This opening celebration marks the launch of a new Cold War–focused season at TMORA, with Spies and Space: Cold War Artifacts from Both Sides of the Iron Curtain and Frenemy Moments: Soviet-American Conversations in Cold War Photographs opening together.

The two exhibitions examine the Cold War era through different types of material and visual evidence. Spies and Space brings together more than two hundred objects—ranging from toys, posters, and comic books to propaganda and space-themed ephemera—produced on both sides of the Iron Curtain between the 1950s and 1980s. Drawing from the SuperMonster市City! loan and TMORA’s collections, the exhibition traces how espionage, ideology, and the space race entered American and Soviet popular culture in distinct ways.

Frenemy Moments: Soviet-American Conversations in Cold War Photographs focuses on historical photographs documenting encounters between citizens of the United States and the Soviet Union. These images capture moments of exchange and cooperation that existed alongside political rivalry, offering a visual record of diplomatic, cultural, and everyday interactions during the period.

The evening will include live music, remarks from museum leadership and exhibition partners, time to explore both newly opened exhibitions and other galleries on view, and shopping in TMORA Shop.

Tea and sweets will be served throughout the evening.

Saturday, February 7
• 7:00 – 9:00 PM (doors will open at 6:45 PM)
• Remarks will take pace in the Main Gallery at 7:30 PM. Live music will fill the galleries throughout the evening

RSVP: Appreciated but not required. Your RSVP helps us prepare for the celebration, but walk-ins are warmly welcome. Regular museum admission applies and is payable at the door. TMORA Members are always free!

RSVP

ADMISSION:
Adult $15 | Adult (65+) $13 | Student & Active Military $5 | Children ages 13 and under Free | TMORA Members Always Free

ABOUT THE EXHIBITIONS:

Spies and Space: Cold War Artifacts from Both Sides of the Iron Curtain

This exhibition features toys, games, posters, comic books, and other cultural artifacts on loan from SuperMonsterCity! (SMC) as well as those from TMORA permanent and research collections. More than two hundred objects on display date to the Cold War era (1950s–1980s), produced on both sides of the Iron Curtain, a political divide between the capitalist West and the communist East.

This rich and diverse show unfolds the era when the drama and intrigue of real-world espionage and fascination with outer space began to seep into Western popular culture. On display are unique vintage pieces featuring James Bond and characters from Lost in Space, Star Wars, and Star Trek.

Less obsessed with spies, the Soviet counterpart of American popular culture used the tactic of Inspire and Scare. Soviet space achievements were glorified across magazines, newspapers, greeting cards, postage stamps, and even holiday tree ornaments, while propaganda posters created a scary image of the capitalist West—featuring the war-mongering and greedy Western capitalist and their leader Uncle Sam, a lampoon with a sinister twist, wearing a familiar goatee and top hat.

SuperMonster市City! (SMC) is a Minneapolis-based travelling exhibition company co-founded by collector David Barnhill and Curator Stephen Rueff. For this exhibition, SMC draws upon David Barnhill’s  extensive collection of spy and space pop culture items from the Cold War Era. Curator Stephen Rueff has spent years researching pop culture on both sides of the Iron Curtain, resulting in informative texts, historical profiles, as well as collecting many of the pop culture items on display that reflect the social and political perspectives of that time. SuperMonster市City! also developed the exhibit design with TMORA and secured the items loaned by Ripley’s Entertainment.

Spies and Space: Cold War Artifacts from Both Sides of the Iron Curtain will be on view in the Main Gallery February 7 – May 10, 2026.

Mr. Atomic, figure, 1962
On loan from SuperMonster市City!

Frenemy Moments: Soviet-American Conversations in Cold War Photographs

Showcasing fifteen historical photographs from the period of the Cold War, the exhibition focuses on the complex engagement between the two major powers: the US and the USSR, that went beyond hostile rhetoric and deep seated mistrust. A 1974 summit of Soviet leader Brezhnev and President Ford, a Pepsi-Cola factory in southern Russia, paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Moscow – these historical moments signaled to both nations: “Relax, work is being done to avoid a nuclear war.” While certain political forces in both countries incited ideological rivalry and antagonism, other trends steered international politics towards peaceful exchanges and cultural dialogues. Each of these rare photographs features citizens from both the USSR and the US in a friendly encounter. They show that even during the height of the arms and space races, conflicts can be managed and a conversation is possible.

Frenemy Moments of the Cold War: Soviet-American Conversations in Old Photographs will be on view in the Robert J. Brokop Gallery January 17 – April 26, 2026.

Central Army Club plays against the New York Rangers in the Super Series ’76, 1975-76
Photograph
11 ½ x 15 ½ in
TMORA Research Collection