The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History will feature 1970’s funk band Parliament Funkadelic’s Mothership as a permanent piece of its music exhibition when it open its door in 2015.
First appearing in 1977, the smoke-spewing stage prop quickly became an emblem of the band’s eclectic spirit and a symbol of the post civil rights imagination shared among black America.
Dwandalyn R. Reece, The Smithsonian’s curator of music and performing arts spoke of its symbolism:
“With large iconic objects like this, we can tap into . . . themes of movement and liberation that are a constant in African-American culture. The Mothership as this mode of transport really fits into this musical trope in African American culture about travel and transit.”
“I’m about to cry!” Parliament-Funkadelic frontman George Clinton told the Washington Post from his home in Tallahassee on Wednesday. “They’re taking the Mothership! They’re shipping it out! . . . But I’m glad it’s going to have a nice home there.”
Other relics of African American music history to be featured include James Brown’s stage costumes and Louis Armstrong’s trumpet.
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