The Academy Museum Will Open its Doors in April​ 2021

Published on November 16, 2020

The Academy Museum will open its door to guests on April 30th, 2021. The ambitious film museum recently acquired $338 million to complete its fund-raising goal. An undisclosed donation from the stop-motion animated company LAIKA, known for Coraline and ParaNorman, helped the museum reach its goal. To add fuel to the excitement, there will be a LAIKA exhibit at the museum. 

The $338 million goes to funding education programs, endowments, and capital gifts from the Academy’s campaign. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger was chairman of the campaign. 13,00 people donated to the campaign. “This is a great day for the Academy Museum and the entire world of film,” Iger said in a statement. “Thanks to the wonderful generosity of a broad community of donors, and to the commitment of co-chairs Annette Bening and Tom Hanks, we have proudly achieved our goal. The way ahead is clear, as we move at full speed toward an unforgettable grand opening in April 2021.”

Digital memberships for the museum are already available. The exhibitions will rotate throughout seasons, although there are a few permanent exhibitions to stay for good. Architect Renzo Piano designed the two buildings for the museum, which is 300,000 square feet. People walking around the location can’t miss the godly sight of The Sphere. Exhibits will contain iconic props from films. Visitors will see the slippers from The Wizard of OZ, models from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and a shark mold from Jaws. Those are only a few of the treasures from film history film fans will get to see in-person. 

The museum is located near La Cienega Park in Los Angeles, California. The museum’s director and president, Bill Kramer, celebrated the success of the fundraiser. “To all the donors who have stepped up to make this happen, on behalf of the Board I offer our heartfelt gratitude,” Kramer said. “Closing this fundraising campaign is an important and exciting milestone for the Academy Museum. We are deeply grateful to our campaign leadership and to our Trustees, donors, and partners who have made important commitments to the campaign. Their support is helping to make the Academy’s long-held dream of building the world’s premier film museum a reality.”

The museum will allow children to visit for free, thanks to Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas. Another major player involved is Netflix’s CEO Ted Sarandos. He became the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Academy Museum following the much talked about exit of Ron Meyer. “Thanks to the strong leadership of Bob Iger, the enlightened support of the Academy’s Board of Governors, and the dedication of the Academy Museum’s Board and staff, this new institution is now poised to deliver on its promise as the world’s premier museum of film,” said Sarandos. To all the donors who have stepped up to make this happen, on behalf of the Board I offer our heartfelt gratitude.”

The museum has seen many charitable donations and additions to the museum. As aforementioned, George Lucas’ foundation was a serious contributor to the highly-anticipated, long-in-the-works museum that looks stunning from the outside. Last year, The George Lucas Family Foundation gave a “transformative grant” to help with the Academy Museum’s educational mission. Thanks to Lucas’ foundation, anyone under the age of 17 can explore the museum for free. Hopefully as a result, those kids will find themselves inspired. Steven Spielberg along with several other major studies and foundations contributed to the the museum as well.

Jack Giroux is a Staff Writer at Grit Daily. Based in Los Angeles, he is an entertainment journalist who's previously written for Thrillist, Slash Film, Film School Rejects, and The Film Stage.

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