scifimuseumWashington D.C. has museums devoted to art, aerospace, history, and even, textiles. So, what about the futuristic worlds of science fiction?

museum-scifi11Well, a new effort is in place to bring a Museum of Science Fiction to the nation’s capital, establishing a “permanent center for the science fiction community and culture.” In fact, screenwriter Greg Viggiano, executive director of the Museum of Science Fiction, tells Mashable that he came up with the concept while working on a sci-fi screenplay.

“I was looking for any science-fiction museum that might be able to assist me with some of the information I was looking for, and I wasn’t really able to find the resources,” Viggiano told Mashable. “I thought, gosh, if there’s not a science-fiction museum, there ought to be one.”

Hmmm. That’s interesting, since there’s already a Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame located at Seattle’s Experience Music Project. In fact, the museum will be in full swing this weekend as it hosts 50 years of Doctor Who — including lectures, trivia competitions and, of course, a costume contest.

sciencefictionicons
Paul Allen’s sci-fi museum in Seattle

Nonetheless, the creators of the D.C. museum are pushing forward with their plans, hoping to raise enough cash to establish a 3,000 square foot “pop-up museum” next year. The museum is expected to house an 11-foot starship Enterprise-E filming prop, as well as a Doctor Who TARDIS police box. It is currently looking for a permanent space in D.C.

Viggiano is pushing forward with an IndieGoGo campaign that hopes to raise $160,000. To date, it has pulled in nearly $25,000, promising early backers perks such as the chance to meet sci-fi author Greg Bear at a special event.

“The museum will fill a need to house historically important artifacts that is currently unmet by existing institutions,” officials write in their IndieGoGo campaign. “The museum will also provide a permanent center for the science fiction community and culture.”

We’ve asked folks at EMP, which operates the sci-fi museum in Seattle, for comment and we’ll update this post as we hear more.

UPDATE: EMP’s Anita Woo said that the effort by the D.C. museum “is an indication of the tremendous interest in sci-fi content that continues to grow.”

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