MODESTO, Calif. — The first look at a museum celebrating Modesto's "Graffiti" culture that was made famous by George Lucas is penciled in for August 2021.
The Graffiti USA Museum is the ambitious goal of Chris Murphy, publisher for Modesto View, and Cecil Russell, former CEO for the Modesto Chamber of Commerce. It's an immersive throwback to the 1960s that, at full completion, would figuratively taxi people from the modern day and drop them off at downtown 10th Street in the 1960s. At full buildout, the team would, in spirit, rebuild 1960s Modesto inside the museum at Coldwell and North 9th Street.
The museum is a celebration of the classic cars, downtown drag strips, and characters that formed the foundation and inspiration for Lucas’s American Graffiti, a movie he made about growing up in Modesto.
“It’s about bringing tourism on a year round basis to the community," Russell said. "At the same time, putting forth a positive image for the community, which, certainly, we need that. Other than the Gallo Center for the Arts, which does a wonderful, wonderful job in that, there aren’t many other real reasons to come to Modesto and enjoy yourself.”
Originally penciled in for three phases, the museum's first-phase opening was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Russell said this year the museum is planning a soft opening and fundraiser that'll coincide with the Graffiti Festival in August. Some details are still to be determined, but he said they're looking at the first or second week of August to share the dream and vision for the museum.
If Russell has his way, the museum could be open to the public before 2022.
“I’d be very disappointed if, by the end of this year, we can’t be fully open,” he said.
That opening would have the majority of what they'd want in the museum. Their vision includes classic car collections, a 50s style diner, gift shop, street scene of 1960's Modesto, movie-screening room in the style of a drive-in theater, specialty room for rotating displays and possibly a record store and replica radio station.
Elements like the wall buildouts of vintage storefronts would likely be built over time. In the interim, Russell is planning on murals or wall skins to capture the throwback vibe of the 1960s as work is done.
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Those buildouts would be the street scenes of 1960s Modesto that stick about six to eight feet from the wall with some memorabilia on the inside. Russell said they have room for about 40 or 50 of those.
There's still plenty of work before the soft opening. Russell said a lot of infrastructure work is ongoing, ranging from bathrooms and sprinklers to floors and lighting.
He added that COVID-19 took a toll on some fundraising efforts and pushed some unexpected issues, but there's no doubt that this vision to rebuild a city in that museum will come through.
“It’d take more than COVID to dissuade some of us,” Russell said.
He said that he and Chris Murphy, another member of the project, have had the vision for long time and have also been dreaming of doing something for the community that could bridge the gaps between generations. The Graffiti USA Museum is their answer.
"That’s what sustains us to keep going and moving forward with this,” he said.
The Graffiti USA Museum is still taking donations for the museum. If you're interested in contributing or learning more about the project, you can visit their website HERE.
Photos: American Graffiti Museum concept in Modesto
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