Seattle, WA - Experience Music Project Review and Information

The Experience Music Project is a popular attraction located in downtown Seattle Center, in Seattle, Washington. Seattle, as with many West Coast cities, is renowned for its liberalness, as well as its immense support of art, as such, it seemed only suitable to build this project in Seattle. The Experience Music Project (referred to as the EMP) is an interactive museum of music history, including a large collection of artist memorabilia. The project was initially funded by Paul Allen, a Seattle resident who was a co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, and who is a large supporter of the arts.

The architecture of the building itself is quite unique, and is distinguishable from all other buildings in the Seattle area. The building was designed by Frank Gehry, and he utilized many of the same concepts that he did when constructing the Gugenheim Museum, the Gehry Tower, and the Disney Concert Hall. Gehry has often suggested that his inspiration for the design of the Experience Music Project, was from looking at pictures of broken guitars, as the structure strongly resembles a broken guitar. Frank Gehry was largely criticized by Seattle residents for the construction of his abstract building, as many contend that the design is an "eye-sore" to the downtown area. In fact, Forbes Magazine once included the building in its list of the "10 Ugliest Buildings" in the world.