The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Encyclopedia
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the world's largest children's museum
. It is located in the United Northwest Area neighborhood on Meridian Street
, Indianapolis
, Indiana
, United States
. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums
. It is 472900 square feet (43,933.85 m²) with five floors of exhibit halls and receives more than one million visitors annually. Its collection of over 120,000 artifacts and exhibit items are divided into three domains: the American Collection, the Cultural World Collection, and the Natural World Collection. Among the exhibits are a simulated Cretaceous
dinosaur
habitat, a carousel
, and a steam locomotive
. Because the museum's targeted audience is children, most exhibits are designed to be interactive allowing children to actively participate.
Founded in 1925 by Mary Stewart Carey with the help of Indianapolis civic leaders and organizations, it is the fourth oldest such institution in the world. The current site became home for the museum in 1946; the current building was constructed in 1976, and has had six major expansions since then. The museum hosts thousands of activities annually, including plays at the Lilly Theater, classes and workshops for school children, traveling exhibits, and fund-raising events. With a 2008 budget of $28.7 million, it has 400 employees and 1500 volunteers. Its financial stability is ensured by a large endowment that was first established in the 1960s and is governed by a board of trustees.
. Carey began a campaign to start a Children's Museum in Indianapolis and enlisted the aid of other local civic leaders and the Progressive Teacher's Association. With their support, the museum opened in a garage complex that belonged to Propylaeums, a local civic club. A board of trustees was established to manage the museum and Carey was elected its first president. The early exhibits were created and donated by school children. Carey sought a larger facility and after two moves, she finally located the museum in her own mansion on Meridian Street in 1926. The same year the first curator, Arthur Carr was hired. Carr arranged Carey's specimens into exhibits and managed the museum. The first permanent exhibits were marine, Japanese, pioneer, archeology, and nature. By the 1930s, a larger staff was hired and Carr became director after Carey's 1938 death. The museum began offering guided tours to school children, organized traveling exhibits that were moved around to area schools, and began hosting events for fund raising.
In 1942, Carr retired from the museum and Grace Golden became the new director. Golden sought to further expand the museum and successfully solicited grants from the Indianapolis Foundation, the Lilly Endowment
, and members of the Lilly family
. She also secured several important corporate sponsorships. The new revenue allowed the museum to purchase its own building, a former mansion on North Meridian Street. Golden also began a diversification of the museum's exhibits, rather than relying on local donations. She successfully created partnerships with other museums who loaned exhibits of Native American artifacts in 1947, a gallery of dinosaur skeletons in 1949, the mummy Wenuhotep was given on permanent loan from the University of Chicago
in 1959, a nineteenth century log cabin was donated in 1961, and the Hall of Man was added in 1962. Several new permanent exhibits were created during her tenure, focusing on pioneer life, natural science, and ethnography
. Golden also established a Junior Docent program, created two weekly television shows for local broadcast, and began a program of interpretive activities.
In 1964 Golden resigned and was succeeded as director by Mildred Compton. Compton remained director until 1982. She began a new business model which included charging entrance fees. She created the first long term financial plans for the museum by establishing an endowment, and began advertising campaigns for donations and to increase attendance. The museum was enhanced to help it earn accreditation from the American Association of Museums by standardizing and cataloging its exhibits and archives and implementing conservation techniques. New permanent exhibits were obtained during Compton's tenure including the Physical Science Gallery in 1967, the Reuben Wells Steam Engine in 1968, and the Model Train Gallery in 1970.
A fund raising drive held in 1973 raised $8.7 million and allowed for the construction of the current museum building. The old museum was demolished and the new one built on its site. Finished in 1976, the new museum had modern conservation and storage facilities, classrooms, the 350 seat Ruth Allison Lilly Theater, and a much larger five-floor exhibit area. New exhibits and attractions were added for the grand opening including a carousel, a simulated cavern, and a mastodon
skeleton.
