MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The old Mississippi River Museum on Mud Island is getting a major makeover with a family-friendly “immersive experience” set to take its place later this year.
Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time will be built in the old museum, according to representatives with the project. The immersive art installation will be the second from artist and technologist Christopher Reyes.
Both Reyes and tech visionary Kathryn Hicks describe the project as a state-of-the-art “Dr. Who-meets-Indiana Jones meets Willy Wonka wonderland.”
The transformation of the 33,000-square-foot, 18-room facility, which once housed the Mississippi River Museum until 2018, will occur in phases.
Project spokesman Marvin Stockwell says they hope to open the first exhibits late this year, with additional areas then being “unlocked” over time.
The family-friendly entertainment facility will include 18 “worlds,” 25 areas, 16 portals, 20 secret rooms, a gallery and performance room, gift shop and a ticketing area.
“Mud Island is an iconic Memphis destination,” Stockwell said. “We’re all fans of adaptive reuse, so to have the new BVO (Baron Von Opperbean) make good use of an existing facility and play a role in Mud Island’s comeback is something that makes this all the more special to us.
The BVO team released a collection of sketches and plans for the rooms, showing the inspiration behind what visitors can expect.
The “River of Time” would also use the museum’s built-in riverboat and river elements.
“This ship will be traveling through the multiverse. It’s a wormhole of sorts and a musical, animated adventure. You’ll feel like you’re flying through space and time. I don’t want to say much more. It’s going to be crazy,” said Reyes.
Reyes and his team signed an operating agreement with the Memphis River Parks Partnership regarding the new project.
The BVO not only has traditional investors funding the project, but they are now also allowing Memphians a chance to invest. Anyone and everyone can invest through Wefunder, an equity crowdfunding platform, to gain a return from the project’s success.
“This isn’t a donation. It’s your investment in a more vibrant and creative Memphis. With $100 or more, you can help foster significant social and economic impact,” said Reyes.
Reyes says that they are working to raise $10 million, with half going toward the project’s first phase.
“We want Memphians to invest and be on this journey with us. We can’t do this without Memphis,” said Hicks.
An economic impact report estimated that the BVO will make an impact of $66.2 million and create 566 new jobs.
“That will be an incredible lift for our local economy, especially our downtown,” Reyes said. “More people coming downtown will mean more traffic to restaurants and other businesses.”
This is the second BVO immersive experience following in the success of BVO’s Quadrant 360 housed at Off the Wall Arts in the Spring of 2020.
“This has been a fantastic journey that I want tocontinueto share with Memphis,”Reyes said.“It’s a Memphis thing. It’s from Memphis, made by Memphians, and supported by the Memphis community.”
Because the new BVO is 15 times larger than the first, they are asking for the communities help in funding the project and gathering reclaimed materials that could be used to create the intricate interactive exhibits.
“We’re looking for everything from cardboard, foam and plywood to chicken wire, concrete mix, electronics and old tires,”Reyes said. “We want to do all we can to upcycle useful materials to be as green as possible.”
BVO is inviting creatives from all disciplines and skill levels to join in what they are calling a “collaborative, community project.” This includes people who would just like to volunteer.
“Memphis has the talent and expertise, we have the community’s support,” he said. “We need capital and we need investors to create a destination that’s truly unique to our community and that will transform our city.”
WREG reached out to Memphis River Parks Partnership, which manages the park for the city, for a comment.
In an email, MRPP said, “We are excited about Chris and his team reimagining and reusing the museum space on Mud Island. We are still looking for the 52-acre solution. But this new offering will breathe new life into the island, among other initiatives we are working on, in the meantime.”
The Mississippi River Museum opened its doors in 1982 and displayed more than 5,000 Mississippi River-relevant historical artifacts.
The museum, along with the monorail, was “temporarily” closed in 2018 for updates. The museum was vandalized in 2019. It briefly reopened but closed again due to low attendance.
The contents of the museum have been transferred to the Museum of Science and History.
