AmeriCorps Alums on Staff

In addition to having a very well-established AmeriCorps program – which just welcomed its 20th team this fall! – Providence Children’s Museum also has an impressive number of AmeriCorps alums on its staff, who shared these stories of their service:

Turenne Bedell, Volunteer & AmeriCorps Coordinator
AmeriCorps Service: 2005-06 Jumpstart; 2009-10 MuseumCorps
 “After a successful term of service with Jumpstart while attending the University of Rhode Island, I looked into joining the PeaceCorps.  Then I realized that there was a great need for service right here and so sought out a second AmeriCorps term in Rhode Island, where I've lived my whole life.  When I was accepted to the Museum’s program, I knew I had an opportunity to dig deeper into service and so served my term as the Volunteer Assistant.  Now, five years later, I'm back home at the Museum, as the Volunteer & AmeriCorps Coordinator – mentoring and supporting the AmeriCorps members whose seats I sat in just years prior!”

Megan Beauregard, Experience Coordinator
AmeriCorps Service: 2011-12 and 2012-13 MuseumCorps
“I started my work at the Museum as a Johnson & Wales work-study student.  After nine months of playing in the Museum's exhibits, I was approached about joining the part-time AmeriCorps team and working with the full-time members at learning centers throughout Providence.  As the summer progressed, I learned how much I loved providing a much-needed service to children and families in need, and my love for the Museum only grew.  That's what inspired me to apply for the full-time team for 2012-13.  As that year was coming to a close, a position for an Experience Coordinator opened up.  I saw this as a sign that my time at the Museum wasn't finished yet, and two years later, I'm still here.”

Megan Fischer, Interim Executive Director/Director of Communications
AmeriCorps Service: 2002-03 City Year
“I moved to Rhode Island from Georgia after college to complete a year of AmeriCorps service.  I ran an after-school program for grades 3 to 5 in Woonsocket, RI, discovered a passion for working with and mentoring kids in need, and was fortunate to have many opportunities to step into a leadership role.  I also discovered the Children's Museum when I organized a special end-of-year field trip and saw how transformative it was for our students – who had many challenges in their lives – to have a chance to play freely and just be kids.  I had an epiphany: I loved museums AND working with children, so why not work at a children's museum?  After finishing AmeriCorps, I got an MA in Museum Studies at Brown University and came to the Children's Museum as an education intern with an interest in museum leadership.  I'm still here nearly 12 years later, have held several different positions in that time, and often reflect on the foundation my AmeriCorps service gave me.”

Front – Mandy Roach, Amanda Howard, Megan Beauregard
Back – Megan Fischer, Turenne Bedell, Robin Meisner

Amanda Howard, Experience Coordinator
AmeriCorps Service: 2009-10 Scholarships for Service; 2013-14 MuseumCorps
“Service has always been a major part of my life.  In college, I had the opportunity to do a part-time year of service with different organizations in and around Providence.  When I was finishing graduate school, I was looking for a job and I saw the posting for Providence Children Museum’s MuseumCorps program.  I really wanted to come back to Providence and I thought that this would be a great opportunity.  For my year of service at the Museum, I got to work with the Head Start centers in Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket.  After my year of service ended, I knew that I wanted to stay at the Museum and took a position as an Experience Coordinator.  In my current role, I get to work closely with our AmeriCorps team and mentor them in our exhibits.”

Mandy Roach, Experience Coordinator
AmeriCorps Service: 2012-13 MuseumCorps, 2013-14 OSEEC
 “Throughout grade school, nines times out of ten, the teacher standing in front of the classroom determined not only how well I would perform in that class but if I would enjoy the subject at all.  Those teachers who listened, cared and seamlessly found a way to keep things interesting are the reason I decided to become an educator myself.  Besides a life-long love for doodling, I received my degree in Art Education to pursue the idea of incorporating the creative arts into all fields and allowing students to become interactively engaged.  That's when I discovered Providence Children's Museum’s AmeriCorps program and, after two years of service, my suspicions were confirmed: the traditional classroom was never the place for me!”

