Flood-damaged Indy museum to relocate

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A local museum is announcing a relocation following water damage suffered in late December. Rhythm! Discovery Center is the world’s foremost interactive drum and percussion museum, according to a press release.

A burst pipe caused significant damage to the museum’s exhibit space at 110 West Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis.

This location also houses offices for the Percussive Arts Society, the parent organization for Rhythm! Discovery Center.

There was no damage to Rhythm! Discovery Center’s exhibits or its extensive drum and percussion collection, which has been moved to an offsite museum-quality storage facility.

However, extensive damage to the museum’s location prompted an evaluation of the organization’s future in the space and created an opportunity to re-evaluate the museum’s needs.

Both the Percussive Arts Society and the museum have expanded in recent years. With growing collections, robust education programs, and increasing attendance, the museum needs a larger and more functional space.

“Relocating Rhythm! Discovery Center following December’s flooding damage, while bittersweet, makes the most sense for the museum and PAS, our landlord and property management company, and our patrons,” Joshua Simonds, executive director, said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the City of Indianapolis, our board of directors, and our funders to identify a new location that will better serve the expanding demands and growing audiences of Rhythm! Discovery Center.”

No timeline for the relocation of the museum has been determined. The physical museum will remain closed until the relocation is complete. The PAS offices will be temporarily relocated beginning April 1.

“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,” added Simonds. “While unexpected, this situation is a great opportunity to revitalize our incredibly unique and treasured museum.” While the physical museum remains closed, Rhythm! Discovery Center will continue to steward and digitize its instrument collection and archive to increase access to these important materials, participate in educational and community events, and acquire additional historical percussion instruments for the museum’s collection.

“Our mission remains the same: to advance the understanding of percussion and its role in world cultures through interactive educational experiences and active stewardship of our historical instrument collection,” Simonds said.

For more information about Rhythm! Discovery Center, to view the collection, or to see the latest relocation updates, visit online at rhythmdiscoverycenter.org.