Women’s museum set to open in downtown Asheville; crowdfunding effort seeks $45,000

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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asheville_museum_2014Press release here:

aSHEville Museum to Open Summer of 2014 at 35 Wall Street in Downtown Asheville.

An indiegogo crowdfunding campaign launched April 1st to help fund the creation of aSHEville Museum.

Asheville’s reputation as a cultural center of the South will expand this summer when aSHEville Museum opens its doors. aSHEville Museum is a place to journey through the lives and legacies, the accomplishments and challenges, the varied and collective experiences of women. This will be the only women’s museum in the Southern United States and one of only a handful in the entire country.

The Museum’s interactive multi-media gallery features 10-12 rotating exhibits. Learn about women from historical to contemporary perspectives, ranging from local to global in scope, in ways that are compelling, engaging, and innovative. The first collection of exhibits will include:

Appalachian Women

Girls Leading the Way

A Day in Her Life – Women of the World

100+ Years of Sexism in Advertising

Women’s Rights – A Timeline

Her Biology

Women Warriors

Women Inventors

Pioneers in Science

Community Voices

A History of Hysteria

The Museum has gallery space designated for traveling exhibits, bringing a variety of prestigious exhibits to Western North Carolina. It will also host evening programs featuring guest speakers, benefits, concerts, film showings and other events. The Museum will be a place to build community among women.

aSHEville Museum is founded by a local mother/daughter team, Heidi Swann and Gems Ouziad, who share a passion to give voice to the stories of women and girls throughout the world. They are supported by the Museum Advisory Board: a talented team of Asheville women.

By blending the power of a sustainable business model with clear social objectives, aSHEville Museum has a mission to contribute to the creation of a more just and equitable world through the education and empowerment of women and girls.

The Museum is reaching out to the community for support through its crowd-funding campaign on indiegogo.

For more information visit www.aSHEvillemuseum.com

or become a fan at www.facebook.com/ashevillewomenmuseum or contribute at www.igg.me/at/aSHEvillemuseum.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

7 Comments

  1. Big Al April 16, 2014

    Not “womyn’s” museum?

    Reply
  2. Harry April 11, 2014

    In and out in 6 months IF it opens at all.

    Reply
  3. NS April 11, 2014

    If you look at the floor plan, it’s not much of a museum. Very small…what? Poster type displays?

    Reply
  4. indie April 11, 2014

    This thing drawing a little over $100 a day, so probably DOA. As these funding sources have migrated from charitable appeals to non-profits and now corporations, their appeal is diminishing.

    Why exactly do I want to give money to someone to start a business. HELLO. It has already been invented and it is called stock in the company.

    Reply
    1. Pete macfee April 12, 2014

      Hear hear! I’m tired of appeals by folks to open their own business. Work at it, like the rest of us.

      Reply
  5. Nate April 10, 2014

    Interesting that it is an LLC, rather than a non-profit, which means that none of the money you give them is tax-deductible. The for-profit museum model has worked well for places like The Spy Museum in downtown Washington, DC, or the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum in Gatlinburg, but it might be a harder sell in a smaller town like Asheville, especially since the many free galleries go a long way towards satisfying any visitor’s “need-to-see-a-museum” bug.

    Also, how do you pronounce it? Ashy-ville?

    Reply
  6. Z April 10, 2014

    Is there really that much interest in a museum like this? Honestly, I would be really surprised if they get close to 40 grand in less than 3 weeks.

    Reply

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