After 14 years, the Nirvana exhibit at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) is being retired. The exhibition titled Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses debuted to the public in 2011 and has since become a destination for grunge fans around the globe. Keep reading to find out why the exhibit is closing and the last day you can visit it.
Read on for all the details!
MOPOP announced the closure of the Nirvana exhibition on August 14. In an Instagram post about the closure, the exhibit’s curator, Jacob McMurray, described the exhibit’s popularity and explained why it is now ending. McMurray is the museum’s Chief Collections and Exhibitions Officer.
“I thought it was only going to be around for about a year and a half or so, but quickly we realized that people were coming to MOPOP to see the exhibit as kind of like a pilgrimage,” McMurray said of what was initially intended to be a temporary exhibition. Not only did people travel to Seattle to see the exhibit’s rare artifacts, guitars, and pieces of grunge history, but the exhibit even traveled the world itself. In 2017 the Nirvana exhibition made a temporary guest appearance in Brazil before returning to MOPOP the following year.
As for why MOPOP’s Nirvana exhibition is being retired, McMurray said they’re “trying to shake things up, kind of re-conceive how we’re thinking about the Pacific Northwest.” The removal of the exhibit will also make room for a new “northwest music” exhibition that’s going to be “more holistic” and “cohesive.” The new exhibition will launch in the fall of 2026.
“Don’t worry,” McMurray added. “Grunge is never going to leave the building.” MOPOP has the largest collection of Nirvana memorabilia in the world. Many of these Nirvana artifacts will still be on display in the museum going forward.
If you’d like to visit the Nirvana exhibition at MOPOP before it is retired, the last day to see it is this Sunday, September 7. The museum is also having a farewell celebration on Saturday, September 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Entry to the event is included in general admission to the museum, which costs $39 per adult. There will be a panel, live music, T-shirt printing, and other activities. You can see more info on the museum’s website.
Nirvana Farewell Celebration at MOPOP
When: Saturday, September 6
Where: Museum of Pop Culture
Cost: $39