Via National Building Museum.
Nearly a million white plastic balls will soon fill a pit at the National Building Museum—representative of the ocean—and your name can be on one of them.
The museum, perhaps best known for its indoor mini golf and giant maze attractions, is bringing an indoor BEACH experience to its Great Hall this summer.
The installation, which opens July 4 and runs through Labor Day (September 7), will feature monochromatic beach chairs and umbrellas across a 50-foot wide “shoreline;” an “ocean pier;” a snack bar; beach activities like paddleball; and an endless shoreline created by a mirrored wall that “creates a seemingly infinite reflected expanse.”
So, everything you love about the beach, minus, um, the sunshine and swimming.
To carry out this vision, which was designed by Brooklyn’s Snarkitecture, the National Building Museum is turning to crowdfunding for the first time ever.
At the $25 “sand sculptor” level, Indiegogo backers get one ticket to the BEACH and their name emblazoned on a ball. For $100, “sailors” get a season pass and ten personalized plastic balls.
“The BEACH is a great way to engage our visitors in a conversation about the built environment, while having a bit of summertime fun,” said Chase Rynd, president and executive director, in a release.
Tickets for the BEACH will run $10 for adult members ($5 for youth members/students/seniors) and $16 for adult non-members ($13 for youth members/students/seniors). More info here.
Rachel Sadon