Giving Back to Our Community - The Children's Museum of ...

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ANNUAL REPORT 2006 THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS 2 JEFFREY H. PATCHEN PRESIDENT AND CEO The groundwork for an extraordinary 2006 at The Children’s Museum was laid in the months and years prior. The lengthy process of planning, designing and constructing exhibits, and visitor program offerings culminated in a year in which the museum presented our community with a record-number of exceptional family-learning experiences. A five-year partnership with renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly came to fruition with the opening of Fireworks of Glass, Chihuly’s largest permanent installation of blown glass ever created. The impact of this new exhibit touched every area of the museum, spurring new offerings on Festival Park, in the SpaceQuest Planetarium, through new interpretive presentations and on the web. A temporary exhibition of Chihuly’s work, Fiori dei Bambini, joined additional experiences that focused on the art of Norman Rockwell, the science of weather and meteorology, tolerance and acceptance through CATHERINE W. LAWSON BOARD CHAIR Letter from the President and Board Chair 2006 — Giving Back to Our Community literature, and the beloved characters of Sesame Street. The combination of exhibitions was the catalyst for increased visitor attendance across almost all business indicators. Continuing to build on the success of Dinosphere: Now You’re in Their World,® the museum announced the formal naming of Dracorex hogwartsia, a new, one-of-a-kind dinosaur species with a moniker in tribute to Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling. The announcement garnered national and international press coverage. An energized International Traveling Exhibits initiative debuted two new experiences in 2006: Bob the Builder — Project: Build It and National Geographic MAPS: Tools for Adventure. Serving the community of museums, both exhibits boasted robust touring schedules in advance of their public unveilings. To support anticipated attendance growth over the next several years, the museum began the process of planning for the next phase of campus expansion and enhancement. The immediate communities surrounding the neighborhood were among the first invited to provide input into the next phase of the museum’s development. In support of our global community, museum staff made trips to the Middle East and Asia, having been tapped to consult on the development of world-class facilities to serve children and families in Cairo, Egypt, and Guangzhou, China. Planning for future visitor experiences continued in earnest, as we bid farewell to Mysteries in History, one of the museum’s oldest galleries. Advisory panels were formed to guide the development and construction of The Power of Children and Global Perspectives, new permanent exhibits scheduled to open in 2007 and 2009, respectively. We hope that as you read the 2006 Annual Report, you will join us in celebrating our many accomplishments during the past year. In 2006, the museum served more than 1.1 million visitors as attendance grew eight percent in nearly every category. Through exhibitions, programs, special events and strategic initiatives, we continue to strive to give back to the communities we serve — locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. We sincerely thank you for your support of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in 2006, and for your investment in our future. Jeffrey H. Patchen President and CEO Catherine W. Lawson Board Chair ANNUAL REPORT 2006 THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS 3
Giving Back to Our Community Through Extraordinary Family Learning Experiences 2006 EXHIBITIONS 2006 may well be remembered as the year in which The Children’s Museum opened a record-number of extraordinary family-learning experiences. The diverse cadre of permanent and temporary exhibitions unveiled over the course of the year yielded healthy growth in nearly every attendance category. Preparation for the 2007 openings of Health House, SciencePort and The Power of Children, in addition to consulting projects for museums in Egypt and China, commanded a significant amount of attention from the museum’s staff, as well as the Guild and Board of Trustees. From delighting preschool audiences to luring less traditional visitors and art lovers, there was something for everyone on the 2006 exhibition calendar. ▼ ▼ An artist from Dale Chihuly’s workshop, Jeff Gerber, works on the installation of Fireworks of Glass. 2006.1.1 Chihuly glass tower: Fireworks of Glass 2006 Dale Chihuly, Chihuly Studio, USA PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS Five years of extensive planning and preparation culminated in early 2006 with the opening of one of the museum’s most extraordinary permanent exhibits, Fireworks of Glass.This breathtaking display of colorful blown glass, created by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly, opened to the public on March 18, and through three unique components, introduced visitors to an artistic medium rarely found in a children’s museum. Reaching 43 feet into the museum’s core atrium, the exhibit tower is comprised of 3,200 pieces of blown glass. Vibrant red, yellow, cobalt blue, lime and orange horns and goosenecks fill the four-story space in a spectacular display of color. Suspended below the tower, the ceiling holds nearly 1,700 pieces of glass from Chihuly’s spectacular series, including Ikebana, Seaforms, Persians, Chandelier Parts and Putti.The pieces are positioned in four large sections of clear glass and open to view from above and below. ANNUAL REPORT 2006 THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS 5
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