'm like, hmm, people have been doing that for literally thousands of years. Any medium that comes out, any technology that's developed, is always used at some point to create erotic imagery. It's just part of human nature. All around the world, this is an interest.

Karen Yates: Yeah! You know, when the show was live, I talked a little bit at one point about — it wasn't considered Peru at the time, but the massive collection of statuettes that were coming out of the Peruvian area that only depicted, basically, anal sex. And it was like, that was a key component of how sexuality — or they think, you know, it's so hard to say, since we can't take a time machine back to say, 'Well, what did this really mean?' But that anal sex was definitely a part of their culture. And it was, like, obviously not stigmatized. And so, there are so many things — you can see it in the art of the museum — that are not stigmatized. At least, they weren't stigmatized at the time, in the culture that was presenting that type of art.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah. And that's something that Naomi Wilzig would say — that she liked this art because it depicted real life. That it wasn't necessarily a romanticized image, or a fictional — like, this is what people were interested in. This is what people were moved to depict, in the pieces that they were creating. And so I think, for her, she was really interested in how it showed aspects of people's realities. Which I think is still true today, in art that's created — in erotic art especially.

Karen Yates: Yeah, you know, one of the things that struck me, when I was looking at images of the museum's collection, is — especially the landing page of the museum — is like, these really gorgeous, intricate, Japanese sculptural work of two couples embracing and in various sexual poses. And just the craftsmanship of that piece. And other pieces were, you know, inlaid with gold. And really the highest expression, highest artistic expression, was going into those pieces depicting sexuality. And I thought, yeah, of course, it's a beautiful part of human reality, to be celebrated. Because I caught this podcast you did a number of years ago, before you actually became the Director of Education, talking about, say, the culture of Miami and South Beach, which is very sexually free. Then tourism, but also the denizens of the area do want a — they don't want just party conversation. They want real conversation. They want substantial stuff. And so the interplay of tourism, the attitude of the tourist entering the museum, or the educational event, versus the locals. And like, what do you see? What do you see play out as people are confronted with the art, or confronted with the educational event?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: That's interesting. Miami, I would say, in some ways, is very open. But at the same time, it can also be quite superficial. Naomi WIlzig had actually — she wasn't living in Miami; she wasn't looking to open her Museum in Miami specifically. She had actually tried to open it in other cities, but wasn't able to find a space. She was denied several times when people found out what the museum was about, and what she was trying to bring to the space, because they felt that she was bringing something unsavory. They didn't want it in their building. And it was in Miami where she was actually able to open the museum. And so in some ways, I think Miami is more open. It's more sexually free. And at the same time, I think there's also a superficiality to it. I don't know that there's a significant interest in going deep into the topic, but I think this conversation happens all the time, with people talking about, like, 'Oh, sex is so taboo, no one's ever really talking about sex,' and other people being like, 'Are you kidding? Sex is everywhere! Sex sells.' And it's either hidden away, it's taboo, or it's present everywhere, but in a very superficial way. And so, I think it's true in many places, and Miami included.

A few years back, my background was in science communication, and doing a lot of  public science events — which was interesting, because when I first started doing this in Miami, it attracted some attention. And there was even a particular program I was part of there. A news crew came out, and they were interviewing people in the audience, being like, 'Do you think this would work in Miami? Do you think that people in Miami are interested in this kind of programming?'

Karen Yates: "Are  people in Miami braindead? What do you think?" Good lord! [laughing]

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Basically what they were asking people in the audience. But I think that there was a desire for it. And my background is in anthropology, and doing these public science events. I've always been interested in human behavior. And so, before I joined the museum, I was working on a program that was also around sexuality, and just having different speakers. There was someone talking about sex and advertising, and whether it actually works; there was someone talking about myths around sexuality in Judaism; and then one on sex work. So the idea was just to have an evening where people could enjoy a drink, and then also listen to these talks and hear from different people about different topics on sex and sexuality. And in looking for a venue, someone recommended the Erotic Art Museum to me — and that's how I first got in touch with them, was in putting together this program in the space. And from there, I thought it was a wonderful space. I thought it was really great. And that it could be a wonderful place for people to come in and experience different types of programming around sex and sexuality, because I could tell there was an interest there. There was a desire to keep exploring these topics. And so, it took a while. There were several conversations with the director of the museum. But eventually, he took the chance on me, and he brought me in, and we started the education department.