Paul Sterling became director in 1982 and continued to pursue a growth policy for the museum. A restaurant and outdoor garden gallery was added in 1983, and in 1984 the Caplan folk art collection
of 50,000 items was donated by Frank
and Theresa
Caplan, nearly doubling the number of items owned by the museum. In 1987 the museum undertook a $14 million expansion with the construction of a welcome center and atrium entrance, a planetarium, and an additional exhibit hall. A grant from Lilly Endowment
funded the construction of the Eli Lilly Center for Exploration in 1990.
By 1992, the museum was hosting 4,000 programs and activities annually and had an annual attendance of 835,000 patrons. It employed 165 full-time employees, 227 part-time employees, and 850 volunteers. Revenue in 1992 was $12.4 million.
In 1996 a 310-seat large-format theater called the CineDome was constructed adjacent to the museum. In 2004 the museum added a 950-space parking garage and the CineDome was converted to Dinosphere, which is built within and around the former CineDome. The Welcome Center was expanded again in 2009 increasing the total size of the museum to 472900 square feet (43,933.8 m²).
A board of trustees led by a chairman oversees the museum's endowment. The board elects an Executive Committee from its members who are responsible for overseeing the museum's management. The committee employs a president who oversees daily operations and manages the facilities. In 2008 Lloyd Lyons was chairman of the Executive Committee, and Jeffrey H. Patchen was president.
The museum has five floors of exhibit halls in the main building. There are several smaller structures around the main building including a planetarium, Dinosphere, a theater, and an outdoors garden gallery. In total, the museum has 472900 square feet (43,933.85 m²) of floor space. The museum has a collection of over 120,000 artifacts, many of which are on display. The collection is divided into three groups; Natural World, Cultural World, and American Collections.
To maintain a regular change in its exhibits, significant emphasis is placed on research and development. Field experts are consulted regularly to assess the exhibits and offer proposals for new ones. The museum employs many experts who are leaders in their field of study. Because of its leadership and innovations, the museum is a world leader in its field. Child
and Parents
magazine have both ranked the museum as the best children's museum in the United States. The "institution is considered the gold standard of museums for children."
The museum employs a Wikipedian-in-residence, appointed in August 2011, and uses QRpedia
to allow visitors to read Wikipedia articles about objects in the collection, translated into their preferred language. QRpedia codes are located in the All Aboard! exhibit, which directs users to the Reuben Wells steam engine
Wikipedia article, and in the Carousel Wishes and Dreams exhibit, which links to the Broad Ripple Park Carousel
article.
installed a four story glass sculpture inside the central atrium of the giant spiral ramp. The sculpture is called Fireworks of Glass and is accompanied by an exhibit of Chihuly's glass blowing methods.
. Another area has a simulated archeological dig where artifacts about Zhao Zheng, first Emporer of China, was discovered. The third area features artifacts retrieved from a pirate ship wreck.
The lower level also hosts a planetarium
, a theater, and a 11000 pounds (4,989.5 kg) steam engine designed by Reuben Wells
in 1868 to conquer Indiana’s Madison Hill. The engine is attached to a Pennsylvania Railroad caboose that visitors can find in the museum's "All Aboard!" Gallery.
A focal point of the ground level of the museum is North America
's largest water clock
, created by French physicist and artist Bernard Gitton
. The main floor contains The Children's Museum toy store and food court. The volunteer center, concierge desk and birthday party rooms are also on this level.
called the InfoZone which was moved to the second floor outside of the skywalk which links the parking garage to the main building. The InfoZone moved to its present home in the new welcome center in 2009.
The second level hosts many of the museum's temporary exhibits. The only semi-permanent exhibit on the level is the "Take Me There" gallery. The "Take Me There" exhibit has its content changed periodically with a different culture represented in the space every two to three years. In 2009 the exhibit featured the culture of modern-day Egypt and is called "Take Me There: Egypt." Also on this floor are miniature insets depicting various rooms and their decorations. The three changeable spaces are known as Special Exhibit Galleries and they have short run exhibits that rotate.
