AAAIBMF News:
ALBUQUERQUE — Members of the leadership team for the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum Foundation (AAAIBMF) held a news briefing Thursday at the Balloon Museum, announcing plans for a new, permanent Balloon Fiesta exhibition.
The exhibition is set to be unveiled in celebration of the 50th Balloon Fiesta.
Speakers at the briefing include:
- Museum Manager Nan Masland, Balloon;
- Fiesta Board President Matt Guthrie, Balloon; and
- Balloon Museum Foundation Executive Director Laurie Magovern.
The Balloon Museum aims to create a world-class exhibition honoring Albuquerque’s iconic festival, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, while celebrating the awe, joy and prestige of this international event loved by locals and global visitors.
The exhibition will capture the joy, spirit and history of Balloon Fiesta through immersive experiences, storytelling and a digital timeline, artifacts, stunning visuals, scale models of balloons and virtual reality.
Museum leadership invited members of the public to share their personal photos of themselves and loved ones from past years of Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. These crowdsourced photos will be part of a mosaic of memories sorted by year in an interactive digital timeline.
The public is invited to share up to five copyright-free family photos by email to fiestaphotos@cabq.gov or they can bring them to the Balloon Museum to be scanned 9-11 a.m., Wednesday, March 18. Photos should be scanned as JPEGS at 300 dpi and have the estimated year as the name of the file. For example 1997.jpg.
The Balloon Museum is working with the Balloon Fiesta Heritage Committee, staff and board.
“Our team at the Balloon Fiesta is already hard at work planning for the 50th event, coming in 2021,” Balloon Fiesta Board President Matt Guthrie said. “We are excited that the Balloon Museum shares in our enthusiasm by planning for this permanent exhibition. Having this exhibition at the Balloon Museum, next door to the Balloon Fiesta Park, will be an added benefit to guests year round visiting from near and far.”
In celebration, the Balloon Museum Foundation announces a two year sponsorship campaign with select programming, volunteerism & behind-the-scenes updates to create dynamic involvement for visitors, individual donors, businesses and sponsors. Information about the campaign for businesses and individuals can be found at www.balloonmuseum.com. Kicking off events will be a balloon glow happy hour, Friday, May 8 for the public and sponsors followed by a Balloon Museum Gala in August.
The Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum fosters innovation and creativity. The Museum’s mission is to inspire a spirit of exploration, discovery and achievement through experiences that engage our visitors in the history, science, sport, and art of ballooning.
Named in honor of Albuquerque’s pioneering aeronauts Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzo, the museum opened in 2005, and has since welcomed over one million visitors from across New Mexico, the United States, and around the world.
