Creating the “Mini-Moogseum”

Woodcraftsman Chris Perryman with the OP Installation Showcase

Wood Craftsman Chris Perryman with the beautiful frame of the OP Installation

The Bob Moog Foundation, and Bob Moog himself, have had a long and supportive relationship with Asheville’s premiere music club, the Orange Peel Social Aid and Pleasure Club. The Orange Peel, which was recently voted one of the top five clubs in the country by Rolling Stone Magazine, hosted Bob Moog’s memorial on August 24, 2005. Since that time, the Foundation has had two fundraisers at the Peel, and has collaborated on other projects as well. Recently, Pat Whalen, General Manager at the Peel, asked the Foundation to create a permanent installation for the club that would honor Bob Moog, his impact on the world of music and his connection to the Asheville area.

With the help of Gene Felice, the multi-media artist who designed our fantastic Moogseum conceptualizations, the creation of the “Mini-Moogseum” is well under way. When asked if he could help with the graphics on this project, Gene went well beyond the call of duty and became the project manager. He designed the structure and worked with our Executive Director to bring the project to fruition. You can download Gene’s initial designs of the project here.

The creation of the Mini-Moogseum has been the result of the amazing support of many craftsmen and local businesses. Cormark International generously donated all of the beautiful african mohagany that forms the exterior of the showcase, and Asheville Hardware donated the hardware to complete it. We had the incredibly good fortune of finding Chris Perryman of Domus Aurea Woodworking Studio, who donated over 70 hours of his time to building the structure. Chris is a highly skilled, wood craftsman whose artful, fun and eclectic designs are featured in some of the leading crafts galleries in the country.

The showcase, which stands 7 feet high and 5 feet wide, will house a small rotating exhibit from Bob Moog’s archives, as well as information about Bob Moog, his impact on the world of music and his connection to the Asheville area, where he lived and worked for 25 years. At it’s base, the showcase will feature a custom designed Theremin interface created by Moog Music engineer (and former student of Bob Moog) Steve Dunnington. The Theremin will add an interactive sound-based component to the exhibit.

Woodcraftsman Chris Perryman working on the Mini-Moogseum

Woodcraftsman Chris Perryman working on the Mini-Moogseum

Project designer, manager and graphics artist Gene Felice chips in to help with the sanding

Project designer, manager and multi-media artist Gene Felice chips in to help with the sanding

Creators of the Mini-Moogseum Chris Perryman, Gene Felice, Steve Dunnington

Creators of the Mini-Moogseum Chris Perryman, Gene Felice, Steve Dunnington

As you can see from these photos, the frame for the Mini-Moogseum is complete (thanks a million, Chris!). We are working on the electronics for the Theremin, the interior lighting, the printed graphics and content display for the interior. We’re aiming to have the showcase installed within the next month or two.

Please continue to check back, as we’ll be blogging about the progress of this project as it unfolds. If you’d like to make a donation to the project, please visit the Moog Foundation Website and click on “Online Donation” at the bottom of the page.