Kickstarter ❤ Museums
We’ve seen institutions create some truly engaging Kickstarter projects—here are eight of them.
In the nearly seven years we’ve spent helping new creative projects come into the world, we’ve seen a kaleidoscopic array of artists and institutions use Kickstarter to bring new artworks and exhibitions to life. To celebrate #MuseumWeek, we’re sharing a few projects from our archives that were helmed by museums and cultural institutions, each of which used Kickstarter to invite the public into the fold of their mission, launch a unique project, and engage new audiences in the process.
1) The Smithsonian Institute brought back Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit
One of the country’s biggest institutions brought people from around the world together to help conserve Neil Armstrong’s historic spacesuit and put it back on view for the public to enjoy. As part of the project, the Smithsonian team showed their community how their digitization team was using 3D printers to revolutionize the way we interact with artifacts, and they brought backers along for a virtual tour of the spacesuit’s conservation process.
2) The Royal Academy brought Ai Weiwei’s work to the public in London
The Royal Academy transcended national boundaries, inviting people from all over the world to join them in bringing Ai Weiwei’s magnificent Tree sculptures to their courtyard, where the work could be enjoyed by visitors for free. The Academy involved backers every step of the way — and even those who weren’t able to visit the work in London were able to see the finished installation virtually.
3) The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit transformed their facade into a canvas
MOCAD invited the public to transform one of their facades into a “living canvas”, enlivening Detroit’s urban landscape with art and color. For the inauguration of this ongoing public art project, Andrew Kuo created In Staying/Faces, a large-scale, vibrant mural that draws on his experience as an urban dweller and charts works that have marked his career.
4) The Andy Warhol Museum brought socially inspired prints to the public
For Activist Print, this Pittsburgh institution teamed up with a local screen printing house to bring socially inspired work by three local artists to the facade of Rosa Villa, located across the street from the museum. Located in the high-traffic area near Pittsburgh’s baseball and football stadiums, the project provides a space for artists to respond to current events, express marginalized opinions, and to encourage discussion around timely issues.
5) The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts brought its physical space into the digital realm
After fourteen years spent serving the Brooklyn community, MoCADA expanded its presence by making their exhibitions and programming available online. By building a new website and increasing their video production capacity, the museum is now able to transcend its physical space and engage with the African Diaspora across the world.
6) The Bowes Museum brought Gavin Turk’s largest neon work ever to their facade
The UK-based Bowes Museum ran a Kickstarter project to bring Gavin Turk’s largest-ever neon work to their facade. The work served as an entry point for Turk’s exhibition inside the institution, allowing visitors to walk through the museum’s doors and enter the artist’s enchanting realms of imagination and beyond.
7) The Museum of Digital Art became the first museum in Europe dedicated to those using code to create art
MuDA took to Kickstarter to become Europe’s first physical and virtual museum dedicated to the digital arts. With the help of their backers, they were able to solidify their physical location in Zurich as well as their virtual presence on any screen connected to the internet. The institution—which opened this month!—hosts exhibitions featuring artists from across the globe who are using code to create mind-expanding art at the intersection of science and creativity.
8) The Queens Museum is commissioning new artworks inspired by NYC
While some may not consider a city’s food, people, and history to be art, the Queens Museum is teaming up with artists who beg to differ. Having just released Nonstop Metropolis, a reinvention of the traditional NYC atlas, Rebecca Solnit and Joshua Jelly-Schapiro are joining forces with the museum — which has its own panoramic map of the city on display as art — to create a public celebration of urban life. As part of this project, the museum is commissioning two entirely new artworks by Duke Riley, a wild-child graphic artist, and Mariam Ghani, who uses data to create wonderfully colorful, story-rich murals.
At Kickstarter, we’re thrilled to see so many museums using the platform to engage their audiences in brand-new ways. If you’re curious to see even more projects by museums and institutions, head right over here!
