Just want to clarify some things here:
1. Kinetic Universe has never intended to close the museum and disperse the collection. The choices are: keep it in Ferndale or move it to Eureka. We want to keep the Kinetic spark alive where it was born, but it's complicated. In Eureka we can utilize our volunteer base better. We can take advantage of the traffic generated by Arts Alive, and we can hold our fundraisers in our own space instead of renting out venues.
2. We did not call everything in the museum, "Hobart's personal property." What our treasurer was referring to is the addition to the museum called "Hobart's Room," which KU maintained for several years. Shortly after Hobart's death, Justin Brown and his partner were working towards building a trust or non-profit to preserve Hobart's artistic legacy. To help, Kinetic Universe signed a lease on a room in the same building as the existing museum and paid the bills on it. We worked together to fill the room with Hobart's Art and tools, even his couch and TV. (Did you know he wrote his name on everything he owned?) KU threw a big party in the Museum to help kick start the rent, and we all felt good that we'd salvaged something of Hobart's. Unable to acquire a legitimate tax ID, Justin was never able to raise funds to contribute to the rent. So Kinetic Universe rode out the lease, paying rent and insurance.
At the end of the lease, I told Justin, "I'm sorry, but it's time to close the room." I made sure that he had somewhere safe to put his Dad's stuff, and gave our notice to the landlord. After they moved it all out, Emma and I vacuumed the floor, turned in the keys, and renewed our efforts to promote the rest of the museum. It's been a few years now, and I'm sad to say that things have not improved for us in Ferndale. My thinking was that we were were looking for a business sponsor from Ferndale interested in keeping the Kinetic Museum there to draw a crowd. Not finding one: we'll be looking at other options.
3. I personally called Justin Brown in late July and asked if he would talk to me about this situation before we sent a press release. Well, I asked his voice mail really, and never got a call back.
Thanks NCJ for your time and attention.
Kati Texas
Queen,ACE,President
Re: “Kinetic Museum Problem Resolved?”
Just want to clarify some things here: 1. Kinetic Universe has never intended to close the museum and disperse the collection. The choices are: keep it in Ferndale or move it to Eureka. We want to keep the Kinetic spark alive where it was born, but it's complicated. In Eureka we can utilize our volunteer base better. We can take advantage of the traffic generated by Arts Alive, and we can hold our fundraisers in our own space instead of renting out venues. 2. We did not call everything in the museum, "Hobart's personal property." What our treasurer was referring to is the addition to the museum called "Hobart's Room," which KU maintained for several years. Shortly after Hobart's death, Justin Brown and his partner were working towards building a trust or non-profit to preserve Hobart's artistic legacy. To help, Kinetic Universe signed a lease on a room in the same building as the existing museum and paid the bills on it. We worked together to fill the room with Hobart's Art and tools, even his couch and TV. (Did you know he wrote his name on everything he owned?) KU threw a big party in the Museum to help kick start the rent, and we all felt good that we'd salvaged something of Hobart's. Unable to acquire a legitimate tax ID, Justin was never able to raise funds to contribute to the rent. So Kinetic Universe rode out the lease, paying rent and insurance. At the end of the lease, I told Justin, "I'm sorry, but it's time to close the room." I made sure that he had somewhere safe to put his Dad's stuff, and gave our notice to the landlord. After they moved it all out, Emma and I vacuumed the floor, turned in the keys, and renewed our efforts to promote the rest of the museum. It's been a few years now, and I'm sad to say that things have not improved for us in Ferndale. My thinking was that we were were looking for a business sponsor from Ferndale interested in keeping the Kinetic Museum there to draw a crowd. Not finding one: we'll be looking at other options.
3. I personally called Justin Brown in late July and asked if he would talk to me about this situation before we sent a press release. Well, I asked his voice mail really, and never got a call back. Thanks NCJ for your time and attention. Kati Texas Queen,ACE,President