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Detroit’s Motown Museum is getting a major upgrade

By Sydney Scott, essence.com

On Monday, the Motown Museum announced it’s getting a major upgrade; the Detroit landmark will undergo a $50 million expansion that will help turn the museum into a 50,000 square-foot “world-class tourist destination.”

In a statement issued by organizers, the plan will include “interactive exhibits, a state-of-the art performance theater, unrivaled recording studios, an expanded retail experience and meeting spaces.”

The spaces will be designed by accomplished and well-known exhibit designers and architects.

“Our goal is to bring an expanded Motown Museum to the world, to inspire dreams and serve as an educational resource for global and local communities while creating an international mecca of music and entertainment history,” said Robin R. Terry, Chairwoman and CEO of Motown Museum.

“This expanded facility will be an exhilarating national and international tourist destination which will allow us to narrate and celebrate on a much larger scale what the Motown legacy is recognized for: unmatched creative genius that transcends every barrier imaginable by bringing people together from all walks of life to share in that unmistakable Motown Sound.”

The new museum will be built around the existing Motown Museum, founded in 1985 by Berry Gordy as a monument to museum history and the legacy of Motown.

“It brings me real joy, and I am proud and humbled to know that the inclusive legacy of Motown, and the most talented people who are so near and dear to my heart, will have their stories told in this new museum,” said Gordy.

The expansion will also make an impact on the surrounding community, bring new jobs and, hopefully, spark interest in the community and provide sustainability and a sense of pride. Terry added, “When the expanded Museum opens, it will be one of Michigan’s leading cultural institutions and an even greater international tourist destination providing economic growth and regional enrichment. Its imprint will be far-reaching by bringing thousands of visitors to Detroit each year along with positive national and international attention.”

 

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