Karen Yates: You're the Director of Education. First, tell me — and I know that the pandemic has impacted everything — but tell me a little bit about the events that you are putting on, and the educational opportunities that you program for the museum.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: My goal with the department was to create a space for people to explore a wide variety of topics related to human sexuality. The museum has always been very popular with tourists, the way it is for several museums, right? Most people who visit them are people who are visiting that city, but don't necessarily live there. And so, the museum had always been very popular with tourists, but it just happened that there were several people who had lived in Miami their entire lives, who did not know the museum was there. I saw it as an opportunity to really be able to engage the local community, and for the museum to be a hub where people could come and explore, again, just a wide variety of topics related to human sexuality. This is what I love about museum spaces — because they're community spaces, and they're also learning spaces. So, to be able to offer a range of programming where people could just learn about all kinds of things. And so I was clear that I always wanted to have programming in a few different specific categories. So there was always going to be some more academic programming, with speakers coming in, or panel discussions, or round table discussions. There would also be more cultural events, like film screenings. We've done true storytelling, we've done even, like, a variety show at the museum. And then also some more experiential things. We've done workshops led by sexologists, introduction to Tantra, or kink, or all kinds of sexology workshops, as well as art classes. We do art classes, where there's a live nude model, and people can come and learn to sketch and draw the human body. So we've always had a combination of events from those three categories. The pandemic definitely changed everything, because then we couldn't have people — the museum was closed down for a while. And then, even after we were able to reopen, we couldn't have groups of people in the space. And so we moved things online, and then turned some programs into virtual programs — which in some ways has been a really great experience. I think the silver lining of it was that when we moved online — and I don't know that we would have done this otherwise, you know, without having to, because of the pandemic — we were able to work with some people that we normally wouldn't have been able to, because they're across the country, or in other countries. We've also been able to have people participate in our programs who are not in the South Florida area, who may have never even been to Miami, but they've been able to participate in our programs. So in that sense, it's actually a nice experience. And even after we're able to go back to our programming in person, the way we have done, it will probably still keep some kind of virtual component, because that part has gotten surprisingly really well.

Karen Yates: And I see it in the podcast, too — because I've created this podcast after the live show — is that people, especially around sexuality, they want different entry points, based on comfortability level. Some people are very interested in the nitty-gritty conversation about, like, the techniques, right? And then some people like the overview and the philosophy, and other people just want to sort of glancingly touch upon an issue — such as this, what we're talking about. It's like, oh, museum about sex, great! But that people have these various points of entry. And I think that that's one of the greatest things about the internet, and what has happened here, in the pandemic, for content makers, is that people self-select, you know? They just don't enter a space, say the museum or a show, and then they're in a place where they are experiencing what is being given to them. There's more of a selection, a choice. People have more choices.

