February 21, 2018

Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses Returns to MoPOP March 16, 2018

Updated Exhibition Features Rare Nirvana Objects New On View

SEATTLE, WA (February 21, 2018)– The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) announced the return of its acclaimed exhibition, Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses following a nine-month tour in Brazil. The exhibition will re-open on March 16, 2018, just a few days before the 30th anniversary of the band’s first performance as Nirvana. The updated exhibit will feature rare Nirvana objects that are new to the gallery. Additions include:

Fender Stratocaster, played by Kurt Cobain at the Reading Festival, UK, August 30, 1992 and smashed at the Morocco Shrine Temple, Jacksonville, Florida, November 26, 1993
Casting call flyer for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video, 1991
Univox Hi-Flier Phase 3 guitar, played by Kurt Cobain, 1989.
Fecal Matter shirt, created by Kurt Cobain, ca. 1986
Kurt Cobain’s Hiwatt LA412 speaker cabinet, used significantly during Nirvana’s listening party for Nevermind at Beehive Music & Video, Seattle, September 16, 1991.
Hiwatt DR103 bass amplifier head, used by Krist Novoselić to record In Utero and during the subsequent tour
Hunter’s cap, worn by Kurt Cobain, early 1990s
Clothes worn by Krist Novoselić, 1992-1993. The t-shirt was worn at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, September 9, 1992, and the pants were worn during the filming of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” video shoot, 1993

VIDEO: Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses Returns to MoPOP

Organized by MoPOP and originally opened in 2011, Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses is the most
extensive exhibition of memorabilia celebrating the music and history of Seattle rock luminaries,
Nirvana. The exhibit features more than 200 rare artifacts and photography from the band, their crews,
and families. The exhibit also contains more than 50 oral history interviews from key figures in the
independent music scene of the late 1980s and early ’90s. Visitors eager to dig even further into the
vast store of images, audio and video that informed the collection will be able to explore them in detail
at media kiosks. Steve Fisk, who co-produced the band’s Blew EP (1989), created the ambient
soundtrack fans will hear as they move through the exhibition.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS AT MoPOP

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited
Bowie By Mick Rock
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds
Wild Blue Angel: Hendrix Abroad, 1966-1970
Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction
Indie Game Revolution sponsored by Nintendo
Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic
Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film
We Are 12™: The Seattle Seahawks and the Road to Victory

SOCIAL MEDIA
facebook.com/MoPOPSeattle
twitter.com/MoPOPSeattle
youtube.com/MoPOPSeattle
flickr.com/photos/MoPOPSeattle
#MoPOP

CONTACT INFO
325 5th Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98109
206-770-2700, main line
206-770-2702, box office
MoPOP.org

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF POP CULTURE (MoPOP)
MoPOP is a leading-edge, nonprofit museum dedicated to the ideas and risk-taking that fuel contemporary popular culture. With its roots in rock ‘n’ roll, MoPOP serves as a gateway museum, reaching multi-generational audiences through collections, exhibitions and educational programs, and using interactive technologies to engage and empower its visitors. At MoPOP, artists, audiences and ideas converge, bringing understanding, interpretation and scholarship to the popular culture of our time. MoPOP is housed in a 140,000 square foot Frank Gehry-designed building. This spectacular, prominently visible structure has the presence of a monumental sculpture set amid the backdrop of the Seattle Center. For more information, visit MoPOP.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Anita Woo
206-262-3245
AnitaW@MoPOP.org