WASHINGTON 鈥� Dorothy鈥檚 ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” are one of the most popular attractions at the Smithsonian鈥檚 , but they鈥檙e nearly 80 years old and showing their age.
That prompted to raise money from the public for a conservation program for the slippers with a聽goal to raise $300,000.
鈥淭he Smithsonian is a federal trust, so we get a generous appropriation every year to keep the lights on and pay the salaries here. But for exhibitions and projects like this, we require outside funding,” curator Ryan Lintelman told聽WTOP.
鈥淪o since these slippers belong to the American people, we鈥檙e asking them to help us make sure that they鈥檒l last for generations to come,鈥� he said.
Donations for these sorts of projects often come from large benefactors, but the Smithsonian formed last year as a way to let small donors show their support.
The for the Air and Space Museum raised more than $700,000 for restoration and conservation of Neil Armstrong鈥檚 Apollo spacesuit. That conservation program is currently underway.
Dorothy鈥檚 slippers were anonymously donated to the National Museum of American History in 1979 and have been on continuous display ever since.
The fact that the slippers have survived this long is a bit of luck.
鈥淭he ruby slippers were made just to last through the filming of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ and after 80 years, we all start to show our age,” Lintelman said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e suffered from exposure to light and changes in humidity and temperature and just old age. There are some threads fraying, sequins are starting to fall off,鈥� he said.
Once the project starts, conservators will conduct a survey to determine how long they鈥檒l need to be off display, and then clean, repair and stabilize them. They will also build a state-of-the-art case to protect them from any further damage.
The Smithsonian鈥檚 version of the slippers aren鈥檛 the only ones in existence: They were commercially available shoes that were dyed red and a mesh with sequins was applied to them. There were several different pairs made. The slippers at this museum are the only pair that remain in public hands and that are on view for the public to see.
The ruby slippers will go on permanent display as part of an exhibition the museum is doing in 2018 about American popular culture.
The slippers will remain on public display until after the presidential inauguration. The museum has set up a special area so visitors can take selfies with the slippers. The Kickstarter campaign runs through Nov. 16.
