The Museum Of Pop Culture In This West Coast City Is A Creative And Immersive Dream World

The West Coast is a breeding ground for the hottest celebrities, but why see them when you can learn about how their work shaped society? Typically, when we think of museums, we think of art galleries, such as Van Gogh's impressionist portraits, but in Seattle, there's one place full of funky artifacts, A-listers in statue form, and interactive games. It's the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), and like the multisensory bubble experience on the East Coast, it is an attraction the whole family will love.

It's next to the Seattle Space Needle, nearly making it a national landmark. In fact, in June 2024, the museum pushed for recognition, asking for a bill to be passed to honor MoPOP as the National Museum of Pop Culture. At the time of this article's publication, the bill is still in its early stages and hasn't progressed further than an introduction. 

The pop culture scene has decades of history between all different kinds of artistry. Many past and current exhibitions are a novelty in education because they share different messages. From hip-hop feminism to the evolution of tattoos (body art), and even fantasy universes (history's oldest form of storytelling), there are so many layers to what's created American pop culture today. MoPOP sucks you into an immersive dream world, as though you are living through history.

The 140,000-square-foot building is a work of art from the moment you step on the property. The large and uniquely shaped architecture is made up of 21,000 custom stainless steel pieces and painted aluminum shingles, which reflect the colors of the weather conditions. Its open shape allows a monorail to stop inside the building for entrance accessibility. The famous designer, Frank O. Gehry, wanted the structure to resemble the smashing of a guitar, which is pretty on brand, as there is a guitar gallery within the museum. With around 17,500 Google reviews and a 4.6-star average rating, the instrument tower is a structure guests rave about.

With music, fashion, gaming, film, and broadcast, the museum has more than 85,000 artifacts to display. It shows how legendary rock bands, like Nirvana, brought their genre to a larger audience. It shows pieces from iconic fantasy films, like "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Lord of the Rings". It even shows emblems from science fiction television shows, such as "War of Worlds". While they have some staple pieces in the building, there is an archive of specialty exhibits listed on the museum's site. They also have an online collection for those who can't make it to the Seattle location or for those feeling nostalgic.

The museum aims to reveal the overwhelming impact that pop culture has on society as an art form and through various mediums. In doing so, there are different areas where guests can interact and create their contribution. There's a complete studio with soundproof rooms, instruments, and technology for audio engineering. Bands can record their songs, jam together, and rehearse, or you can test your talents as an individual. 

Video games have also significantly shaped our culture, and there is an entire exhibition dedicated to the evolution of gaming. Here, gamers can play on Xbox controllers, computers, and switchboards with illuminated buttons.

To fully embrace the museum, there are private event spaces for large parties to rent. From lounges to theatres and even a church, there are a variety of rooms to immerse yourself in. You can celebrate in places where elite celebrities have been, like those in the Marvel universe. Actors and crew who worked on the films appeared at the opening of the Marvel: Universe of Superheroes exhibition in 2018. A ceremony was held to commemorate the franchise. Whether you're a party of 10 or 2,500, the Museum of Pop Culture welcomes all guests to enjoy the dream world of entertainment.