, Ruby Bridges
and Ryan White
and the impact these children made on the world. The purpose of the Power of Children is to create a supportive environment where people can examine and discuss issues related to prejudice and discrimination and seek solutions to the problems. Historically accurate immersive environments are recreated to reflect the place where each of the children spent their lives. First-person interpreters, live theater and artifacts are designed to facilitate the public understanding of the lives of Frank, Bridges and White. The gallery has sounds, dramatic lighting, quotations, interactives and moving images to draw visitors into the exhibit.
A second permanent exhibit located on the third floor is "Story Avenue". Visitors can walk through a simulated African American community with life size mannequins that talk when visitors pass. The exhibit focuses on the oral story-telling traditions of African Americans. Next to "Story Avenue" is the preschool play area called "Playscape". "Playscape" is a gallery designed for children 5 years and younger. It includes a large raised sandbox area for children to play in, a raised water table where kids can play with water toys, a construction site and multiple other interactive areas for small children. "Playscape" has an area designated for very small children 2 and younger called "Babyscape". It also houses a multipurpose room which includes an area for nursing mothers combined with a reading room complete with couches.
in the Carousel Wishes and Dreams
gallery on the fourth floor. The carousel was originally built for an amusement park (now Broad Ripple Park) in 1917 and was restored and reinstalled in this museum in 1973. It is the largest of the museum's artifacts. The carousel is a National Historic Landmark
.
The fourth level also houses Science Works (formerly known as Science Spectrum), an exhibit devoted to exploring natural science
and physical science
through building activities. Children may build toy boats to float along the waterway, play in a construction zone, erect an arch, climb a rock wall, crawl through tunnels, observe a live pond, and participate in other activities. Within Science Works is the Biotech Lab, which hosts daily events focusing on the future of DNA
and chemistry and SciencePort which focuses on plant biology.
Dinosphere is connected to the main museum on the Lower Level (through All Aboard), Level One (near the food court and main entrance gates), and Level Two (through the The Mann Properties Gallery of Dinosaur Imagery). Dinosphere was formerly the Cinedome Theater. Dinosphere features a sound and light experience that simulates a day in the late Cretaceous period 65 million years ago. The center of the exhibit space includes three themed fossil scenes. Visitors can perform fossil excavations in the Dig Site, touch a real Tyrannosaurus rex femur fossil in the Paleo Prep Lab, talk to real paleontologists
, enjoy family-friendly games and touch-screen learning activities, and view numerous real dinosaur fossils from the Cretaceous period on display. Dinosphere is one of the largest displays of juvenile and family dinosaur fossils in the U.S. The exhibit features several species of dinosaurs including Hypacrosaurus
, Prenoceratops
, Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops
, Gorgosaurus
, Maiasaura
, Bambiraptor
, Oviraptor
, and Dracorex hogwartsia. Several ancient non-dinosaur creatures are also featured, including Didelphodon
, Sarcosuchus
(super croc), and Pteranodon
.
Children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be...
. It is located in the United Northwest Area neighborhood on Meridian Street
Meridian Street (Indianapolis)
Meridian Street is the primary north-south street in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.Meridian Street was formerly aligned with US 31 for much of its length in the city of Indianapolis, before being re-routed to a segment of Interstate 465. The street delineates east addresses from west...
, Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
. It is 472900 square feet (43,933.85 m²) with five floors of exhibit halls and receives more than one million visitors annually. Its collection of over 120,000 artifacts and exhibit items are divided into three domains: the American Collection, the Cultural World Collection, and the Natural World Collection. Among the exhibits are a simulated Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
habitat, a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
, and a steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. Because the museum's targeted audience is children, most exhibits are designed to be interactive allowing children to actively participate.
Founded in 1925 by Mary Stewart Carey with the help of Indianapolis civic leaders and organizations, it is the fourth oldest such institution in the world. The current site became home for the museum in 1946; the current building was constructed in 1976, and has had six major expansions since then. The museum hosts thousands of activities annually, including plays at the Lilly Theater, classes and workshops for school children, traveling exhibits, and fund-raising events. With a 2008 budget of $28.7 million, it has 400 employees and 1500 volunteers. Its financial stability is ensured by a large endowment that was first established in the 1960s and is governed by a board of trustees.
