The University of Akron is turning to crowdfunding to help establish a National Museum of Psychology.
The school announced Wednesday that it is launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise $250,000 for the museum, which will be located at the Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology.
Dr. David Baker, Margaret Clark Morgan executive director of the Cummings Center, said museums are turning to crowdfunding as a way to raise money and promote projects. The Kickstarter funds will be used to create exhibits.
“The National Museum of Psychology will allow visitors to explore the past, present and future of psychology and its role in everyday life,” Baker said in a news release.
The Cummings Center has vast holdings of books and manuscripts, photos and films and rare items, including Milgram’s original simulated shock generator, artifacts from the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment and home movies belonging to Sigmund Freud, the school said. Items on loan from the Smithsonian Institution also will be exhibited.
UA is in the final stages of a renovation of the Cummings Center.
“We have always displayed materials, but now, with a dedicated space in our building, we’ll be able to show off our unique collection and highlight the history of psychology as a science, profession and agent of social change,” Baker said.
Plans are for the museum to open to the public in spring 2017. The Kickstarter campaign runs through May 13.
In addition to mugs and T-shirts, the campaign will offer donor incentives including an autographed copy of Dr. Philip Zimbardo’s The Lucifer Effect, naming opportunities in the reading room and a VIP reception to the museum’s grand opening.
The $250,000 goal must be reached or no Kickstarter funds will be made available. To participate in the campaign, go to www.kickstarter.com/projects/1126154996/1820089205?token=875fb64c.