Join us on our journey to preserve an American icon #KeepThemRuby
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Join us on our journey to preserve an American icon #KeepThemRuby
About this project
"There's no place like home..."
In 1979, an anonymous gift brought Dorothy's Ruby Slippers to the National Museum of American History. Since then, millions of visitors have made the pilgrimage to see what might be the most famous pair of shoes in the world. The Ruby Slippers speak to the magic of Hollywood, and the power of childhood memories. Click three times, and you're home.
Made in 1939 for the MGM musical version of The Wizard of Oz, the Ruby Slippers were created only to last through the end of filming. Now, nearly eighty years later, the pair worn by Judy Garland as she danced up the yellow brick road are showing their age. They need immediate conservation care and a new, state-of-the-art display case, in order to slow their deterioration and protect them from environmental harm.
Why Does The Smithsonian Need You?
The Smithsonian took you to the moon and back... now we're taking you over the rainbow!
Just as Kickstarter backers joined the Smithsonian to make the conservation of Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit possible, we hope you will be part of this incredible journey of preservation and discovery to keep the Ruby Slippers on display for generations to come. Through our exclusive project updates, we’re excited at the opportunity to keep you involved in the next chapter of the incredible Ruby Slippers story.
But isn't the Smithsonian federally funded?
Federal appropriations provide the foundation of the Smithsonian's operating budget and support core functions - safeguarding our collections, building operations and maintenance as well as staffing. However, we also rely on private donations to support many of our priorities, including the conservation and exhibition of precious objects like the Ruby Slippers. In other words, we are counting the participation of Kickstarter backers to get this done in time to be displayed in our new exhibition in 2018.
What is Happening to the Ruby Slippers?
The prop department at MGM Studios created the Ruby Slippers for the filming of The Wizard of Oz. The movie's costume designer altered commercially manufactured shoes by dying them red and attaching a red netting covered with sequins.
Movie costumes and props are made quickly and cheaply, to last only for the brief duration of the shoot, not forever. Now in their eighth decade, the shoes are fragile and actively deteriorating. Even to the naked eye the damage is quite obvious: the color has faded and the slippers appear dull and washed-out. The coating on the sequins that give the shoes their hallmark ruby color is flaking off its gelatin base. Some threads that hold sequins in place have broken.
Conserving an American Icon
"...Close your eyes and tap your heels together..."
Although the dreams they’ve inspired are alive and well, the materials the Ruby Slippers are made of are showing their age. Conservators will work with scientists to understand how those materials have changed and the consequences of their natural breakdown. Studying the effects of various light wavelengths, their response to changes in humidity and temperature, they will determine the best conditions for their preservation. Using this information, a special display case will be designed with an environment to help slow down further deterioration. This allows us to stabilize the shoes today and preserve them for another 80 years and longer.
What Goes Into the Conservation?
"These things must be done delicately... or you hurt the spell."
To preserve the Ruby Slippers and keep them on exhibit, we have to display the slippers under optimal conditions. Right now, we don’t know what those conditions are! We do know that we will need calibrated light exposure, as well as controlled humidity and temperature. Our conservators will work with scientists to study the slippers' materials to determine the right conditions. The slippers will then undergo a conservation treatment to clean and stabilize them.
While the slippers undergo treatment their appearance will not change drastically, and we don’t want them to. They were created by hand and show evidence of wear during filming, small signs of use that add to their character and sense of life. Conservators and curators will speak with experts to unveil their history and make sure their life and story are retained.
Where Will the Ruby Slippers Be Displayed?
The Ruby Slippers are one of the most asked about artifacts at the National Museum of American History. As the museum is transformed and renovated during the next few years, the slippers will move into a new exhibition tentatively titled On With the Show in 2018.
With your help, the conservation and display case for the Ruby Slippers will ensure millions of people can enjoy them for the 20+ years at the On With the Show exhibition.
The multimedia exhibition will highlight American ingenuity and diversity in music, sports and entertainment, displaying iconic treasures such as Muhammad Ali’s training robe, Jim Henson’s Muppets, John Coltrane's saxophone, R2-D2 from Star Wars and Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers.
Together, these convey a uniquely American story of aspiration, invention and challenge, told through music, theater, film and athletic competition. They also are a part of our shared national identity. Join the museum as it undertakes this unprecedented journey to preserve the magic, creativity and exuberance of American culture.
What are the Rewards?
We're excited to have you join our project and #KeepThemRuby! No matter what you contribute, we'll keep you involved in our efforts to conserve and display the slippers. We're also thrilled to offer unique rewards, most of which are exclusive to this Kickstarter project.
Six-time Tony award-winning Broadway costume designer William Ivey Long's creations grace our decals, tote bags, t-shirts and posters. You can also opt for William Ivey Long to personally hand-glitter and sign your poster! We also have four exquisite custom replicas of the museum's very own Ruby Slippers, so finely and delicately hand-crafted and hand-sewn that they would fool even the Wicked Witch of the West.
