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ANNUAL REPORT 2006 THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS
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TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
Rockwell’s America: Celebrating the Art of Norman
Rockwell ended a successful seven-month engagement
on January 16 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A blockbuster
exhibit by all accounts, this multi-generational
family experience, presented by Charter One, showcased
three-dimensional, immersive recreations of some of the
beloved artist’s most cherished images. Augmented by
original Rockwell paintings from the museum’s collections
and others, this exhibit explored the life and times
of our country through the eyes of one of America’s most
celebrated figures.
Based on the popular book series, Scholastic’s The Magic
School Bus Kicks Up A Storm provided children and
families the opportunity to ride along with Ms. Frizzle
and her class on an adventure that provided hands-on
exploration of the world of weather. Sponsored by
Microsoft, children and families learned about the
science behind meteorology as they experimented with
the basic principles and ingredients of weather making.
A media partnership with WISH-TV, the central Indiana
CBS network affiliate, showcased their meteorologists
and gave visitors a closer glimpse into the world of
weather forecasting.
In early March 2006, Every Picture Tells A Story: Teaching
Tolerance Through Children’s Picture Books connected
children and families with the original artwork from over
40 famous children’s books and included interactive envi-
ronments that brought these books to life for visitors of
all ages. Classic children’s books including “Enemy Pie,”
“It’s Okay to be Different,”“Charlotte’s Web” and “The
Sneetches” provided an opportunity to begin dialogue
about respect and appreciating diversity.The important
messages conveyed in this exhibition allowed families to
tackle concepts like community, understanding and
acceptance. Accenture generously presented this exhibition,
with additional support from the Macy’s Fund of the
Federated Department Stores Foundation.
Fiori dei Bambini: A Chihuly Garden of Glass for
Children further transported visitors into the world of
Dale Chihuly. A fantasy garden showcasing some of the
artist’s most spectacular shapes and forms was in full
bloom by early June 2006. Chihuly’s Mille Fiore style
showcased strands of glass melted together and cut to
create intricate designs resembling flowers. By combining
light and glass, the exhibition created the illusion
of an exquisite garden and reflecting pool. The exhibit
also featured glass from Chihuly’s Hilltop Artists in
Residence program that offers at-risk youth the opportunity
to learn the art of glassblowing while providing
positive life experiences. Hands-on activities and work
from local glass artists were on display through
September 2007.
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Preschoolers visited their favorite address at
Frontier Presents Can You Tell Me How to Get to
Sesame Street?.
A Norman Rockwell interpreter explains Rockwell’s
art to visitors young and old.
A summer visit to The Children’s Museum offered children
and families an immersive trip to a favorite preschool
neighborhood. Frontier Presents Can You Tell
Me How to Get to Sesame Street? was a favorite destination
for the young and young at heart. In a variety of
interactive settings, fans of the beloved PBS series sang
the alphabet with Elmo, counted to 20 with Count Von
Count, visited Oscar’s Newsstand and explored size in
Big Bird’s Same and Different Nest. Families were also
invited to explore concepts about letters, numbers,
words and diversity issues, while adults explored how
the innovative program emerged and developed over
the past 30 years. Presented locally by Fazoli’s.
In its 43 rd year, The Children’s Museum Guild’s Haunted
House returned for it’s annual scary season. Monster
Manor, the Guild’s take on a haunted British Manor
home, welcomed nearly 55,000 brave guests through its
doors. This delightfully haunting experience filled with
friendliness, fright and fun took fearless souls on a tour
of exciting twists and turns. Conceived, produced and
staffed by the Guild, the Haunted House boasted sellout
crowds at preview events, the ever-popular Feast
with the Witches, Trick-or-Treat Theater Shows and
Scout Overnight Camps, and netted over $409,000 for
The Children’s Museum.
A holiday visit to central Indiana is not complete without
a visit to Jolly Days Winter Wonderland. Opening on
Thanksgiving weekend, this warm holiday tradition
attracted visitors far and wide. Showcasing a display of
vintage Stieff animals, this wintertime classic also
brought back traditional holiday favorites such as the
Yule Slide, Jingles the Jolly Bear and visits with Santa.
The Ice Castle provided a toddler-size version of the Yule
Slide, and young visitors tried their ice-fishing skills and
visited the Cookie Café to feed their imagination. Jolly
Days Winter Wonderland was generously presented by
Chase with additional support from Target.
ANNUAL REPORT 2006 THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS
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