A new high-tech museum is being discussed for Atlanta.
FutureVerse would “transform learning and showcase Georgia’s and America’s most advanced technologies which will protect our planet and benefit mankind,” according to a news release.
With an estimated cost of $100 million, the museum designed by Atlanta-based architecture firm Cooper Carry is proposed for Downtown Atlanta, but no site has been selected yet. This would be the first major new attraction to open in the city in nearly 20 years, according to the news release.
The museum would feature six “Future Galleries,” including galleries focused on health, transportation, Earth, tech, art and play. It would also feature a technology accelerator called the Futures Lab, allowing visitors to “quickly crowdsource solutions to complex global challenges in sustainability and healthcare.”
“We’d love to be open in 2028,” President and Chief Creative Officer David Wynett told What Now Atlanta. “That’s an aggressive timeline, but we’ve got so much excitement around this, so we’re shooting for that.”
The board of advisors for FutureVerse includes Dr. Scott Boden, Chief Strategy Officer for Emory Healthcare and Woodruff Health Science Center; Bert Reeves, Vice President of Institute Relations at Georgia Tech; Nick Place, Dean of University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences; Kyle Reis, President and CEO of Cooper Carry; and Joel Bush, Partner at Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton.
FutureVerse is also supported by educators including Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and Dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine, and Richard Phillips, Dean of GSU’s Robinson College of Business.
FutureVerse is engaging with potential sponsors and actively raising capital. Results of a feasibility study project an annual visitation of more than 1.2 million people and an inaugural revenue of $50 million.
2 Responses
Unfortunately, this museum will not have a long future. Just ask Disney, who, after realizing that Tomorrowland and EPCOT are impossible to sustain their forward-looking themes and attractions, have redesigned them to either be retro-futuristic (think Jules Verne, Flash Gordon, or 70s modern) or infused with Disney and Marvel characters. Of course, some “future” themed attractions are hanging on, but likely because they are thrilling or nostalgic. I imagine nostalgia isn’t what this museum will be targeting, and it takes about 30 years to achieve.
Of equal concern is the likelihood of this museum being primarily screen-based, which would certainly allow for easier updating of content to try and keep with with our always changing future, but in the end, screen-based attractions, even VR experiences, bore most visitors and certainly won’t result in repeat visits.
Concept art looks cool, though!
I am Professor Emerita in Early Childhood and Elementary Education at Georgia State University with specialties in child development, science, social studies, and play and published research on interest in science, play and science education, and benefits of recess. I was one of the initial planner/educators of the Georgia Aquarium as well as a co-author of Play and Social Justice: Equity, Advocacy, and Opportunity, published by Peter Lang in 2023, a past president of The Association for the Study of Play, a past president of the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play, and co-editor of the Georgia Mineral Society newsletter. Currently, I am an evaluator for a National Science Foundation research grant in the Geosciences Department at GSU. I am very interested in science museums and children’s museums, visiting museums in many cities and countries. I have long been a member of the Tellus Science Museum, Fernbank Museum, Center for Puppetry Arts, Exploratorium (San Francisco), and Strong Museum of Play (Rochester). Future Verse sounds like a wonderful idea. Is there a way in which I can help with this project?