The Toilet Seat Art Museum

Standing at the end of a private garage driveway leading to this unusual museum, the only indication that we were in the right place was a small sign on the chain link fence that read “Free Museum”. I wondered how we would signal the owner that we had arrived for our tour. As if on cue, I heard the back door of the adjacent home open followed by the quiet shuffled footsteps leading to the garage. My curiosity about this unique destination was soon satisfied when the huge doors to the barn-like metal garage swung open and Al and I were greeted enthusiastically by none other than Barney Smith, artist and curator of the Toilet Seat Art Museum. 

As the doors to that old garage swung open, you might think that the most memorable sight would be the display of over 1100 toilet seats decorated with distinctive and unusual items waiting to tell their story, but you would be wrong. Looking into the twinkling eyes of the 92 year old artist who created these works of art and hearing his enthusiastic greeting is the memory that stood out most to me.  Dressed neatly with his canvas work apron covering his shirt and pants, Barney Smith is a man with a passion. He was ready to share that passion with us on a gloomy and rainy afternoon that I will never forget.

Upon ushering us into his garage and closing the doors against the elements of weather, Barney guided us through a small break in the rows and rows of floor to ceiling hanging toilet seats. He led us to the far right hand side of the building to begin our tour. Flipping on some lights, the stories began.  Barney transformed himself from a meek old man to an orator of distinctive history. Amazing memories and delightful stories captivated our attention for most of the afternoon!

Barney, a retired master plumber started his collection over 50 years ago when he decided to use a toilet seat lid as the plaque for his hunting trophy mounts. Today he’s still going strong with over 1100 toilet seats in the museum, each one organized and numbered with letters of authenticity and other details attached to the back of each toilet seat he creates. People enamored with his work bring objects from near and far for him to work with. His collection has artifacts from around the world including a piece of insulation from the shuttle Challenger, a piece of the Berlin Wall, volcanic ash from Mount St Helens, and even the flushing device from a toilet found in Saddam Hussein’s palace. Military memorabilia toilet seats are hung with pride alongside toilet seats commemorating family birthdays and anniversaries.

Barney celebrates pop culture and the changes in our society over the past half century with toilet seats commemorating early personal computers, telephones, zippo lighters, tattoo machines, celebrities, and so much more. He supports local groups and events such as San Antonio’s Pooch Parade and the museum is a geocaching site.  He has arrow heads and license plates from every state. There are toilet seats and even some video clips commemorating his television appearances on shows such as Good Morning America, The View, CBS Morning news and The Tonight Show. He’s been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles and interviews. You are probably wondering how did you not know about him!

Providing tours to over 1000 visitors a year along with the many hours he spends creating each piece of his art leaves Barney little time to waste. So as the afternoon drew to a close, we said goodbye to our new found friend. His energy, his love of the community and his family, are memories that will stay with me as well as my memories of his unique art. I hope that Al and I are as happy and healthy as Barney when we reach our 90’s and I hope we are still traveling Texas Thru My Back Door!

Note:  The Toilet Seat Art Museum is available by appointment.  Please call Barney at (210) 284-7791 and give him at least 15-30 min notice of your desire for a tour.  Barney does not charge for tours of the museum, but I think he would greatly appreciate a donation of a new white wood composite elongated toilet seat to continue his art endeavor!