Muncie Museum to Create Interactive Exhibit
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Muncie Children's Museum will use a $150,000 grant to create an interactive exhibit which will be called Discovery Park. Muncie's grant application was selected from more than 550 submitted to The Institute of Museum and Library Services. September 25, 2014
News Release
MUNCIE, Ind. — The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is awarding a Museums for America grant to the Muncie Children’s Museum in the amount of $150,000. The museum will use the grant funds to help create a new interactive exhibit entitled, Discovery Park.
Discovery Park will use animals, habitats, and weather to expose children to educational elements of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This 2,390 square foot exhibit will emphasize inquiry-based exploration for children from four through ten and will be the first major permanent exhibit renovation to the Museum since opening in its current location in 1996.
“Our grants are highly competitive. The Institute of Museum and Library Services enlists hundreds of library and museum professionals throughout the United States to review grant applications and make recommendations on projects most worthy of funding,” said IMLS Director Susan H. Hildreth. “Receiving a grant from IMLS is a significant achievement, and we congratulate the Muncie Children’s Museum for being among the 2014 IMLS museum grantees.”
IMLS museum grants support a wide variety of projects that create learning experiences, strengthen communities, care for collections, and provide broad public access. For this grant cycle, IMLS received 554 applications from around the country for projects totaling $56,247,161. Of these, 196 projects including one from the Muncie Children’s Museum were awarded grants totaling $20,405,211.
“Support from IMLS will help MCM better utilize its exhibit floor to support STEM learning, a theme continually requested by our visitors. Getting our children excited and interested in STEM subjects is not only a national issue but also a local issue. Both educators and business leaders in East Central Indiana realize this is needed to develop a skilled workforce and develop into a viable economic region of our state. Discovery Park is MCM’s committed effort to help the community achieve this goal,” according to Patrick Burkey, President of MCM’s Board of Directors.
A complete list of museum recipients is available on the IMLS website at http://www.imls.gov/news/2014_all_oms_grants_list.aspx. For information about IMLS museum grant programs, see: www.imls.gov/applicants/available_grants.aspx.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Muncie Children’s Museum
MCM was founded in 1977 by four mothers who saw the need for interactive and educational play in the community. With the help of friends, family, community organizations, and businesses, MCM was established. Today, this 25,000 square foot Museum offers exhibits and programs that focus on art, nature, science, history, and health. As the only East Central Indiana museum devoted to children, MCM is participatory which encourages learning on many levels. Whether they're discovering animals in the barnyard, shopping in the mini mart, taking a trip with the Munseetown Express model train, or climbing the ant wall, a child's sense of imagination and creativity is nurtured. To learn more, visit www.munciemuseum.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Source: Muncie Children's Museum