Robin Meisner, Director of Exhibits
AmeriCorps Service: 1998-99 MuseumCorps
“I joined the Museum’s AmeriCorps program after graduating from Brown University with a degree in chemistry and a love of working with young children... and what I thought was going to be a singular year of service turned into a career in museum education.  Following my experience on the Museum’s Head Start team, I joined the staff for four years as the Museum’s science educator and developed exhibits and programs and led one of our AmeriCorps teams.  After attending graduate school in London to focus on informal science education, I returned to the museum world and eventually made my way back to Providence.  Having served on the Museum’s second AmeriCorps team and now seeing the 20th, I am truly impressed by how the program has both shaped our community and the Museum itself.”

Puppets on Parade!

New this fall, see a festive puppet procession past storefronts and spectators, created by Exhibit Developer Jessica Neuwirth, Exhibits Director Robin Meisner and Experience Coordinator Mandy Roach and featuring the Museum’s collection of historic Betty Huestis marionettes.

Jessica shared her inspiration for the display: “I look after our collections – I’ve gone through all of the boxes and documentation and checked the condition of all of the puppets – so I know the range of puppets we have, but the same ones are so often used.  I wanted everyone else to come out so I thought, what story could we tell?”

To showcase the lesser-seen marionettes, Jessica conceptualized and sketched a spirited parade of puppets, which Mandy interpreted to create a lively and colorful backdrop.  During the installation process, they played off the backdrop to determine what other props were needed.

“I’m really happy with it,” said Jessica.  “I’ve seen kids and families taking great pleasure in seeing something new.”

The display will be on view through the spring so see it for yourself and join the parade!

A Time of Change – and a New Strategic Plan

Spring is always a much-awaited time of growth and rebirth, perhaps more so this snowy year than ever before!  And the Children’s Museum is in the midst of our own period of evolution as we search for a dynamic new leader to follow the three-decade legacy of former director Janice O’Donnell and work with Board and staff to shape the Museum’s future.

That future is founded on the Museum’s new strategic plan, developed over the last year with input from Board, staff and volunteers and adopted this winter.  Our road map for the next three years, the plan outlines major goals and the strategies for achieving them, in addition to and in support of the work required to run the Museum on a daily basis:

• Ensure excellent visitor experiences – in our exhibits, environments, activities and facilities, and through interaction with staff and volunteers – that deliver on our mission to inspire and celebrate children’s learning through active play and exploration.
• Go beyond the Museum’s walls to reach underserved children and families, continuing and deepening our outreach to out-of-school time and early childhood programs, community centers and parks in urban neighborhoods, as well as through therapeutic visitation for at-risk families.
• Advance the Museum’s leadership role as a strong and visible advocate for children’s right to and need for self-directed free play.
• Ensure an active and engaged Board of Directors that reflects the community and furthers the Museum’s mission.
• Ensure a well-qualified, highly motivated and diverse staff to provide excellent programming and management.
• Ensure the Museum has the financial resources to accomplish its goals through diverse sources of income.
• Ensure the Museum’s successful future growth and that it continues to meet community needs.

While we have important work ahead of us to make sure the Museum remains a vital and growing community resource, the Museum is solid, fiscally strong and poised for positive change. We look forward to sharing the next phase of our journey with you – our members, donors, partners and friends – and welcome your ideas as we navigate the challenges and opportunities the future holds.

– Megan Fischer, Interim Executive Director

Lost and Found?

We have the most wonderfully playful staff. For example, see how one of our Experience Coordinators, Mandy, recently responded to a typical inquiry that came to our reception desk.

The inquiry:
I think we left my daughter's lovey at the museum yesterday. It is a very well loved stuffed dog puppet and it is very important to our family. Do you know if it's been found? It was probably left in the coat check around 3:15. Thanks!

The reply, with photo:
Your lovey is here with us, and is doing very well... in fact s/he's been very helpful with some of the morning's office work. We are open today and tomorrow, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Feel free to pick it up at the admissions desk anytime!