History
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis was founded in 1925 by Mary Stewart Carey, a wealthy civic patron who owned the Stewart-Carey Glass Company. She was inspired to create the museum after a 1924 visit to the Brooklyn Children's MuseumBrooklyn Children's Museum
The Brooklyn Children's Museum is a general purpose museum in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, USA. Founded in 1899, it was the first museum in the United States and some believe, the world, to cater specifically to children and is unique in its location, predominantly a residential area...
. Carey began a campaign to start a Children's Museum in Indianapolis and enlisted the aid of other local civic leaders and the Progressive Teacher's Association. With their support, the museum opened in a garage complex that belonged to Propylaeums, a local civic club. A board of trustees was established to manage the museum and Carey was elected its first president. The early exhibits were created and donated by school children. Carey sought a larger facility and after two moves, she finally located the museum in her own mansion on Meridian Street in 1926. The same year the first curator, Arthur Carr was hired. Carr arranged Carey's specimens into exhibits and managed the museum. The first permanent exhibits were marine, Japanese, pioneer, archeology, and nature. By the 1930s, a larger staff was hired and Carr became director after Carey's 1938 death. The museum began offering guided tours to school children, organized traveling exhibits that were moved around to area schools, and began hosting events for fund raising.
In 1942, Carr retired from the museum and Grace Golden became the new director. Golden sought to further expand the museum and successfully solicited grants from the Indianapolis Foundation, the Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
, and members of the Lilly family
Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly was the founder of Eli Lilly and Company.Eli Lilly may also refer to:* Eli Lilly and Company, a global pharmaceutical company...
. She also secured several important corporate sponsorships. The new revenue allowed the museum to purchase its own building, a former mansion on North Meridian Street. Golden also began a diversification of the museum's exhibits, rather than relying on local donations. She successfully created partnerships with other museums who loaned exhibits of Native American artifacts in 1947, a gallery of dinosaur skeletons in 1949, the mummy Wenuhotep was given on permanent loan from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1959, a nineteenth century log cabin was donated in 1961, and the Hall of Man was added in 1962. Several new permanent exhibits were created during her tenure, focusing on pioneer life, natural science, and ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
. Golden also established a Junior Docent program, created two weekly television shows for local broadcast, and began a program of interpretive activities.
In 1964 Golden resigned and was succeeded as director by Mildred Compton. Compton remained director until 1982. She began a new business model which included charging entrance fees. She created the first long term financial plans for the museum by establishing an endowment, and began advertising campaigns for donations and to increase attendance. The museum was enhanced to help it earn accreditation from the American Association of Museums by standardizing and cataloging its exhibits and archives and implementing conservation techniques. New permanent exhibits were obtained during Compton's tenure including the Physical Science Gallery in 1967, the Reuben Wells Steam Engine in 1968, and the Model Train Gallery in 1970.
A fund raising drive held in 1973 raised $8.7 million and allowed for the construction of the current museum building. The old museum was demolished and the new one built on its site. Finished in 1976, the new museum had modern conservation and storage facilities, classrooms, the 350 seat Ruth Allison Lilly Theater, and a much larger five-floor exhibit area. New exhibits and attractions were added for the grand opening including a carousel, a simulated cavern, and a mastodon
Mastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
skeleton.
Paul Sterling became director in 1982 and continued to pursue a growth policy for the museum. A restaurant and outdoor garden gallery was added in 1983, and in 1984 the Caplan folk art collection
Caplan Collection
The Caplan Collection of folk art and childhood artifacts is held by The Children's Museum of Indianapolis; in 1984 it was donated by Frank and Theresa Caplan, owners of the Creative Playthings toy company. The museum began accessioning the collection in January 1985...
of 50,000 items was donated by Frank
Frank Caplan
Frank Caplan was a youth worker, educator, folk toy collector, and pioneer in developing and manufacturing educational toys for children...
and Theresa
Theresa Caplan
Theresa Caplan was an American twentieth-century scholar of early childhood development and a collector of worldwide toys. Working with her husband Frank, she wrote multiple acclaimed books and built a massive collection of toys that is now part of a significant museum.Born on 6 June 1913, Caplan...
