EMP: A Museum for Contemporary Music and Pop Culture

Designed by Frank Gehry, the EMP Museum is a mind-bending contortion of metal sitting in the heart of Seattle. Its full name is the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, referring to the original music museum and the later science fiction exhibit that became its own wing of the complex.

The 140,000-square-foot complex is a sprawling collection of music and movie memorabilia. Two of the permanent exhibits offer insight about two legends of rock: “Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses” and “Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound.” Nirvana is famously from Seattle, but its far less known Jimi Hendrix spent some of his early days in the rainy city. His exhibit showcases the guitarist’s innovative use of effects and mixing techniques, presenting him as a pioneer of modern recording.

A photo posted by EMP Museum (@empmuseum) on Dec 14, 2015 at 4:19pm PST

The Science Fiction Museum features a variety of artifacts like the robot Dalek from Doctor Who and Frodo’s sword, Sting, from Lord of the Rings. Exhibits in this section of the museum include Indie Game Revolution, showcasing the rise of independent developers, and Exploring New Worlds, which celebrates the original Star Trek series.

The EMP Museum is also known in Seattle for its many creative and educational programs ranging from its long-running Sound Off! Battle of the Bands to Campout Cinema to Write Out of this World, a sci-fi and fantasy short story contest. To learn more about the exhibits and programs, visit empmuseum.org.

A photo posted by EMP Museum (@empmuseum) on Feb 24, 2016 at 4:11pm PST