The reaction:
We are so delighted that DogDog enjoyed his day at the Museum. We assured Edie, DogDog's BFF, that of all the places he would be taken care of, the Museum was the place. Plus he couldn't find a more fun spot! We were sure he'd be frolicking in the water exhibit or bouncing around the Imagination Playground. We are so glad he was of some assistance around the office. At home he just lies around and eats bones. We look forward to seeing him before six tonight!

Thank you for taking such good care of DogDog,
Edie and her family

PS You guys are the best. I've been chuckling about this ever since you sent it and Edie cracked up.  -Edie's relieved mom

Clearly our visitors are pretty playful, too!

Talking Back: Janice O'Donnell

Meet Janice O’Donnell, the Museum’s executive director from 1985-2014.

What brought you to the Museum 35 years ago?
I was a young mother in the 1970s and, starting in her infancy, my daughter taught me that children are amazing; that they’re much smarter and more purposeful than most folks give them credit for.  That they are natural learners – curious, experimenting, asking questions, trying new things all the time.  And I wondered – what happens to that? – because most adults aren’t such eager learners.  I thought about children’s experience in school and how it so often deadens their confidence and creativity.  I knew there had to be a better way and began a life-long process of learning about how children learn.

I joined with other parents to create a cooperative school, starting with a preschool and growing over 10 years to go up to fifth grade (although the school didn’t have grades – children learned in their own ways and at their own pace).  And so I continued to learn from children.  I also learned about running a nonprofit organization, from governance to fundraising to HR.  I graduated from the University of Rhode Island and looked for a job where I could put my experience and education to work.  There was an opening at the new Children’s Museum.  The only problem was that it was in Pawtucket and we lived in South County.  But still – a children’s museum!

Exhibit director Randy Harelson and Janice O’Donnell at the
Children's Museum of Rhode Island in Pawtucket, 1986.

What was it like in its earliest years?
When I joined the staff in 1979, the Museum was only two years old, and one of only a few dozen in the country.  It had a staff of six or seven and about 30,000 visits a year.  At first, although I was in charge of PR and membership, I was also everyone’s assistant, which was great because I learned about creating exhibits, managing the frontline, running out-of-school-time programs.  Everyone did everything.  We had a really wonderful boss – the Museum’s first director, Jane Jerry.  She said, “We don’t know what a children’s museum should be and we don’t know what needs Rhode Island’s children’s museum should meet.  Let’s figure that out.”  So I had this amazing opportunity to be part of a small team that hammered out the Museum’s mission, learning frameworks, policies and long-range plan.  When Jane left in 1985 to lead the new children’s museum in Houston, TX, I was honored to be asked to serve as interim director and then, after a national search, to be named executive director.

The Museum’s first and second directors – Jane Jerry and Janice O’Donnell –
celebrating Janice's 25th anniversary in 2004.

What prompted the Museum’s move to Providence, and how has it changed since?
By 1990, the Museum had over 50,000 visits a year and had simply outgrown its 5,000 square foot Victorian house in Pawtucket.  We had lines wrapping around the block!  We knew we needed more space.  The Museum's mission was then, as it is now, to serve all of Rhode Island.  Even though the current location is only five miles away from the original location in Pawtucket, Providence belongs to all Rhode Islanders.  As painful as it was to leave our hometown, we knew that the Museum needed to be in the capital city.  Since moving to Providence in 1997, the Museum has more than tripled its audience, budget, physical space and staff.

Carol Peterson, Janice O’Donnell, then-mayor David Cicilline and Betty Capozzi
burn the Museum’s mortgage in 2009.