And the other thing I wanted to mention is this idea of bodies in space together. And that is the thing that I miss the most. It's interesting that you're the Director of Education for a museum of sex art. So it's like, the body is really important. And as well as having a show about sexuality, you're always aware that there's bodies around, because this is the nature of sexuality. And to suddenly be removed from the body, it can be a little disorienting. And did you go through that — because you were a live event producer before you became this. And for you, as a content creator and Director of Education, how did you negotiate this?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: It's been an interesting experience for sure. Because, right, as you mentioned, prior to the pandemic, everything I had done had always been live and in person. And I think that there's value in both, right? There's value in both formats. Doing our programs online has been great, because we've been able to work with people and reach with people we normally wouldn't have been able to. And that's been a wonderful experience. And at the same time, I really do miss having our programs in person, because it's just a different experience, it's a different feeling, it's a different vibe when you can be in a space with other people and have conversations afterwards, after an event. Because people are considering all the different ideas that they've just learned about, or they've just talked about, and then to be able to chat with other people there, and to make connections that way. The feeling of community, that I think is so incredibly important, is present in in-person events. And I think it's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to have in a virtual event in the same way. And I think that was also part of what was really special about doing programs in the museum, and having a physical space, having a museum that people could go to for programs, was, it was sort of this hub — that if you're interested in learning about sexuality, or different topics related to sexuality, where do you go? There isn't really a place. People go somewhere on the internet, which is great in some ways, and there's also a lot of terrible things on the internet as well. Not just, you know, regarding sexuality, but anything with the internet is just... There's all things.

Karen Yates: Yeah, the information you're getting, you're not always sure, 'Is this accurate?'

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah. I think being able to be somewhere in person, to interact with people, to interact with speakers, with educators, to ask them questions, and to actually have a conversation with them, is a really wonderful part about in person programming, and about having a space like a museum that can be a hub for the community to explore sexuality, that I think is really important.

Karen Yates: Yeah. I'm so relating to what you're saying — because the show [Wild & Sublime] existed for a year and a half in Chicago, and it basically was, for all intents and purposes, it really is an educational event. You know, it was panels, it was interviews, it was storytellers. It was also burlesque dancers. But there was an unpacking afterwards — you know, we called it The Afterglow. Now it exists on Patreon, but it was a way for people to process with each other what had just been experienced. And that's a lot harder to do, even in a Zoom space, say.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah, you can't pull someone aside and have a conversation, the two of you, and then — you're talking to the whole group, or, you know, or you're—

Karen Yates: Or you're going to a private room, and then it's weird...

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah. Yeah.

Karen Yates: [laughs] It's a little weird. Yeah.

[to podcast listener] We'll return to the interview in a moment. Are you interested in a transcript of this episode, or checking out some sex-positive resources on our website? Go to www.wildandsublime.com. And if you know someone traveling to Miami soon, send them this episode — unless it's someone whose head would explode looking at that penis rocker.

Wild & Sublime is also sponsored in part by our Sublime Supporter, Chicago-based Full Color Life Therapy. Therapy for all of you at fullcolorlifetherapy.com. If you would like to be a Sublime Supporter, showcasing you and your business and supporting us at the same time, contact us at .

We return to my interview with Melissa Blundell-Osorio, the Director of Education of the Wilzig Erotic Art Museum in Miami. In part two, she talks about how the public approaches the work, and the museum's partnerships around the world. I begin by asking her how she curates sex education events.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: My intention is to create something for everyone. So, there are programs for people who are much more comfortable in their sexuality, and are, you know, down to talk about anything; as well as programs for people who are maybe more nervous about it, and this is sort of like a first step for them, stepping into exploring about sex. They might be more nervous. And I think, just creating a space where anyone is welcome, and working on making sure that there is something for everyone, is something that's been a priority for me — just to make sure that everyone who comes into the space can find something that is like, 'Oh, yes, I like that, that's for me,' and that they would enjoy.

Karen Yates: I was thinking that the great thing about the museum is, when you say 'museum,' it conveys this idea of steadiness and safety, right?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah.

Karen Yates: So even if you were to, say, a triple-X show... [soothingly] "at the museum." It's still like, oh, okay, it's happening at the museum! [laughter]

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: It is so true! No, really, it's very true. I think, because museums have authority as institutions, and because they're so respected as cultural institutions, that the museum is able to do much more than if a sex store wanted to do similar programming. They just wouldn't have the same ability. The reach that we've been able to have, the people we've been able to partner with and collaborate with, we've been able to work with because we're a museum, and people feel more comfortable about partnering with a museum, collaborating with a museum, than they would for other types of organizations, or other types of businesses. I really, truly believe that sex museums are so incredibly important for this reason.

