Ray Bradbury museum closes

2023-05-27 13:03:00

They announce that the Ray Bradbury museum in the town where the author was born, which had opened in 2017, is closed

https://www.facebook.com/RBEMuseum

Ray Bradbury va a “Live Forever” en Green Town

In 2017 a group of dedicated volunteers came together to honor Ray Bradbury in his hometown of Waukegan, Illinois with an interactive museum. As the Ray Bradbury Experience Museum Committee, we operate the museum from space in downtown Waukegan, donated by the Greater Waukegan Development Coalition.

Now, after much consideration, the RBEM Committee has decided to officially close in May 2023. This decision followed challenging realities. COVID was a daunting obstacle. Many donors have turned their attention to other, more pressing social needs. Furthermore, it was immensely difficult to secure a much-needed permanent location in downtown Waukegan.

Over the years, we have worked with museum designers to develop plans for the future museum. At the same time, the RBEM Committee and volunteers welcomed visitors to events, readings, performances, and exhibits in Waukegan and at national and regional conventions. We present Ray Bradbury programs, online and in person, to local and regional schools and libraries. A prominent event was the Ray Bradbury Birth Centennial Celebration in Waukegan on August 22, 2020.

April 2023 marked our final program. In partnership with the Waukegan Public Library and the Waukegan Historical Society, funded by a grant from the Humanities of Illinois, we present Explore Ray Bradbury, a hands-on, multimedia engagement weekend featuring Bradbury’s classic books and themes. Excited visitors of all ages heard Bradbury stories, created Bradbury-themed crafts, invented slogans and forbidden book pins, and experienced a virtual reality journey to the International Space Station.

While our vision of an interactive Ray Bradbury museum will not come to fruition, the Ray Bradbuy legacy is flourishing in Waukegan. “Fantastic Voyager,” Ray Bradbury’s brilliant sculpture, greets everyone outside the Waukegan Public Library at 128 County Street, with Bradbury’s own typewriter on view inside. The historic Carnegie Library, currently under renovation, will open as the Waukegan History Museum. It will house Ray Bradbury’s personal collection of books.

Thanks to the RBEM Committee for their unlimited dedication,

creativity, experience and generosity.

Thanks to our “visionary contributors” listed below. Your support energized all our efforts.

Thank you to many others not listed, who have supported the vision and work of RBEM over the years by contributing thousands of volunteer hours, professional experience, in-kind donations of goods and services, and communications. You made everything possible.

Thanks to Ray Bradbury for your lifelong passion for writing and your hundreds of stories. Your imagination inspired us from the beginning. Ray, “live forever” in your beloved Green Town!

Sandra Sarsha Petroshius

Presidente del Comité RBEM

RBEM committee

Sandra Sarsha Petrosius, silla

Terry Done

Christopher Foster

Robert Gourley

Sue Kaiser, JD, CFRE

Mikayla Jramov

John Patrick Mullins, Ph.D.

Pat O’Keefe

Leslie Sockness, CEP

Michael Stoltz

Vance D. Wyatt