So as some of you may know I have been toying with the idea for quite some time. as to open a museum. Its a risky venture but it would be a museum that is basically sort of an interactive space to come on an appointment basis to try some things and stuff. I have a place in mind even. however im just looking for any suggestions, as its a scary thing due to a number of factors, funding, security of the future of funding, running on a donation basis im not sure. something inside me wants to make it happen and im trying to figure out how. without just screwing myself over!
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Just an idea, but float it with your local schools. That way you can get a tester audience in bulk on a single open event.
I like museums of science stuff. but I hate it for my kids when there is just endless exhibits with nothing to play with.
Enginuity in Colebrookdale is squarely aimed at interaction. Thereās practically nothing you canāt touch.
From that you could build a model of providing a regular stream of visitors that will be glad to be out of the classroomā¦ And because you have some footfall you can then have the space open to others at different times.
Your going to need Public Liability Insurance, or a re-work of your existing one if your coverd for your touring synth falling on Mr 12 Pintsā¦
Rob
I find the idea very interesting and exciting but unfortunately also very hard to make sustainable.
Here are some of my initial thoughts.
I think from the get go it should be conceived as a not-for-profit organization.
That opens the doors to government subsidies (national and local) and potentially tax deductions for donators if you can claim it is a charity e.g. because of its educational value, but that also requires some paperwork to file for official non-profit/charity status and, depending on your government requirements, filing annual, quarterly or even monthly reports.
You should also consider the possibility that it will do nothing but lose money. How would you fund it long term then? Are you OK with siphoning funds from other projects to keep that one alive? (I donāt mean to be negative or pessimistic, but I think it is worth thinking about these possibilities before committing too much time and energy and being so emotionally invested that you let it drag you down without even noticing.)
Combining the museum with a makerspace style workshop (e.g. with laser cutter, 3D printer, plasma cutter, etc) or offering master classes or workshops such as ābuild your own modular synthā once a month, could increase the cash flow to help cover the cost of rent, insurance, security etc, but it could also increases the required initial capital investment and requires it to be in a dense enough area to actually get active members (higher rent area) as opposed to just putting it in a barn out in the middle of nowhere that gets opened once in a while whenever someone happens to want to visit/use it.
The space could also be shared with some sort of recording studio where some of your machines are available for use if that is more up along your alley.
A crowdfunding campaign could be used to gauge the interest and the feasibility of raising the required initial capital. It might just take one or two ārich investorsā to guaranty operating expenses for a couple of years (you should figure out what those will be before getting started). Just have a plan to put everything back into storage if funds run out so that you donāt lose everything and you are able start again, if the first attempt doesnāt quite pan out.
It seems that you are bound for success, but there might still be ups and downs ahead.
indeed! lots to think about. the thing ive been looking into recently is storage costs, funnily enough for just a bit more I can have a space I could use as a museum. it would double up as a space I can maintain the machines aswell as a place just to store the ever increasing hoard. I have been looking at other small museums, and for the start it may make the most sense as making it an appointment only venture, offering semi guided hour long sessions ran by my partner for a fee obviously, also opportunities for educational places to get in touch and book days or something. im trying to make it an expense I would already have, and whatever money is made goes back into it. im just running out of space fast and it seems like a possible alternative to stacking it all up in a big storage place.
the place im looking at is currently a museum, so its already in the class of a museum, so a lot of that has been figured out. I dont see it being open regularly, possibly only a couple of days a month, depending on bookings.
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yeah! I sort of have research in mind and also interactivity, child friendly im not sure yet, but im sure I can bash together a big wall sized mono synth lol!.
and yeah public liability, I have quite a hefty one at the minute because of events I have where people mess with my stuff, and being a live musician playing shows.
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Does the Kent area have other museums you could get some ideas of traffic from?
Hi Sam,
I dunno if you have an agent, but the BBC is peeing itself in an effort to get smart stuff that kids might like. I used to work there some time ago and know that the execs would adore you in their endless, endless meetings.