You've guided the Museum to become a strong advocate for children's play.  How has the state of play changed over time, and what's your vision for restoring play?
Children’s museums are based on the idea that, naturally, children play and that we can present content in a way that builds on children’s natural proclivity to play.  But children’s free play has declined alarmingly in the past decade or more.  More affluent children are sent to after-school and weekend lessons and organized sports.  Poor kids are in structured out-of-school-time programs.  With high stakes testing, schools emphasize academics and homework has expanded.  The ubiquitous screen claims huge amounts of kids’ time.  Days of free play with neighborhood kids “’til the street lights come on” are over.  That’s a tragedy.  Free play is so critical to children’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development.  I want to give free play back to kids.  I want to work toward a statewide recess policy that recognizes play as essential.  I want to help ensure play-based kindergarten and pre-K.  And I’m committed to creating safe and healthy neighborhood places for children’s free play.

What do you hope for the Museum's future?
I hope that the Museum continues to put the real needs of children first; that it continues to work closely and collaboratively with other community organizations to ensure collective impact.  Providence Children’s Museum is a leader in the community and nationally in our field because of our integrity and dedication to children and families.  Let’s never falter in that.

Farewell, Janice – A Legacy of Play and Learning

Executive Director Janice O’Donnell – our fearless leader and “priestess of play” – leaves the Museum today, after 35 years of visionary leadership, unwavering passion and tireless commitment to children and families. 

Dear friends and colleagues:

For 35 years I have had the great privilege of working on behalf of children and families.  I have been so fortunate to do what I love and work toward causes I care passionately about.  The Children’s Museum is a large canvas with an encompassing mission: to inspire and celebrate learning through active play and exploration.  That has allowed us to adapt and change, to experiment, to introduce new ventures that meet the changing needs of families, and to go beyond our walls to ensure ours is truly a resource for all children.

I’m proud of the Museum’s expansion and the $3 million capital campaign that got us to Providence in 1997, and I take great satisfaction in the fact that the Museum is financially strong after so many years of struggle.  I’m proud of our Museum’s national reputation – that we’re seen as leaders in our field for our deep commitment to children and community – and that we are also known locally as collaborative and community-minded.  I love that we design and build our own exhibits using local talent and are creative and artful in our learning environments.  I’m proud that our team is so committed to high-quality learning experiences, so thoughtful in creating exhibits and programs.  And I’m proud that our team is willing to take risks, take on important issues – like our partnership with DCYF serving court-separated families and our play agenda engaging community in important discussion about children’s needs.

I’m especially proud of the Museum’s commitment to inclusion and community.  Ample free admission opportunities means that the fee is not a barrier to visiting the Museum.  All of the Museum’s labels and signage are bilingual (English and Spanish).  But it’s not enough to say Free and en Español!  A truly inclusive organization must reach out and go into communities where coming to a children’s museum is not necessarily top of mind.  That’s why we work closely with Head Start, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Y, community centers, schools, libraries, the Department of Children, Youth and Families, Providence Parks and Recreation and other city departments – so that the Museum is an integral part of the community.

I’m grateful to our partners – that network of dedicated people who share our vision of a child-friendly community where the needs of families are paramount.  I’m grateful to our generous supporters who make our work possible.  And I am deeply grateful to the skilled, resourceful, talented, smart, committed Museum staff – past and present – for creating a community resource that’s so beloved by so many.

It has truly been an honor to steer the ship that is the Children's Museum for all these years, and to work toward making the world a better place for children and families.  I know I leave the Museum in strong, capable hands.

– Janice

Click here to learn more about Janice’s 35-year legacy devoted to children and families.

Janice with her grandchildren Liv and Finn, who practically grew up at the Museum.

The Museum staff is profoundly grateful to Janice for guiding, inspiring, empowering and teaching us SO much over the years. We welcome you to comment and share your favorite Janice memories and stories, appreciations and best wishes!

Tributes and well wishes have arrived from near and far!

Water Ways Farewell

Last week, Museum staff and visitors bid a very fond farewell to Water Ways (version 1.0).

The last kids to play in Water Ways gave it a fitting sending off – lots of pumping, splashing and laughter as water shot high into the air.

Staff also enjoyed some fun-filled final moments of water play.

After more than 16 years, we all share so many wonderful (and wet!) memories of Water Ways.

What about YOU? Visit our Facebook page to share favorite memories, stories and photos of Water Ways.