Caplan, nearly doubling the number of items owned by the museum. In 1987 the museum undertook a $14 million expansion with the construction of a welcome center and atrium entrance, a planetarium, and an additional exhibit hall. A grant from Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
funded the construction of the Eli Lilly Center for Exploration in 1990.
By 1992, the museum was hosting 4,000 programs and activities annually and had an annual attendance of 835,000 patrons. It employed 165 full-time employees, 227 part-time employees, and 850 volunteers. Revenue in 1992 was $12.4 million.
In 1996 a 310-seat large-format theater called the CineDome was constructed adjacent to the museum. In 2004 the museum added a 950-space parking garage and the CineDome was converted to Dinosphere, which is built within and around the former CineDome. The Welcome Center was expanded again in 2009 increasing the total size of the museum to 472900 square feet (43,933.8 m²).
Operations
According to a museum report, in 2010, the museum has 400 part and full time employees. Additionally, 1,500 individuals contribute over 67,000 hours or volunteer work annually. In 2008, the institution had revenue of $26.37 million and expenses of $26.369 million, with over half its income being supplied by the museum's endowment. The facility had more than one million visitors in 2008. Field trips from 775 schools brought more than 83,000 students to the museum during 2008.A board of trustees led by a chairman oversees the museum's endowment. The board elects an Executive Committee from its members who are responsible for overseeing the museum's management. The committee employs a president who oversees daily operations and manages the facilities. In 2008 Lloyd Lyons was chairman of the Executive Committee, and Jeffrey H. Patchen was president.
The museum has five floors of exhibit halls in the main building. There are several smaller structures around the main building including a planetarium, Dinosphere, a theater, and an outdoors garden gallery. In total, the museum has 472900 square feet (43,933.85 m²) of floor space. The museum has a collection of over 120,000 artifacts, many of which are on display. The collection is divided into three groups; Natural World, Cultural World, and American Collections.
To maintain a regular change in its exhibits, significant emphasis is placed on research and development. Field experts are consulted regularly to assess the exhibits and offer proposals for new ones. The museum employs many experts who are leaders in their field of study. Because of its leadership and innovations, the museum is a world leader in its field. Child
Child (magazine)
Child is a discontinued American parenting magazine founded by Jackie Leo and MaryAnn Sommers in 1986 and published through 2007. It was originally backed by Italian publishers, then sold to The New York Times Magazine Group which published it until 1995 along with its other women’s magazines,...
and Parents
Parents (magazine)
Parents, published by Meredith Corporation, is the oldest parenting publication in the U.S. It was first published in October 1926.Its editorial focus is on the daily needs and concerns of mothers with young children. The glossy monthly features information about child health, safety, behavior,...
magazine have both ranked the museum as the best children's museum in the United States. The "institution is considered the gold standard of museums for children."
The museum employs a Wikipedian-in-residence, appointed in August 2011, and uses QRpedia
QRpedia
QRpedia is a mobile Web based system which uses QR codes to deliver Wikipedia articles to users, in their preferred language. QR codes can easily be generated to link directly to any Uniform Resource Identifier , but the QRpedia system adds further functionality.QRpedia was conceived by Roger...
to allow visitors to read Wikipedia articles about objects in the collection, translated into their preferred language. QRpedia codes are located in the All Aboard! exhibit, which directs users to the Reuben Wells steam engine
Reuben Wells (locomotive)
The Reuben Wells is a steam locomotive in the permanent collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States...
Wikipedia article, and in the Carousel Wishes and Dreams exhibit, which links to the Broad Ripple Park Carousel
Broad Ripple Park Carousel
Broad Ripple Park Carousel, also known as White City Carousel and Children's Museum Carousel, is an antique carousel in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. It was installed in 1917 at an amusement park near the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it remained until the building housing it...
article.
