INDIANAPOLIS — A group of veteran entertainment authors, collectors and historians is launching The Indiana Museum of Music and Entertainment (IMEM), featuring Indiana’s contributions to music, film and broadcast history. IMEM, an Indiana non-profit organization founded in 2014, expects to establish a permanent brick and mortar location for this endeavor once funds are available. Visitors will be able to listen to, view and discover Indiana music, film and broadcasting history. The museum will also focus on documenting, displaying and preserving artifacts and educating Hoosiers about the state’s rich entertainment history.
The launch of the project is Saturday, April 4 from 6-10 p.m. at the Wheeler Arts Theater in Fountain Square. Sample exhibits will be displayed, and visitors can meet Indiana authors, exhibitors, founders of IMEM and enjoy live music from Clifford Ratliff and Friends, Tim Wright (Wright Brothers) and Karen Irwin, and Cathy Morris.
Authors include David Fulton (Naptown Rock Radio Wars), Larry Goshen (Let The Good Times Roll), David Humphrey (All Those Years Ago), Monika Herzig (David Baker – A Life in Music), David Williams (Indianapolis Jazz) and Julie Young (Famous Faces of WTTV).
Exhibitors include Tom Fontaine with rare memorabilia and film from both The Beatles 1964 Indiana State Fair performance and Elvis Presley’s last concert at Market Square Arena, Larry Goshen with early Indiana rock and jazz memorabilia, John Rabold with radio and TV memorabilia (including WTTV’s former production console), and Rick Wilkerson with rare Indiana records, posters and concert flyers.
Admission is free. Patrons will have an opportunity to learn more about the museum’s future plans and become involved in helping the mission of IMEM become a reality.