And stay tuned for scenes of making Water Ways version 2.0!

"Goodbye wave"

New in Play Power!

Check out the most recent addition to our Play Power exhibit – a playful building activity that invites visitors to invent imaginative creations. Using flexible and brightly colored pieces that stick to surfaces and to each other with suction cups, kids and families can connect and stack to form intriguing sculptures and other creative constructions.

We’re committed to providing a range of activities that promote different types of play and to keeping fresh by frequently changing elements of our exhibits.  This addition enhances existing Play Power activities with more opportunities for creativity, artistic expression and tactile exploration. 

Says Exhibits Director Robin Meisner:

“The exhibits team often experiments with new activities for children and their grown-ups, and we love to hear your opinions about them.  We think these add a nice "pop" to Play Power - what's your impression?  After you test them out, please share your thoughts with one of our Play Guides or Experience Coordinators.”

Experience Coordinators Katie and Seth gave it a serious test and made some impressive “suction constructions”!

“In the three years I've been visiting, the exhibits have changed, making it new each time.” 

– Museum visitor

Updates to Play Power activities are underwritten by Dominion Foundation.

Grown-Ups at Play!

We love it when parents and caregivers have a great time at the Museum – playing with or without their kids! Staff and volunteers shared these stories of "big kids" at play.

A father sat by himself making a kaleidoscopic design in ThinkSpace, stacking and restacking tiles.  Referring to one of the challenge cards, he turned a tile and changed the order of the stack.  After a few tries, he checked the design he made against the original.  He then lifted his head, turned around and looked – perhaps for his family.  Finding no one, he put his completed design on the show-off shelf and selected a new challenge to try.  More than 20 minutes later, he was still in the same spot, working on another design, this time with a kid at his side.

– Robin, Director of Exhibits

I like to engage adult visitors and give them an invitation to play.  A dad and his three girls came into Discovery Studio and I showed them a ball-in-a-cup toy and challenged him to try it. It turned into a family competition, and dad won! I saw them again the next week and he said, “Remember me? I’m the champion!” 

– Wendy, Play Guide

A dad does some SERIOUS block building!

I was in Water Ways and started “seeding” the area with fun surprises.  I was inspired to do one of my favorites when I saw a young visitor using a watering can.  I set up three waterwheels on top of one another and set a watering can down next to them. When I walked by a few minutes later, a mother was pouring water into the wheels. She noticed me, grinned sheepishly and said, "I am such a kid sometimes."   I responded, "Who do you think put it there?"  We laughed together, creating a moment of emphasis on ageless fun.

– Meg, AmeriCorps Museum Educator

Children were playing with homemade play dough in Discovery Studio. A dad with two children (daughter about 5 years old and son about 2) sat at the end of the table and started to work with the dough. “Is that a monkey or a dog?” I asked him. “I don’t know yet,” he replied. When I looked back 10 minutes later, he’d created a dinosaur, three ducks, a dog and a cat and had his beautiful creations all lined up!

– Olga, Early Childhood Programs Developer

PlayWatch: The Things Kids Say…

When you work at a children’s museum, you get to have a lot of wonderful conversations with kids! Here are some great child comments shared by our staff.

There were a few kids playing on Estrella (the Museum’s Super Chairwoman) and one of them was sitting up high saying, "I'm a king! I'm a king!"  He was very excited and seemed to be having a great time playing with his friends.  On my way into Discovery Studio, I smiled at him and asked him if he was having fun.  He smiled back at me, wiped his brow and said, "I always have fun when I sweat."  I knew just what he meant.

– Valerie, Graphic Designer

We were in Fefa's market one afternoon examining a component that needed a little fixing.  We were so focused on the component that we hardly noticed the visitors playing all around us.  One little girl at the cafe counter looked right at us and exclaimed, "Hey, are you going to order something or what?"  We immediately snapped to and ordered something off the menu.  She made us some delicious papaya shakes.

– Robin, Exhibits Director

A 9-year-old was in Coming to Rhode Island with a heap of plastic apples, clams, onions, etc. in her arms, heading toward the Colonial gallery.  "Those French people took the Pilgrims' food!," she said.

