Indy percussion museum to relocate following water damage
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The parent of the Rhythm! Discovery Center in downtown Indianapolis on Monday announced the interactive drum and percussion museum will be relocating. The Percussive Arts Society said the decision was made after a burst water pipe caused “significant damage” to the museum’s exhibit space.
The 15,000-square-foot R!DC opened in November 2009 in the lower level of the Claypool Court building at the intersection of Washington and Illinois streets. The location also houses offices for the PAS.
A spokesperson for the museum told Inside INdiana Business the extent of the damage was “in the multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The PAS said while there was no damage to the museum’s exhibits or its extensive drum and percussion collection, the decision to relocate was made after re-evaluating the museum’s needs.
“Both the Percussive Arts Society and the museum have expanded in recent years,” the organization said in a news release. “With growing collections, robust education programs, and increasing attendance, the museum needs a larger and more functional space.”
The museum’s collection has since been moved to an off-site storage facility.
The PAS has not yet identified a new location for the R!DC, and a timeline for relocation has also not been determined.
“All of us at PAS and Rhythm! Discovery Center are committed to finding the right space to best serve our members and the greater Indianapolis arts community,” PAS Executive Director Joshua Simonds said in written remarks. “While unexpected, this situation is a great opportunity to revitalize our incredibly unique and treasured museum.”
The physical museum will remain closed until the relocation is complete, with the PAS offices being temporarily relocated beginning April 1.
The PAS said while the relocation effort is ongoing, the museum will continue to digitize its instrument collection and archive in order to increase access, as well as participate in educational and community events, and acquire historical percussion instruments for the collection.
The nonprofit Percussive Arts Society was established in 1961 and currently has more than 5,000 members across all 50 states, as well as 25 international chapters.