The Museum of Science Fiction (MOSF) is a 501c(3) nonprofit museum that originally had plans to be based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in the spring of 2013 by Greg Viggiano and a team of 22 volunteer professionals with a goal of becoming the world's first comprehensive science fiction museum.
As of 2023, the Museum does not yet have a permanent building or location and is currently developing a virtual reality-based photo-realistic, digital twin of several proposed museum galleries and exhibitions. The Museum is also a frequent collaborator with other organizations, such as the London Science Museum for their 2022 exhibition on science fiction.
Establishment
The Museum of Science Fiction was planning to open a preview museum in late 2015 as a step toward opening the full museum in 2018. The preview museum was envisioned to be a 4,000 square foot multi-purpose location, open for 48 months near a DC Metro station before redeployment as a satellite location that traveled to other global cities to promote the Museum and its mission. This first physical iteration of the preview museum was to feature four gallery change-outs to encourage higher revisit-rates and provide a way for curators to capture early visitor feedback. The interior was expected to also function as a venue for special events including dinners, presentations, film screenings, and lectures with seating for up to 150 attendees.
Despite an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign not reaching its goal, in July 2014 the Museum hosted an architecture design contest for the Museum's first home, with locations in D.C. and northern Virginia under consideration. In August 2014, the Museum hosted an exhibit design competition seeking exhibits that would have been used in the four-year life of the preview museum.
The Museum intends to develop seven permanent galleries that celebrate and encourage the human tendency to always ask, "What if?" The permanent galleries include: The Creators; Other Worlds; Vehicles; Time Travel; Lifeforms; Computers and Robots; and Technology. Science fiction is to be presented as a form of rational speculation that has influenced and been influenced by scientific and technological progress for centuries.
In March 2022, it was announced that work had begun on a VR museum that would provide a photo-realistic virtual reality experience until a physical space is constructed. The first group of galleries are on schedule to open in the fall of 2023.
In September 2022, the Museum received a community education grant from BAE Systems for the design of a quantum computer virtual reality tour to be part of the Computer and Robots Gallery in its VR Museum.
Publishing
Convergence: Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing: Social, Economic, and Policy Impacts In 2023, the Museum of Science Fiction published a collection of essays on two converging technologies: quantum computing and artificial intelligence. These essays cover how quantum AI may impact our economies, governments, businesses, and ethics as a society. Prominent authors such as Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann and Hugo and Nebula award-winning author David Brin are featured, as well as a diverse array of experts from industry, academia, and government. Polish artist, Michal Klimczak created the cover art for the book. A second volume will be published in 2024, featuring essays that discuss the application of the aforementioned technologies.
Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction
In October 2016, the Museum of Science Fiction launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund its first "take-home exhibit," an anthology entitled Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers: Women of Science Fiction. The campaign was fully funded by November 2016.
The Kindle eBook edition of the anthology was released for general purchase on 14 November 2017, and hardback and paperback editions were released in December 2017.
Julie Dillon created the cover art for Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers.Monica Louzon was the lead on the anthology's editorial team, which also included Jake Weisfeld, Heather McHale, Barbara Jasny, and Rachel Frederick. The anthology includes three new poems by 2017 SFWA Grand Master Jane Yolen and new short stories from Floris M. Kleijne, AJ Lee, Seanan McGuire, Pat Murphy, Sarah Pinsker, and Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam. Reprinted works included in the anthology were written by Eleanor Arnason, Catherine Asaro, Monica Byrne, Betsy Curtis, Kiini Ibura Salaam, N. K. Jemisin, Nancy Kress, Naomi Kritzer, Karen Lord, Anthea Sharp, Carrie Vaughn, and Sarah Zettel.