Marbles Kids Museum
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (October 2007) |
Marbles Kids Museum is a nonprofit museum located in Raleigh, North Carolina which is aimed at pre-school through elementary school aged children.
According to its mission statement, it is "a hands-on, interactive museum that inspires children to be creative thinkers, active learners and confident individuals in today's world." It was created through the merger in 2007 of two existing children's museums: Exploris and Playspace.[1]
| Marbles Kids Museum | |
| Established | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Director | Sally Edwards |
| Website | marbleskidsmuseum.org |
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Exploris
The museum opened in 1999 in its present location as Exploris, the creation of Gordon Smith (developer of the Long View Center) as an interactive family museum highlighting global connections. Exploris Middle School was opened by the Wake County Public School System in cooperation with the museum with similar global education goals. The school retained the Exploris name after the museum dropped it.
While praised for its architecture and lofty educational goals, attendance never met expectations. In 2001 the museum spent nearly $6.5 million while taking in only $700,000. The museum struggled financially throughout its run as Exploris, with museum directors worried about making payroll at times. Millions in funding from Wake County taxpayers weren't enough to keep the museum operating.[2] Co-founder Anne Bryan stepped down as president in June 2005, leaving the museum $5 million in debt.[3] Bonnie Hancock then focused on cost cutting during her 16 months as president of the museum, stepping down in August of 2006.[4]
[edit] Playspace
Playspace was an interactive children's museum aimed at preschool through early elementary age children. The move to the former Exploris space is the third move to a larger location in the museum's history. Playspace was originally located two blocks south of Marbles in City Market. It remained there until the late 1990s, moving to 410 Glenwood Avenue in a former dairy building. The non-profit museum received some funding from Wake County but was largely funded by corporate sponsorships of individual exhibits as well as the $5 per person admission price and memberships.
[edit] Merge
In the summer of 2007, the two museums closed. Playspace moved into Exploris' building, and a new name for the combined museums was chosen. The name was released to the public on September 29, 2007, the same day the new museum opened to the public.
[edit] IMAX
The IMAX Theatre is one of only two IMAX theaters in North Carolina and the only 3D-capable IMAX venue in the state.[5] The screen is five stories high, and the sound system supplies 12,000 watts of surround sound. Visitors to the theater consistently outnumber visitors to the museum.[6]
The theater plays short IMAX documentaries, along with feature films that also appear in regular movie theaters.
[edit] References
- ^ "Children's Museums Consolidate", News and Observer. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ "Exploris searching for ways to make ends meet", News and Observer. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ "Exploris president to step down", News and Observer. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
- ^ "Exploris chief to step down after 16 months.", News and Observer, 2006-08-25.
- ^ [1] VisitNC.com
- ^ "Children's museums will consolidate in the fall", News and Observer. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
