Museum of History & Industry
860 Terry Ave N,
Seattle WA
(South Lake Union)
Seattle has numerous museums, and the Museum of History & Industry is inarguably one of them. Locals call it by its initials, MOHAI.
I’m sentimentally attached to MOHAI, because when I was a kid, the father of a friend of mine was a janitor there, and one terrific morning he let us wander the art before the place was open. Thanks again, Mr Burnside.
Then I grew up and moved away, and while I was gone my friend’s father died, and my friend died, and the museum didn’t quite die, but it came close. Their beautiful old building was demolished to make way for a sparkling new freeway off-ramp, and the museum moved to a new building, a few miles away.
Since moving back to Seattle, I’ve wanted to visit the new MOHAI, but a coupla months ago, looking over the museum’s website, I was skeeved out by their description of a summer-long LEGO exhibit:
A spectacular LEGO brick wonderland awaits MOHAI visitors. Hands-on construction areas invite them to unleash their inner creativity and construct their own ‘tower of tomorrow’ inspired by some of the most iconic skyscrapers.
… Come and see a miniature model of MOHAI built entirely with LEGO bricks by local LEGO enthusiast Shane Deegan. The build uses over 4,000 LEGO pieces and took several hours a day over four weeks.
… In addition to exploring more about the towers featured in the traveling exhibit, learn about a brief history of the LEGO company and see a selection of historic LEGO objects in this MOHAI-developed addition. …
Museums, of course, aren’t big on ethics. We’ve all read about dead natives on display, and stolen artifacts, and this is nothing compared to that. And I like everything about LEGOs except stepping on ’em, and I’d probably like Shane Deegan if I met him.
But a museum is supposed to be art, not advertising. A big exhibit of one company’s products at a museum would annoy the funk out of me, so I didn’t go.
Still wanted to see MOHAI, though, and the LEGO exhibit closed several weeks back, so why not go today?
To confirm the museum’s address and start plotting my bus ride, I returned to their website and poked around, and what to my wondering eyes should appear?
They’re bragging that something called the Bezos Center for Innovation, “generously supported by a lead gift from Jeff Bezos,” is now a permanent exhibition at MOHAI.
What does innovation look like? Who innovates, where does it happen, and how do great ideas evolve? Discover the creativity and ingenuity of Puget Sound’s residents in the Bezos Center for Innovation. …
Wait, what? I’m going to a museum… to see a permanent tribute to Amazon mogul and all-around super-villain Jeff Bezos?
No, I’m not. Not today, and not ever. I’m headed to the Henry Art Gallery instead.
11/8/2024
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