– Janice, Executive Director

A 4-year-old boy named Caleb and I were playing in Water Ways, making a road for a dragon from sand bags and the maze tubes. Towards the end of our building adventure, Caleb's mom wanted him to try making a boat move through the maze. Caleb looked up and said, "Kids are smarter than grown-ups because kids know how to play better." His mother and I shared a big laugh and she looked at him and said, "You're right!"

– Megan B., Experience Coordinator

Click here for more clever kid conversations.

Snow Day Play Memories

Museum staff shared some of their favorite childhood (and grown-up!) memories of snow days and the imaginative - and sometimes risky - play they inspired.

Robin, Exhibits Director: 

My brother and I worked with all our neighborhood kids to build a huge (really huge) snow fort at the end of our dead-end street, where the plows dumped lots of snow. Ages 5 to 16 worked together to create walls and tunnels (probably not the safest, but fun). And then we split into teams and had WWIII, snowball style!

Olga, Early Childhood Learning Programs Developer:

I always loved and still love sledding. Especially at night. During nighttime sledding, I feel as I am sliding through an unpredictable and magical place, such as C.S. Lewis's Narnia.

Janice, Executive Director: 

After a huge snowstorm when I was 6, our dad helped us make a snow fort. We piled snow into a mound the size of a garden shed at least and hollowed it out and then poured water on the inside and over the top so it froze solid. We played in that snow cave for weeks.

Young Janice and sister atop their snow fort.

Cathy, Education Director: 

Cross country skiing! • Creating showers of snow by shaking the trees • Playing board games by the wood stove for hours

Jennifer, Development Director: 

Shoveling off the nearby "Hockey Pond" seemed as much fun as the skating that followed!

To include the 6-month-old baby in our winter walks, I tied a low sturdy box onto a sled, put the bundled baby in the box so he could sit happily and see out, and off we'd go for snowy adventures.

Sarah, AmeriCorps Museum Educator: 

My favorite snow day activity was building snowmen with my little brother and finding different materials to make the face and accessories.

Megan, Communications Director: 

I spent most of my childhood in the nearly snow-less South, so I have few memories of playing in the snow. However, last winter, I LOVED watching kids of all ages sledding at India Point Park. They took a lot of carefully calculated risks, building jumps and soaring over them; there were quite a few spills along the way!

Those without sleds innovated, using materials like cafeteria trays, or reclaiming broken and abandoned plastic disks. Some especially daring sledders soared down three flights of snow-covered steps, which made for a fast but bumpy ride. I tried to “ski” down the steps in my boots and took a few spills of my own!

Happy Snow Day!

Volunteers Make a BIG Difference

Today marks the end of National Volunteer Week, a time to recognize the extraordinary individuals who enhance every aspect of the Museum’s work. We simply could not open our doors without the support of our committed team volunteers.

Did You Know?
In 2012, 274 dedicated volunteers, interns and work-study students collectively served more than 12,300 hours.  Volunteers guide inspiring play and learning experiences and greet visitors at the Admissions Desk and Gift Shop each day.  Behind the scenes, they complete research and evaluation projects, assist with fundraising events, prepare mailings, and much more.

This week, Museum staff showed their appreciation with a game night, ice cream and festive dress-up days, planned by AmeriCorps Museum Educator Jack Read. Jack also created a special volunteer recognition board to give staff an opportunity to share why they value our volunteers:

"The interns in our program are responsible, reliable and passionate about working with at-risk families.  Some have stayed on for full-time positions, which shows how much they care."

– Heidi Brinig, Families Together Program Director

"Our volunteers, interns and work-study students vary in age, ethnicity, where they’re from.  They bring their life experience, which enriches our visitors’ experience."

– Jennifer Laurelli, Director of Development

"We’ve had a great group of exhibit interns.  They help us create our new play environments and provide us with so much new energy."

