Wonder Works
Encyclopedia
Wonder Works is a children's museum
, a non-profit corporation
established in 2002, located in the village of Oak Park, Illinois
. It is the successor to the Children's Museum of Oak Park, established in 1993. The museum is dedicated to the principle of offering a fun, largely self-directed playing and learning place for children.
Occupying its own building in one of the village's business districts, the museum attracted fifty thousand visitors in 2004. They enjoyed the facilities as drop-in visitors, as museum members, as birthday party invitees, or as special-event attendees.
The museum funds its operations by means of the sale of visitor day passes, yearly memberships, proceeds from special events, proceeds from toy-store sales, and direct grants. Special events generally include subscription-based concerts and the rental of a dedicated party room. In 2004 the museum was financially self-sufficient for operations.
It is managed by a board of directors comprising members of the local community; an executive director; an operations floor manager; a program manager; and a number of full-, part-time, or volunteer floor assistants.
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...
, a non-profit corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
established in 2002, located in the village of Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
. It is the successor to the Children's Museum of Oak Park, established in 1993. The museum is dedicated to the principle of offering a fun, largely self-directed playing and learning place for children.
Occupying its own building in one of the village's business districts, the museum attracted fifty thousand visitors in 2004. They enjoyed the facilities as drop-in visitors, as museum members, as birthday party invitees, or as special-event attendees.
The museum funds its operations by means of the sale of visitor day passes, yearly memberships, proceeds from special events, proceeds from toy-store sales, and direct grants. Special events generally include subscription-based concerts and the rental of a dedicated party room. In 2004 the museum was financially self-sufficient for operations.
It is managed by a board of directors comprising members of the local community; an executive director; an operations floor manager; a program manager; and a number of full-, part-time, or volunteer floor assistants.