Art World
Opening of Prince Museum at Paisley Park Delayed by City Council
It was supposed to open to the public this week.
Skye Arundhati Thomas
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This past Monday, Prince fans and local residents waited expectantly as the Chanhassen City Council voted on rezoning permissions that would allow Paisley Park, Prince’s home and recording studio, to open to the public as a museum.
Unfortunately, the request was tabled, indefinitely delaying the previously announced October 6 unveiling and opening.
Music fans visit a memorial outside Paisley Park, the home and studio of Prince, on April 22, 2016 in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images.
The Council apparently voted 3 to 2 to delay the permission request after deliberating for over 3 hours, where Council members considered the emotional comments from both fans and residents alike. The Council claimed that it required more time to study the effect of the museum on parking, traffic, public, and pedestrian safety. “We only have one chance to get this right,” declared Council member Bethany Tjornhom to StarTribune.
The Mayor of Chanhassen, Denny Laufenburger, is rather unhappy with this decision and was quoted saying, “It’s just unclear to me what additional time will give us, I understand [the] desire to slow down, but we’re not running.”
Entrance to Paisley Park as taken on April 26, 2016. Photo Courtesy: Thomas on Flickr.
The requests were presented to the Council after the city’s planning commission unanimously voted to go ahead with the opening of the museum at a meeting on September 20, 2016. Fans present at the meeting that day, however, voiced concerns that the museum was being designed and created in a rushed manner, while others admitted to a need to have a place to commemorate and place mementos dedicated to the late artist, loved by so many. Residents primarily voiced concerns about traffic and the safety of pedestrians.
Ultimately, the Council deemed it necessary to further discuss whether it wants to be a “tourist destination” as a result of this opening, and host the estimated 600,000 visitors per year. A new date for a second vote and discussion is yet to be announced.
Libby Black, Prince Piano. Courtesy of the Minnesota Street Project
In the mean time, fans of the late singer can check out “After Pop Life,” a Prince-inspired art exhibition organized by writer, critic and curator Glen Helfand that is currently on view at San Francisco’s Minnesota Street Project.
Helfand hopes that “the pleasure of seeing a lot of colorful (purple), sexy artwork” in the 30-artist show will “offer some solace for the passing of a great artist and some respite during this tense political moment,” he told the Creators Project.
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