What kind of museum should austin have? (Houston: camping, shop)

[Austin97]

other cities have world class natural history, history, science, art, aquariums etc. What type of museum would be great for austin?

technology and engineering? Kind of like innoventions at disney

[TerryDactyls]

I think an "Idiots in the State Legislature" museum would be cool.

[Trainwreck20]

A museum of 'how cool Austin used to be'.

[sxrckr]

I would like to have a big museum district just outside of downtown, like Houston does... but I know that probably won't happen, at least in my lifetime. It was "old money" wealth there that established their great scene, and the new society folks and young bohemians that keep it going.
Yes, a technology & engineering museum would be good. Would be nice to also have a big natural science one (that could attract traveling exhibits like HMNS does), planetarium with it, and probably better fine & modern arts museums as well.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

A museum of 'how cool Austin used to be'.

Would this be the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, early 2000's, or all of the above?

[Trainwreck20]

Would this be the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, early 2000's, or all of the above?

An exhibit for each, with a person of the appropriate age as the curator of that section - someone ~65 for the 60s, ~55 for the 70s, ~45 for the 80s, etc.... You would have to keep them separate to keep a scuffle from breaking out, ofc.

[Eastcoasting]

Austin's proposed museums are really not as cool or laid back as they used to be.

I remember when museums of the future were laid back with a more "real" vibe.

[Komeht]

I always thought a museum of the American Hippy is necessary. Austin would be perfect local for it. Diaramas of a hippy family in a VW camping van...video of Vietnam campus protests, an interactive love-in demonstration...a statue of Abbie Hoffman with a sign reading "steal this statue", gift shop full of tie-dye tshirts and macramé

[centralaustinite]

I am always shocked by people who talk about major cultural institutions or major public infrastructure (like trains and subways) who have so little idea of the tremendous costs! It is stunning how easily we take for granted the enormous fortunes (usually backed by unspeakable exploitation of labor -- mining, steel production, sugar, weapons, imperialism) that created the major museums.

If you want a new museum, go talk to the Dells, Dejoria, Espsteins of Austin, and motivate the wider network of google/NI/ yahoo/etc early retirees and see what THEY are interested in!

[owlman]

We already have the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture, what more do you need?