WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In just the first few days of a crowdfunding campaign (SciFiCrowdFund.com), the new Museum of Science Fiction planned for the nation’s capital has drawn tens of thousands of dollars from hundreds of contributors, with hundreds more connecting with the project through Facebook and Twitter. In addition, dozens of volunteers who have offered their expertise — and even starship collections — to make the proposed museum a reality.
“We’re excited that so many people are jumping on board to assist our effort to establish a preview museum, funded through donations from hundreds of people. We’re well on our way to meet a $160,000 initial fundraising target and are gratified to count over 100 volunteers who have offered to join the Museum of Science Fiction team with their professional backgrounds ranging from design, human resources, major gift fundraising experience, and non-profit accounting to special event management and every aspect of museum curatorial activities,” said Greg Viggiano, executive director of the new museum devoted to science fiction and exploring its impact on society. “The response has been simply amazing. In the curatorial area alone, the people stepping forward bring a total of over 90 years of museum professional experience to the team.”
The Washington, DC Economic Partnership is assisting the effort to identify likely space for the Museum of Science Fiction. “We can help to identify partners in the Washington market and connect museum organizers with the players who can help identify a permanent location. Washington is a destination city, and we’re very excited about the potential of attracting science fiction fans to come to the nation’s capital. Washington is a global destination as an international capital, too. A lot of visitors come to the area for the rich variety of museums, and we believe the Museum of Science Fiction can be one more reason for visitors to plan a trip to Washington,” said Keith Sellars, President and CEO of the Washington, DC Economic Partnership.
The Museum of Science Fiction is working with real estate advisory firm Newmark Grubb Knight Frank to identify potential locations for both the preview site and the permanent museum.
“In the next few weeks we’ll be touring potential sites for both the preview museum and the Museum’s long term home in Washington, DC. Due diligence is ongoing and the concept of a Museum of Science Fiction has been well received by the community,” says Patrick Nalls, Managing Principal at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.
Steady Progress and New Projects
The announcement of a Washington Museum of Science Fiction is drawing accolades throughout the science fiction community:
- The Museum of Science Fiction is planning to restore and digitize close to 400 historic interviews with science fiction literary legends. Jim Freund, longtime radio personality and host of the Pacifica Radio show Hour of the Wolf is working with a team from the Museum of Science Fiction to begin a digital restoration and archival project involving some of the most famous authors of science fiction. Authors interviewed include such luminaries as Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Recordings will be made freely available to the general public via the museum’s website as a creative commons. “Some of the magnetic tape recordings are quite old and beginning to deteriorate. They may not survive more than one pass over the tape playback head,” said Freund. Greg Viggiano from the Museum of Science Fiction noted that “this preservation project is absolutely essential to the museum and the history of science fiction. These tapes contain an oral history of the genre’s creators, and it’s an ethnographic treasure trove of information we can’t afford to lose. Establishing the museum will make this possible, along with other important science fiction endeavors.”
- Artifact collector Gary Cannavo of Mass. learned about the museum through the present crowdfunding effort and has offered to loan the actual filming miniatures used in the 1970's Production of Battlestar Galactica motion picture and television series when the preview museum opens. Artifacts include the Battlestar Galactica itself, a Cylon Raider, a Colonial Viper, the Galactica Transport, and the Cylon Basestar.
- Awesome Con is discussing cross-promotional activities with the Museum of Science Fiction in advance of the group’s Washington, DC event in April which is expecting an attendance of 40,000. Awesome Con organizer Ben Penrod said, “Awesome Con and the museum would like to establish the District of Columbia as a destination for the geek community and science fiction fans. I was immediately drawn to making that vision a reality. The Museum of Science Fiction will provide a physical presence throughout the year and will allow us to have more programming and events between cons.”
For a full press packet on the museum’s vision, renderings of the preview museum, and other information, visit museumofsciencefiction.org/presspacket