Willis Wonderland, Allee Willis’ home, to be museum for songwriters
02.09.2022 - 04:43
/ qvoicenews.com
Prudence Fenton wants to preserve Allee Willis’ spectacular North Hollywood residence — a pink, 1937 Streamline Moderne house she called Willis Wonderland — as a 21st century museum that will support and educate songwriters and multimedia artists from underprivileged communities.
Willis had a passion for mentoring diverse songwriters and multimedia artists and wanted to ensure a future for them, especially due to the persistent decline in funding for the arts, Fenton said.
Fenton and Willis were life partners when Willis, 72, suddenly passed away on Dec. 24, 2019.
Willis was a renowned and prolific songwriter who penned numerous hits, including the theme song to the sitcom “Friends” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1979 smash hit “Boogie Wonderland.”
“When I got together with Allee in the early 90s, she said, I want my house to be a museum. I want my legacy to live on,” Fenton said. “Allee also wrote in her will that, if it’s possible, she would really like to see her house become a museum.
“Of course I was going to do that,” Fenton said.
Willis Wonderland fundraiser
Fenton will help host a fundraiser for Willis Wonderland and the Willis Wonderland Foundation on Sept. 21 at Valentine in downtown Los Angeles.
The host committee includes RuPaul, Lily Tomlin, Luenell, Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman), and Jenifer Lewis.
The Willis Wonderland will offer mentorships, seminars, lectures, and podcasts, as well as artist-in-residence programs.
The evening will include a live auction of some of Willis’ most notable collectibles, including exclusive memorabilia and art.
Known as the “queen of kitsch,” Willis kept one of the world’s largest collections of pop culture kitsch in Willis Wonderland, which she purchased from her first “Boogie