TURNING 20? It's a huge deal. It's when you leave your teens behind, and saunter into your third decade, and begin to seriously reflect on your role, your talent, what you have to bring to the world, and what you'd like to do next. Of course, we're talking in human terms here, but the same might be said of a cultural institution as it reaches this milestone birthday. And for the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, which opened in 2000, its 20th year has prompted both reflection and looking ahead. It's currently closed in response to the pandemic, and it will remain closed for some time, with a window to reopen arriving near the start of 2021. But within that window?
A MAJOR RENOVATION... is due, one that will move the museum into fresh directions involving "new technologies and innovative storytelling." The 20-year-old Carlsbad institution will now put the exhibition spotlight on "three key themes": Making the Instruments, Providing the Instruments, and Using the Instruments. "Each gallery will feature displays of instruments and artifacts, signage and imagery to explain and enhance the experience," revealed the museum. Also nifty? "Digital touchscreens, accompanied by directional speakers, will bring the stories of the past to life through artifact information, performance, and oral history videos, allowing visitors to explore at their own pace."
IF AN INSTRUMENT IS CENTRAL... to your life, or you've learned to play a few in your time, or you simply dig sound and all of its magic, a stop-by the Carlsbad center of music-makery is a must. Of course, you'll need to wait for the renovations to conclude, and for the museum's official reopening to arrive not long into 2021. Your best bet? Check in on the Museum of Making Music's social pages as the new year, and a new focus for the institution, grows closer. And, yes, maybe consider returning to the piano, the guitar, or another instrument you've loved in the past, all to find the bliss and beauty in making music yourself.