And there's more! Join us on behind-the-scenes experiences at the National Museum of American History -- including a rare chance to see the Ruby Slippers being conserved -- fun museum events, and the opportunity to get your name on the wall of the new exhibit!
Your pledge is tax-deductible! Where goods and services are provided by the Smithsonian Institution in exchange for your contribution, the amount that is deductible for federal income tax purposes is limited to the excess of your total contribution over the fair market value of the goods and services provided.
If our project is completed and the goal is met, you will be asked to fill out a survey so that we can send you your rewards. The Smithsonian Institution is unable to recognize your gift or provide rewards unless the informational survey is completed.
Please allow an additional 4-6 weeks for your reward to ship internationally. Note: we are not responsible for international custom fees.
Some of the rewards are experiences (tours, events, lectures) offered at a specific time and place. The Smithsonian is not responsible for any backer’s travel or costs to participate in such experiences. Further, if a cause beyond the Smithsonian's control requires rescheduling or cancellation of an experience, the Smithsonian is not responsible for any additional travel or costs a backer may incur in order to participate at the new time. The Smithsonian cannot guarantee that experiences occurring on dates yet to be announced, or that must be rescheduled, will occur on a date that is convenient for all backers.
What's in the Budget?
- Research needed to inform conservation decisions
- Materials and tools for conservation work
- State-of-the-art, climate-controlled display case
About the National Museum of American History
The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities. It holds in trust 137 million objects, artworks and specimens, sharing them with 26.7 million visitors per year and more than 116 million website visitors.
The museum is responsible for the acquisition, care and preservation of more than 3 million objects and archival materials, representing the nation’s heritage in the areas of science, technology, sociology and culture. The collections include the Star-Spangled Banner, First Ladies gowns, a Samuel Morse telegraph, locomotives, tools, an Alexander Graham Bell telephone, flags, American-made quilts, Duke Ellington’s sheet music and presidential artifacts.
Activities are made possible through a public-private partnership. While the federal government provides baseline support for general operations, building maintenance and security, private philanthropy offers an average of 4.5 million annual visitors enlightening educational programs and exhibitions, such as On With the Show, free-of-charge.
Risks and challenges
If the funding goal is not met, the Ruby Slippers will, of course, remain safeguarded in their present condition. But we want to do more than keep the Ruby Slippers safe — we want to know they are preserved for future generations. Funding will still need to be found to do this work. The only risk we have in not meeting our deadline is to have them conserved and on display in time for the exhibition. There is very little that stands in our way of meeting this goal once we have the funds in hand. We have an actionable plan, a realistic timeline, and – most importantly – the in-house expertise to get the job done.
FINE PRINT
The Smithsonian is using Kickstarter, a third-party online funding platform. Please be advised that Kickstarter’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy apply to your use of this service. Any data that the Smithsonian collects, uses, stores or disseminates is subject to our Privacy Statement.
We appreciate your interest in making a pledge to the Smithsonian through Kickstarter, and want you to be aware that in doing so, your contribution will be processed by a third-party payment processor, Stripe. Please familiarize yourself with Stripe’s terms and conditions, including their privacy policy. The Smithsonian is unable to answer any inquiries regarding the status of your contribution while it’s being processed by Kickstarter and Stripe.
Thank you for interest in pledging your support for the Smithsonian. When you elect to complete your pledge, you will be directed by Kickstarter to the third party payment processing site operated by Stripe. Please be aware that you will be providing your payment data (including other personally identifiable information and credit card information) directly to Stripe, and they will issue payment to the Smithsonian upon further instruction from Kickstarter. At no time during this process will the Smithsonian have access to information about the status of your payment transaction. In the event of any errors or delays in processing your payment, the Smithsonian will not have the ability to correct those errors, or otherwise assume the processing of your pledge. Please review Stripe’s Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions before proceeding with your payment. The Smithsonian cannot accept any responsibility for any privacy or data handling risks associated with third party payment processing, nor can it guarantee delivery of your gift in the event of a processing error that results in your pledge not being conveyed to the Smithsonian.
THE WIZARD OF OZ and all related characters and elements © and ™ Turner Entertainment Co. Judy Garland as Dorothy from THE WIZARD OF OZ. (s16)
The Smithsonian gratefully acknowledges Warner Bros. and Sony/ATV Music Publishing for the movie clips and music as seen in the video.
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Here are the t-shirt sizes and their dimensions. Dimensions are body length x body width in inches.
ADULT
XSmall 27x16.5
Small 28x18
Medium 29x20
Large 30x22
XLarge 31x24
2XLarge 32x26YOUTH
Size 8 20.62x15.62
Size 10 22.25x16.62
Size 12 23.87x17.62TODDLER
Size 2T 16.87x12.5
Size 4T 18x13.5
Size 6T 19.12x14.5After November 16, 2016, if our project is successful, we will be sending out a survey asking for your mailing address, your t-shirt size, and other info.