The late, great Bob Moog left a legacy that continues to reverberate in the sounds of thousands of musicians and bands. Now the Orange Peel is playing host to an interactive display that enshrines Moog’s work in a “MiniMoogseum” — a predecessor to a planned full-fledged museum of all things Moog.
The 5-by-7-foot installation was unveiled May 21 at an “Enter the Mind of Moog” event celebrating what would have been Moog’s 75th birthday (he passed away in 2005). Stationed on the wall in the Orange Peel’s foyer, the MiniMoogseum displays photos, ephemera and parts from some of Moog’s signature inventions, along with an interactive feature: a working Theremin that can be played anyone standing in front of it.
The display is meant to both pay tribute to Moog, who lived and worked around Asheville, at the music venue and generate attention and support for a planned full-fledged Moogseum, a project that could take three to five years to come to fruition, according to Michelle Moog-Koosa, Moog’s daughter, who serves as executive director of the Bob Moog Foundation.
The MiniMoogseum was a year in the making, according to Gene Felice, the lead artist on the installation. He’s quick to point out that many hands went into making it happen. Steve Dunnington of Moog Music handled the electrical components; Weaverville company Cormark International donated the African mahogany used to build the structure of the display; Asheville Hardware donated the hardware; and Chris Perryman of Domus Aurea did the woodworking.
Felice also notes that this is a work in progress; from time to time, different items from Moog’s extensive archive will be rotated into the display, and different audio components will be swapped in for the Theremin.
For his part, Felice did the original design and helped shape the installation as it came together. He also did a backlit glass piece at the top that depicts Moog’s visage set against the sun shining over the mountains. “It’s like [Moog] is still with us,” Felice says of the piece. “Still overlooking the city and gracing us with his inventiveness and genius.”
— Jon Elliston, managing editor
(Another highlight of the “Enter the Mind of Moog” event was a cake contest wherein bakers created Moog-themed delectibles. Pictured here is the winning entry, by Tiffany Good of Tiffany’s Baking Co.)
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