Karen Yates: Absolutely.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah. What a sex museum is able to do in a community, very few other businesses or organizations that work with sexuality are able to do the same.

Karen Yates: I would agree. Like in Chicago, we have the Leather Archives & Museum, and they're doing such a great job. But I also wanted to talk — speaking of partnerships — your museum partners with the Kinsey, correct? In Indiana, as well as, I think, a sex museum in Germany? Can you talk a little bit about those partnerships?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Sure. So, we do have a partnership with the Kinsey Institute, and the Research Center for Human Sexuality out of Humboldt University in Berlin. So they're both research centers. We have galleries in the museum that are curated by — one gallery curated by the curator at the Kinsey, and one by the researchers at Humboldt. So we do have galleries in the museum that feature sort of a history of the life and work of Dr. Kinsey. And then another one on Magnus Hirschfeld, put together by the researchers at Humboldt. Magnus Hirschfeld being a sexologist, and credited with creating the first sex museum. They've been really wonderful partnerships. We're actually working together on putting together a conference that will happen later this year. It was actually supposed to happen earlier this year, but of course, with the pandemic, everything has gotten moved around. But it's a conference called "Exhibitionism: Sexuality at the Museum," exploring how sex and gender and sexuality are presented, explored, discussed in exhibitions and museum settings. So that's a collaboration that's ongoing between the three organizations, the three institutions.

Karen Yates: Wow, that's great. As well as the fact that the Wilzig is within a larger building that also houses the collection of a photographer, a gay photographer, George Daniell, correct?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yes. So, the Wilzig Erotic Art Museum is in a large building. Actually, people are often very surprised when they first come in, because the entrance looks smaller, and then they take an elevator and go upstairs, and they're like, 'Oh, this place is huge.' It's this huge, huge space. And the building is in the process of becoming a multi-museum building. In the near future — now, things are a little bit up in the air, just because of the pandemic — the building will house several different museums. It currently houses the George Daniell Museum, which is a collection of photographs and paintings by the artist George Daniell. And — I think I can say this, I think it's been previously announced — but there will be the Bob Bonis Museum, which will be a museum of photographs of the Beatles and The Rolling Stones that were taken by Bob Bonis, who was their touring manager. And that one — there's already been an exhibition put up, and it's really wonderful. I think that's going to be a really exciting addition to the building.

Karen Yates: Wow. It's never really struck me that a large building can house smaller museums, which might have trouble finding correct spaces, but if you just house them within one large building, that can be an incredible educational experience for someone.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: I believe this actually exists in Germany. I think that's where the idea came from, because the director of the museum is from Berlin. And it's been in development. And it's also exciting, because of potential collaborations. This hasn't happened yet, I'm working on it, but at some point, there will be a talk about sexual imagery in the Rolling Stones and Beatles posters. So, just overlap between the topics, I think it's just going to be a really, really fun area to explore.

Karen Yates: Yeah, that idea of overlap in conversation, it can be so juicy. The last thing I'm going to ask you is, I'm interested in — you, obviously, as an employee of the museum, lurk within the building and watch people. What happens to people as they're entering the museum, versus coming out of the museum? Is there a process that they undergo in confronting the work?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Oh, yeah. It's interesting to see people as they come in. There are some people who are very excited to come in, and they're, like, pumped for the experience of going into an erotic art museum. There are some people who look visibly nervous, who look like they think that they might get caught by someone, you know? Or just more trepidation as they walk into this space. Which is just interesting, right? I guess, depending on each person's experience with sex and sexuality, and how they feel about going into the space. I think some people are excited, I think some people are really happy to be in a space where I think they feel like they have permission to be able to explore and talk about topics that they feel they might not normally be able to talk about. And then I think there are some people who, I think they're expecting something more hardcore, and are kind of surprised to find that there's so much fine art in the space. So there's a range of reactions. It's really nice to see, especially when people feel like they've come into space, and like, oh, there's this world that they can explore, and that they feel like they have permission, and have a little bit more freedom to be able to just either be who they are, or to explore things that they may feel they don't normally have the permission to do, or to talk about. Yeah.

