Annual Report 2010 - Omaha Childrens Museum

Community Built Exhibits
One of the ways the museum faced the economic
downturn was by changing its strategy on
traveling exhibits. Looking to the community to
help with creating and building exhibits for its
massive 10,000 square foot gallery created new
opportunities for imagination and extending
relationships. The museum staff’s knowledge of
what children love and what is developmentally
appropriate paired with the time and talent of
community organizations and businesses brought
Construction Zone and Big Backyard to life in a
magnificent way.
Construction Zone
Construction Zone gave kids opportunities to
learn about construction, safety, tools and design
in a massive exhibit that included giant pulleys,
a dig pit, tool shed, building site, design studio
and Cone Zone Obstacle
Course. Significant help
on the creation and
construction of this exhibit
came from Kiewit as well
as the Carpenters District Council and Omaha
Joint Apprenticeship Training Center (Carpenters
Local Union 444, Millwrights 1463) labor and
union workers.
Artist-In-Residence Program
Through a partnership with WhyArts? and a
grant from Nebraska Arts Council, Omaha
Children’s Museum offered visitors hands-on
experiences led by a cadre of professional local
artists. Focusing on the art process, rather than
the finished product, children experienced music,
theatre, creative movement and visual arts. A
special recycle art installation was created by
students from Liberty Elementary School and led
by renowned artist, Leslie Iwai. This installation,
Upside-Down Sky, taught students scientific
principles and interpreted them through art. The
students learned about molecular connections
using the water molecule, H2O, as a model to
create sculptural
cloud-like
formations out of
recycled materials.
Camp Success
Construction of Upside Down Sky
Students from Liberty Elementary with
Artist-In-Residence Leslie Iwai
New camp programming brought camp
participation and revenue to an all-time high at
the museum. Expanded offerings included the
immensely popular May the Force Be With You
camp, as well as Camp Clifford, which tied into
the museum’s summer exhibit, Adventures with
Clifford the Big Red Dog. For the first time, the
museum offered online registration.
Campers
500
400
300
200
253%
Increase
from 2009
Grand Opening of Construction Zone
Omaha World Herald Midlands cover story
“We touched on conductors, electricity,
foundations, how plumbing systems work, and
blue prints. Where else could such ‘teaching
moments’ be presented? Surely these natural
learning moments rival any lessons found and
read solely in books. The fostering of creativity
found by such experiences...were prevalent
throughout the entire exhibit.”
-Jacqueline Nelson
Mother of 4
100
203 174 441
0
2008
2009 2010
Construction Crew
Father and son play inside the
Dig Pits at Construction Zone
4
5