Exhibits
The main stairwell of the museum is a giant spiral ramp which allows visitors to access all five levels of the museum by strollers, wheelchairs, and walkers. In 2006, glass artist Dale ChihulyDale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur.-Biography:Chihuly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington. He enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound in 1959...
installed a four story glass sculpture inside the central atrium of the giant spiral ramp. The sculpture is called Fireworks of Glass and is accompanied by an exhibit of Chihuly's glass blowing methods.
Lower Level
The National Geographic: Treasures of the Earth exhibit has three areas is located on the Lower Level of museum and was first opened June 11, 2011. One area contains ancient Egyptian artifacts presented in a replica of the tomb of Seti ISeti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...
. Another area has a simulated archeological dig where artifacts about Zhao Zheng, first Emporer of China, was discovered. The third area features artifacts retrieved from a pirate ship wreck.
The lower level also hosts a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
, a theater, and a 11000 pounds (4,989.5 kg) steam engine designed by Reuben Wells
Reuben Wells (locomotive)
The Reuben Wells is a steam locomotive in the permanent collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States...
in 1868 to conquer Indiana’s Madison Hill. The engine is attached to a Pennsylvania Railroad caboose that visitors can find in the museum's "All Aboard!" Gallery.
Main Floor
On the main floor/ground level the Museum has the Welcome Center with adult and juvenile Brachiosaur sculptures climbing into the front. These sculptures are physiologically accurate to current paleontological knowledge and were created by Gary Staab and painted by Brian Cooley who created the sauropod sculptures which are crashing out of the Dinosphere. Outside the museum on this level is the Seven Wonders of the World garden, a green rain garden, parking garage, and the oversize parking lot to accommodate large parties of visitors such as schools on field trips.A focal point of the ground level of the museum is North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
's largest water clock
Water clock (Indianapolis)
The Water Clock, also known as The Giant Water Clock, is in the permanent collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The modern water clock is located in the Sunburst Atrium of The Children's Museum, and is adjacent to the Grand Staircase...
, created by French physicist and artist Bernard Gitton
Bernard Gitton
Bernard Gitton is a French scientist, and builder of modern water clocks.He constructed the " The Water Clock", at the The Children's Museum of Indianapolis,, "Clepsydra Water Clock" at Abbotsford, British Columbia, "Time Flow Clock" Europa Center, Berlin, and "Time-Flow Clock" Rødovre Centrum,...
. The main floor contains The Children's Museum toy store and food court. The volunteer center, concierge desk and birthday party rooms are also on this level.
Second Floor
The museum also contains 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) branch of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public LibraryIndianapolis-Marion County Public Library
The Indianapolis Public Library is the public library system that serves the citizens of Marion County, Indiana, United States and its largest city, Indianapolis...
called the InfoZone which was moved to the second floor outside of the skywalk which links the parking garage to the main building. The InfoZone moved to its present home in the new welcome center in 2009.
The second level hosts many of the museum's temporary exhibits. The only semi-permanent exhibit on the level is the "Take Me There" gallery. The "Take Me There" exhibit has its content changed periodically with a different culture represented in the space every two to three years. In 2009 the exhibit featured the culture of modern-day Egypt and is called "Take Me There: Egypt." Also on this floor are miniature insets depicting various rooms and their decorations. The three changeable spaces are known as Special Exhibit Galleries and they have short run exhibits that rotate.
Third Floor
The third level features "The Power of Children: Making a Difference", a permanent exhibit featuring the stories of Anne FrankAnne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
, Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Nell Bridges Hall moved with her parents to New Orleans, Louisiana at the age of 4. In 1960, when she was 6 years old, her parents responded to a call from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and volunteered her to participate in the integration of the New Orleans...
and Ryan White
Ryan White
Ryan Wayne White was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States, after being expelled from middle school because of his infection. A hemophiliac, he became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment and, when diagnosed...
and the impact these children made on the world. The purpose of the Power of Children is to create a supportive environment where people can examine and discuss issues related to prejudice and discrimination and seek solutions to the problems. Historically accurate immersive environments are recreated to reflect the place where each of the children spent their lives. First-person interpreters, live theater and artifacts are designed to facilitate the public understanding of the lives of Frank, Bridges and White. The gallery has sounds, dramatic lighting, quotations, interactives and moving images to draw visitors into the exhibit.
