Kickstarter launched to make Tony Wilson’s archives public

nme.com:

Kickstarter campaign was launched by the Tony Wilson Archive (TWA) and Manchester design studio DR.ME with the aim of sharing the art, memorabilia and music of The Haçienda and Factory Records cofounder with the public.

It is aiming to raise £5,000.TWA emphasises the significance of Wilson’s work to Manchester and the UK’s enduring musical legacy, but also as a journalist and presenter for the BBC, Channel 4 and Granada Television, and a champion of local acts including A Certain Ratio, Joy Division and Durutti Column.

His reputation for promoting those artists led him to be known as Mr Manchester.TWA has previously been at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and is currently in John Rylands Library’s British Pop Archive.

All profits will be reinvested in Manchester’s music scene and emerging artists from the area.The initial TWA collections include flyers Wilson designed for Factory Records, documents from his time there, screenprint posters of key artists like Durutti Column, photographs and more.A post shared by Tony Wilson Archive (@tonywilsonarchive)A post shared by Tony Wilson Archive (@tonywilsonarchive)A post shared by Tony Wilson Archive (@tonywilsonarchive)A post shared by Tony Wilson Archive (@tonywilsonarchive)Wilson died in August 2007 from kidney cancer at the age of 57.