THEMUSEUM reopens: New interactive, COVID-safe exhibits and preparing for a British Invasion

The sky seems to be the limit for THEMUSEUM after reopening their doors on July 16 for the first time since November — literally. 

Earlier this week, THEMUSEUM President David Marskell took to the sky in a small plane, flying behind a helicopter carrying the Rolling Stones banner around Kitchener to promote the upcoming Rolling Stones exhibit ‘UNZIPPED.’

They scored the exhibit, which was created by the Rolling Stones themselves, in November, and have already sold over $100,000 worth of tickets. 

“It’s going to be significant in terms of economic impact for this community, for the hospitality sector, the bars, the restaurants and hotels, they are going to benefit greatly from this,” Marskell said, adding that they have almost $900,000 in paid and promotional media advertising from Detroit to Ottawa. 

“We're going to bring a lot of people to town,” he said. 

It will give visitors a “backstage pass” to the world-famous rock band’s history, including a replica of their recording studio, an immersive realistic reconstruction of their Chelsea flat, and a three-dimensional experience of an iconic Stones moment — not to mention over 300 objects from their personal collection.

“It's big, and it's going to consume our four floors,” he said. 
 
It will also feature the Voodoo Lounge, a British-style Rolling Stones pub with a cash bar and pre-ordered food options. 

But they’re not stopping there. Marskell said the Stones will essentially be taking over the region during the exhibit's run. 

“We've already announced one complimentary exhibit down in Cambridge at the Fashion History Museum, they're doing something called Frock On!” which he says will be about the connection between fashion and music. They plan to announce another exhibit in Waterloo. 

“We're planning film festivals around it, we're working with Centre in the Square to do a night around the Rolling Stones, we've got the band manager coming here to speak,” he said. “We want to really dive into all things Stones and share their influence on fashion, film, pop culture, and of course on music.”

Earlier this week, the provincial government announced over $1.2 million in funding for nine local events and festivals through the Ontario Government Reconnect Program. THEMUSEUM is among those receiving funding, which will help support their big UNZIPPED plans. 

In the meantime, they’re currently running three main exhibits — all of which are deemed COVID-friendly. 

Marskell said THEMUSEUM prides itself on being a kind of non-museum: largely interactive and just plain fun. Their popular SPECTRUM exhibit was the epitome of this, featuring a balloon room and a ball pit, among other things. But with the pandemic, they had to find ways to keep that same spirit alive while avoiding any exhibits that require touch. 

One is called Dinosaurs: The Age of Big Weird Feathered Things, which features animatronic dinosaurs that move and roar. 

“It's great for young families who just want to get out and do something,” Marskell said. 

Just because you can’t touch doesn’t mean the exhibits aren’t immersive, though. The SONICA exhibit allows visitors to interact with the sound, either making sound or listening to different sound-based installations. 

Highlights include, for instance, a room where each movement creates a different sound and interactive soundscapes depicting life before and during lockdown.

“In the back of our minds, there was always that aspect of ‘what can we put in that is a 360 from SPECTRUM?’ which was very immersive, shareable, touchable. And so this is where we came up with sound,” he said.

Marskell noted that they emerged from the pandemic stronger than before because they’ve learned so many things — including the value of “taking the museum out of the museum,” he said, citing the dinosaur drive thru they hosted last Thanksgiving. 

“In a normal year, we have 100,000 visitors come to THEMUSEUM; we had 50,000 paying customers go through that dinosaur drive thru. And so we need to do that more often — not necessarily with dinosaurs, but with other activities that take THEMUSEUM into other places,” which is exactly what they plan to do with the Stones exhibit. 

We're built to, as we say, inspire and enlighten. To reopen was like the fish jumping out of water and feeling the sunshine. We're happy and we're back, we're having great days of attendance, and the exhibits are being well received,” he said. 

Along with increased cleaning measures and weekly rapid COVID tests for staff, they have timed tickets to reduce capacity — even further than the province requires. 

You can find out more about UNZIPPED here, or learn more about THEMUSEUM’s current exhibits here.