A seven-foot-tall Vietnamese vase, a tomato-shaped purse covered in patriotic Swarovski crystals and a piece of presidential dental work are among the more than 90 outsized and offbeat objects going on display Saturday at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. The new exhibit, titled “The Big. The Bold. The Bizarre,” draws from the Clinton Presidential Library, other presidential libraries and the Clinton family's own personal collections.
The show officially opens to the public Saturday, though the Clinton Presidential Center held a special preview of the exhibit on Thursday ahead of the launch. Visitors will encounter a cerulean glass bowl by artist Dale Chihuly, oversized Moroccan floor lamps and the aforementioned crystal-covered purse, according to KARK. The exhibit also includes diplomatic gifts, artwork and presidential keepsakes, many of which are rarely shown to the public.
A Curator's Tour Through the Strange and Supersized
Stephanie Mason, supervisor museum curator for the Clinton Library, said the exhibit contains a wide array of unusual objects, according to KATV. Among the items Mason pointed to are the towering Vietnamese vase, startlingly realistic pieces incorporating real hair, a sculpture, dental work from the Truman Library and a rocking chair displayed on its side. The station's report notes Mason described the collection as full of many different bizarre objects.
Clinton Foundation Executive Director Stephanie S. Streett said the exhibit would unveil several unexpected, never-before-seen artifacts. That blend of the monumental and the strange is meant to give visitors a fresh angle on presidential history beyond the usual speeches and photographs typically found in library collections.
Admission and Hours
“The Big. The Bold. The Bizarre” will be included with regular museum admission, so there is no separate ticket required to see the display. The exhibit is scheduled to run through Feb. 14, 2027, giving visitors nearly four months to catch the full lineup of oversized and unconventional pieces.
The Clinton Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For a museum built around the legacy of a two-term presidency, the new exhibit offers a lighter, more curious lens on the artifacts that collect in a presidential library's back rooms — the kind of objects that rarely make it out of storage and onto public view.