A second permanent exhibit located on the third floor is "Story Avenue". Visitors can walk through a simulated African American community with life size mannequins that talk when visitors pass. The exhibit focuses on the oral story-telling traditions of African Americans. Next to "Story Avenue" is the preschool play area called "Playscape". "Playscape" is a gallery designed for children 5 years and younger. It includes a large raised sandbox area for children to play in, a raised water table where kids can play with water toys, a construction site and multiple other interactive areas for small children. "Playscape" has an area designated for very small children 2 and younger called "Babyscape". It also houses a multipurpose room which includes an area for nursing mothers combined with a reading room complete with couches.
Fourth Floor
Located at the top of the ramp on the fourth floor is the Ball Dollhouse. One of the museum's most popular exhibits is an indoor carouselCarousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
in the Carousel Wishes and Dreams
Broad Ripple Park Carousel
Broad Ripple Park Carousel, also known as White City Carousel and Children's Museum Carousel, is an antique carousel in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. It was installed in 1917 at an amusement park near the White River in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it remained until the building housing it...
gallery on the fourth floor. The carousel was originally built for an amusement park (now Broad Ripple Park) in 1917 and was restored and reinstalled in this museum in 1973. It is the largest of the museum's artifacts. The carousel is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
The fourth level also houses Science Works (formerly known as Science Spectrum), an exhibit devoted to exploring natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
and physical science
Physical science
Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science and science that study non-living systems, in contrast to the life sciences...
through building activities. Children may build toy boats to float along the waterway, play in a construction zone, erect an arch, climb a rock wall, crawl through tunnels, observe a live pond, and participate in other activities. Within Science Works is the Biotech Lab, which hosts daily events focusing on the future of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
and chemistry and SciencePort which focuses on plant biology.
Dinosphere
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, enjoy family-friendly games and touch-screen learning activities, and view numerous real dinosaur fossils from the Cretaceous period on display. Dinosphere is one of the largest displays of juvenile and family dinosaur fossils in the U.S. The exhibit features several species of dinosaurs including Hypacrosaurus
Hypacrosaurus
Hypacrosaurus was a genus of duckbill dinosaur similar in appearance to Corythosaurus. Like Corythosaurus, it had a tall, hollow rounded crest, although not as large and straight...
, Prenoceratops
Prenoceratops
Prenoceratops, is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period. Its fossils have been found in the Two Medicine Formation in the present-day U.S. state of Montana...
, Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops
Triceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
, Gorgosaurus
Gorgosaurus
Gorgosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, between about 76.5 and 75 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found in the Canadian province of Alberta and possibly the U.S. state of Montana....
, Maiasaura
Maiasaura
Maiasaura is a large duck-billed dinosaur genus that lived in the area currently covered by the state of Montana in the Upper Cretaceous Period , about 74 million years ago....
, Bambiraptor
Bambiraptor
Bambiraptor is a Late Cretaceous, 75 million year old, bird-like dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur described by scientists at the University of Kansas, Yale University, and the University of New Orleans....
, Oviraptor
Oviraptor
Oviraptor is a genus of small Mongolian theropod dinosaur, first discovered by the paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, and first described by Henry Fairfield Osborn, in 1924...
, and Dracorex hogwartsia. Several ancient non-dinosaur creatures are also featured, including Didelphodon
Didelphodon
Didelphodon is a genus of stagodont marsupials from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Three species are known: Didelphodon vorax, D. padanicus, and D. coyi. Although perhaps little larger than a Virginia Opossum, it was one of the largest mammals of the Mesozoic...
, Sarcosuchus
Sarcosuchus
Sarcosuchus is an extinct genus of crocodyliform and distant relative of the crocodile that lived 112 million years ago. It dates from the early Cretaceous Period of what is now Africa and is one of the largest giant crocodile-like reptiles that ever lived...
(super croc), and Pteranodon
Pteranodon
Pteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
.