– Robin Meisner, Director of Exhibits

"Whether they are playing a game, reading a story, or talking with other volunteers and staff, their smiles and their love for the Museum are contagious.  I appreciate the joy volunteers bring to the Museum, not only for visitors, but for staff as well."

– Julie Burkhard, Volunteer & AmeriCorps Coordinator

Many thanks to our remarkable team!  Click here or contact Julie Burkhard to learn about our volunteer opportunities.

Our Latest News

Lots of exciting things are happening at Providence Children’s Museum lately!

• Museum director Janice O'Donnell has been selected as a 2013 Rhode Island Foundation Fellow by The Foundation's Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence. Fellows are leaders who are committed to their continuous development and receive support and funds for an 18-month period of personal and professional growth. Janice plans to use this opportunity for in-depth study of "playwork," a model for supporting children's self-directed play as practiced in the United Kingdom. She will spend time in London learning from master playworkers and use this experience to train staff at the Museum and elsewhere in playwork practices – and we can’t wait to learn from her!

• The National Science Foundation has granted Brown University's Causality and Mind Lab $713,000 to collaborate with the Museum on a three-year project investigating ways children develop scientific thinking skills and parents’ understanding of their children's learning processes. In addition to informing academic research, the funding will enable the Museum to develop communication tools to increase visitors' awareness of the learning that occurs through children's play.

• Families Together, the Museum's therapeutic visitation program for children in foster care, was recently included in the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth’s Nationwide Listening Tour, examining innovative child welfare practices. Congress members Karen Bass (CA) and Jim Langevin (RI) visited Nina’s House, a homelike setting where Museum clinicians help families rebuild relationships. Click here for a summary of the listening tour.  

The Finishing Touches...

We are just about ready to share ThinkSpace with the world! Here's a look at the final steps of the process over the past few days...

Hillel, Zach and Chris install a giant dodecahedron on the entryway sculpture. (You may recognize this scene from a similar photo in The Providence Journal this week.)

Fitting together a frame which will contain colorful blocks – puzzle pieces that form a giant cube.

Intern Marianne preparing the shape sorter, one of the exhibit's activities specifically for toddlers. (Interns have played a huge role in helping this exhibit come together – many thanks to Marianne, Robin, Allison, Kristen, Andrew and Eunice!)

Hillel installs the shape sorter.

Mounting many labels.

Graphic designer Valerie created absolutely gorgeous graphics for ThinkSpace – a mix of informational labels and intriguing images that support the exhibit content, give activities context by connecting them to real world experiences, and will inspire visitors' exploration.

Hillel prepares wooden beads for a bead maze.

The final step – Robin adds letters to the entry sculpture, bringing the ThinkSpace logo to life!

It's been months and months of planning, designing, prototyping, fabricating and just plain hard work by the exhibits team, and it was well worth it. Join us to celebrate the opening of our beautiful new ThinkSpace exhibit all weekend long, beginning tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM!

Getting Closer....

ThinkSpace is starting to look like a real (albeit plastic covered) exhibit! Check out some of the progress over the past few days...

The block area with completed mural and new flooring (in a spiral that comes from the Fibonacci pattern).

Testing out the size and placement of the intro label – the real ones will be much more colorful!

Hillel preps the maze wall that will be the backdrop of the mystery maze boxes activity.

Chris prepares panels for the entry sculpture, which is made from over 300 pounds of steel and will stand floor to ceiling when installed – an amazing visual to frame the ThinkSpace entrance.

Chris and Zach construct a sculptural "navigation" column that consists of four colorful stacked octahedra and will house a selection of fun hunts to do throughout the Museum.

X team members couldn't resist leaving their mark in the base of the column before it was built!

Chris and Hillel lay out carved wooden tiles, which will become the backboard of a geometric design activity.

The construction corridor! Hillel and Chris install the carved tiles at right, and the table at the left will be a kaleidoscopic designs station.

Hillel adds image panels to the "lenticular" wall. Once this is fully assembled, it will create an illusion of movement as its two images are viewed from different angles.

Just a few days left to go and many more exciting things to come!