Worth The Drive: Goldberg machines, battle of bands, hall-of-famers
Published 1:30 am Friday, February 3, 2017
Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture — or MoPOP — has a variety of upcoming exhibits and events that are worth the drive.
The Art of Rube Goldberg: Marking the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of Goldberg’s work since 1970, this MoPOP exhibit chronicles all aspects of the artist’s 72-year career, from his earliest drawings and iconic inventions to his Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoons. See his never-before-exhibited original works of art, preparatory drawings, video and other related stuff.
An opening day celebration for “The Art of Rube Goldberg” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 11 invites visitors to explore Goldberg’s wacky, wonderful world of intricate invention and his impact on pop culture at an event filled with all-ages activities. A guided tour with the legacy director of Rube Golderg Inc. at 11:15 a.m. is followed by a Q&A with OK Go’s Damian Kulash about the rock band’s Goldberg-inspired music videos at 2 p.m. Free with museum admission.
Sound Off! Band Competition: The museum’s 16th annual battle-of-the-bands competition for musicians 21 and younger kicks off at 8 p.m. Feb. 10. Doors open at 7 p.m. The first round of semifinals held inside MoPop’s Sky Church features performances by the following acts: Cult Bride, Fluencie, Jason McCue and Mission 253. Tickets are $14 for the general public, $10 for youth ages 5-17 and MoPOP members.
On Feb. 17, Girl Teeth, The Good Weird, Koga Shabazz, and Torpoise will compete in Round 2 of the semifinals. On Feb. 24, Animals in the Attic, Brotha’ Groove, Nomad and Falon Sierra will compete in Round 3. The winners of each of the semifinal competitions will advance to the finals round vying for the Sound Off! 2017 title on March 11. For band bios, audio clips and tickets, visit MoPOP.org/soundoff.
Each of the shows will be emceed by Troy Nelson, host of KEXP 90.3’s Variety Mix, and the performances will be judged by a jury of industry professionals. The finals competition will also include a “wild card” band from the semifinalist pool selected by a youth panel. KEXP will do a broadcast live from the finals round.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame: A new gallery in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame will open March 4, featuring some of the genres’ greatest creators and creations. The new Hall of Fame exhibit invites visitors to explore the legacies of the 108 current inductees through interpretive films, interactive kiosks and more than 30 artifacts, including Luke Skywalker’s severed hand from George Lucas’ “The Empire Strikes Back,” the Staff of Ra headpiece from Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and the Right Hand of Doom from Guillermo del Toro’s film “Hellboy.” Celebrate 2016’s 24 new inductees such as TV show “Star Trek,” movie “Blade Runner,” and authors Terry Prachett and Douglas Adams.
The museum, formerly the Experience Music Project Museum, is at 325 Fifth Ave. N., at the Seattle Center.
Its name change reflects the Seattle nonprofit museum’s evolution from one focused on music to one that explores the phenomena of popular culture — be that through entertainment, sports, fashion, technology, politics or otherwise.
Admission to all exhibits is $30 for adults, $27 for students and seniors, $24 for military and $21 for youth ages 5-17. Children under 5 get in free. Members pay $5 to see the featured exhibition. Group rates are available for parties of 15 or more.
Purchase tickets online at www.mopop.org, through the box office at 206-770-2702 or in person in the MoPOP lobby.