If you have an agent, get them onto the BBC for support. Even a few spots on the radio. If you donāt have an agent, get an agent.
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Sam gets my vote for a Gold Blue Peter badge.
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hi sam!
i love this great idea since iāve 1st heard about it from u in one of your videosā¦ 
as somebody, who once helped out as a volunteer in this museum -> https://www.bremer-rundfunkmuseum.de in my hometown in germany, i know that it takes several people, some funding not only from members of the museum, but also from the city in which it is located & a whole lot of time & dedication to itā¦ itās actually a full-time job for the most important people, who run itā¦ so, iām not sure, if u had this in mind, as u are quite youngā¦ unlike me (50+) & most of the people, who run a museumā¦ they are usually all retired & already 60+ years oldā¦ at least most of themā¦
still wishing u all the very best with this great endeavour!
cheers!
LSR
Always thought Sam was the beakmans world of modular synths.
p.s.: @lookmumnocomputer are u thinking about something similar like this one -> https://www.smemmusic.ch/, where u once went to & got very excited about? 
i can so very much understand u!
maybe u should ask the man behind SMEM, https://www.klemensniklaustrenkle.com/now-open-on-demand-museum-smem-in-freiburg-fribourg-ch/, if u havenāt done this already?
much smaller! in truth I like a building for a studio, however its a museum, so im just playing with the idea of just laying all the storage out in a more āmuseumā kind of fashion, its not huge, but enough for a small museum thats open a couple of days a week or something
hey tuppswahey you got any pointers to go to? we actually have a pilot for a series that got canned last year trying to find someway of sho3ing it to people
I wish I had some contacts to offer, Sam, but it was some time ago, and I worked for radio social-impacty things. Worthy, dull as toast things.
The main reason virtually anybody in showbiz gets anywhere, no matter how talented (or not) they are, comes down to the ability of their agent. Without a good agent (or a relative in the business) itās almost impossible to get your foot in any door, at the BBC or elsewhere.
As for finding an agent, just think of someoneās career you like the look of and approach their agency. Youāre already head and shoulders above most wannabe media stars, as you have a sizeable body of work to demonstrate that you walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
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Years Ago my dad organized a uk tour for an art gallery call āThe museum of drawers.ā It was literally a large wooden filing cabinet with many thin drawers. Each drawer had been divided into small 1 to 2 inch squares and many artists from all over Europe contributed work to each square and the museum toured, laying out all the drawers on each stop.
Iām thinking that instead of one physical museum that you could package exhibits into groups of 10 or so items and have many groups rotate between locations, museums, schools, libraries etc. Solving the storage problem by keeping it all moving. Publish a book so people can ātrain spotā the items theyāve seen and want to go see.
Time to write to the arts council or the minister for culture for some dosh
Or you can get with the times and go 100% online: youmeandcoldwarsteve dot com https://coldwarsteve.com/2020/01/28/you-me-cold-war-steve-the-international-exhibition-of-the-people/ (2021 edition)
(googling for the drawer thing brought me to www.schubladenmuseum.com which asked me to install a flash player, but from the static image it seems having your own copy of that museum might be a solution to the component storage issue discussed here 
)
EDIT: The youmeandcoldwarsteve dot com domain appears to have been grabbed by a domain hoarder, so added a link to the announcement instead.
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For a brief fraction of a second, I thought the Guardian had written up Samās project, but it was something else:
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Looks like the museum has been rebranded!
https://this-museum-is-not-obsolete.com/
Announcement (about the museum, not the rebranding):
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In another universe BetaMax Won on itās technical ability rather than VHS on itās marketing bullishnessā¦ [ I have a soft spot for Beta , once owned an SL-HF950 but sold it to someone in South Africa ]
In one universe, windows 10 phones outstriped Apple and Androidā¦ That is only one out of the infinite universes mind 
What ever happend to Hulls āMercuryā telecom, why did it exist over BTā¦
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One thing is for sure. The furby organ will never be obsolete.
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