Karen Yates: Yeah, this idea of giving permission, I think it's such a huge component of the education around sexuality — that people are afraid to want what they want, or their desires. And so, I've just noticed myself, when people are placed in an atmosphere where it's basically everyone's like, it's okay to do what you want, it's okay to have an interest in educating yourself around this. It's okay to look, and listen, and dialogue. I think there's this amazing sort of decompression thing that happens for people. [laughs] Everything gets shifted around.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah. And going back to — I think that this is why something in person can also make an impact. Because people are there, and they see other people here, right?

Karen Yates: Yes, yes!

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: It's not just me, like, on this website, and I don't know who, you know — it might be the only person... Probably not, but they don't know who else is interested, or curious. And then, to be in a space where they see all these other people, and they like, oh, everyone is interested in this, right? It's not just me!

Karen Yates: And oh, my God, people don't have horns! The other people don't have horns on their head. Well, you might have horns, if that's your thing, but...

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Yeah, exactly. But they're not being struck by lightning in the moment that they have a thought that they don't know if they should have, or something like that, you know? Yeah.

Karen Yates: [laughs] Is there anything you're excited about coming up? Or you've talked about some  very cool things.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: So I think the most exciting thing that we have coming up — we still have our virtual program called Tea and Sex Online, which was, we used to do a monthly roundtable discussion called Tea and Sex at the Museum, and that's the program that we moved online when the pandemic hit. We've been doing that as a speaker series, and we've had wonderful people as part of the series. And something that I'm very excited about is the conference coming up later, at the end of the year, in collaboration with the Kinsey Institute and Humboldt University. This is also the first conference of its kind for people who are interested in exhibitions and museum spaces and material culture, and how it intersects with sex, gender and sexuality. So that, I'm very excited about. I think it's gonna be a really wonderful experience.

Karen Yates: And what are the dates of that?

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: That is December 9th to 11th.

Karen Yates: Okay.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: It will be a primarily online conference, with the sessions happening virtually during the day. But for people who are in Miami, or who choose to visit Miami at this time, we will have some programs at the museum those evenings, for people to come into the space, and enjoy the space, and do something in person.

Karen Yates: Fantastic Melissa Blundell-Osorio, thank you so much for coming on the show today and talking. I really enjoyed it.

Melissa Blundell-Osorio: Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure.

Karen Yates: For more information on the Wilzig Erotic Art Museum, go to the show notes. In addition to being a somatic sex educator, I also do healing work with sound, both remotely on weekly Zoom webinars, and in person. Biofield tuning uses frequency to help repattern your bioelectric field, and can support you in getting out of stuck behaviors in all aspects of your life in order to feel better. One client said, "I feel more like myself. My energy has increased, and I feel like I released something that was blocking me. It is such a subtle but powerful energy." For more information, go to karen-yates.com. That link is in the show notes.

Well, that's it, folks. Have a very pleasurable week.

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Next week, I interview JoEllen Notte about sex and depression, and how to normalize the conversation with partners. Thank you for listening. If you know someone who might be interested in this episode, send it to them. Do you like what you heard? Then give us a nice review on your podcast app. You can follow us on social media @wildandsublime and sign up for newsletters at wildandsublime.com. I'd like to thank associate producer Julia Williams and design guru Jean-Francois Gervais. Theme Music by David Ben-Porat. This episode was edited by The Creative Imposter studios. Our media sponsor is Rebellious Magazine, feminist media, at rebelliousmagazine.com.