Location
Southwest corner of East Mayo Boulevard and North Tatum Boulevard, south of Loop 101, Phoenix, Arizona
Mission
The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) celebrates the similarities and differences of the world’s cultures as expressed through music, which common to us all. With musical instruments from every country in the world, MIM pays homage to the history and diversity of instruments and introduces museum guests to their varied and unique sounds. MIM is an engaging, entertaining and informative experience, in which the uninitiated and the knowledgeable, the young and the old feel welcome..
Leadership
Bob Ulrich, Founding Board Chairman
Billie (Bill) R. DeWalt, PhD, President and Director
Design Team
Architect: Rich Varda, FAIA, ASLA with RSP Architects, Ltd.,
Minneapolis, MN, and Phoenix, AZ
Exhibition Design: Gallagher and Associates,
Bethesda, MD, and San Francisco, CA
Landscape Architect: Ten Eyck Landscape Architects,
Phoenix, AZ
General Contractor: Ryan Companies,
Minneapolis, MN, and Phoenix, AZ
Size
190,000 square feet, on two floors
75,000 square feet of exhibition space
Components
MIM houses permanent-collection galleries; galleries for special exhibitions and hands-on experiences; an open conservation laboratory on view to museum guests; a recording studio; a library; a restaurant; a coffee shop; the Music Theater; the Museum Store with a wide selection of music and music-related items.
Principal Design Features
A two-story composition of simple, fractured stone forms, the museum building harmonizes with the surrounding southwestern terrain.
Encircled by desert plantings and arroyo environments, the building entrance welcomes guests through a landscaped entrance courtyard, which leads inside to a bright and soaring atrium. A flowing “river” form creates the path linking the galleries. Floor, wall, and ceiling finishes create patterns reminiscent of the geological striations of the Arizona landscape, of the rhythms of musical composition, and of the physical features common to musical instruments from around the world. Windows and skylights illuminate the galleries and public spaces by day, and by night glow with the activity inside the building.
The 299-seat Music Theater spans the two floors of the building. Designed with spacious seating and state-of-the-art acoustics, the auditorium is a premier venue for performances, films, and seminars about musical traditions from around the world.
In addition to the Museum Store, the MIM Café, and other guest amenities, the first floor features a window into the Conservation Lab—allowing museum guests to glimpse activities related to the care of the collection—and the Experience Gallery, where guests may play selected instruments from around the world. The second floor holds galleries dedicated to the museum’s permanent collection.
Collection & Exhibits
The collection comprises more than ten thousand indigenous and popular instruments representing every country in the world. Many instruments are more than fifty years old and have been used for folk or tribal occasions. Objects in the collection range from the exquisite heirlooms of royal courts to handcrafted pieces passed down through a humble family’s generations.
State-of-the-art audio and video technology create an immersive, entirely shared museum experience, enabling guests to both see and hear the instruments being played within their cultural contexts.
Exhibition galleries are organized according to five major geographical regions. Within these regions, guests can experience the full range of musical instruments, from the mountains of South America to the rainforests of Southeast Asia, from the African savannah to the mountains of Appalachia. In addition, traveling exhibitions will display special collections of instruments from collaborating museums, and permanent-collection galleries show how instruments are made.
Programming includes frequent performances in the galleries and demonstrations of instrument making. An ongoing schedule of live performances in the auditorium makes MIM a center of world music performance.
Public Information
480-478-6000
www.themim.org
Media Contact
Amanda Domizio, Ruder Finn Arts & Communications Counselors
212-583-2798 / domizio@ruderfinn.com
