Wax Museum

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Taking Wax to the Max
story by Tiffany Santiago - photos by Johnny Holmes, III

Museum Location

Raven Chanticleer was born to a prominent family. His mother was born in Barbados, and his father in Haiti. He has one sister and one brother, his brother was born in Haiti. His father was a principal. Raven is the creator of Harlem's only wax museum.

Raven has made wax figures of such notable figures as former New York City Mayor, David Dinkins and Civil Rights Activist, the Martin Luther King. It takes Mr. Chanticleer about one month to finish a figure. He uses paper mache and plaster from the feet up.

Raven Chanticleer made a lamp out of popsicle sticks and it took him about a month to make it. Besides running the museum, he writes for a newspaper. He used to teach at a college but found it more interesting to teach younger kids. He is now writing a book called "Taking Wax To The Max".

Mr. Chanticleer's dream is to make his museum bigger and to install a computer room. Right now he is working on a figure of Bob Marley. He says that making wax figures and art objects is what he always wanted to do, that this was his calling.

Painting of Haiti

Kings

Editor's note: Appointments are recommended. The phone number is: 678-7818 and is located at 316 West 115th Street