Category Archive: Museum Happenings

1. The MCM Lunchbox: Flourishing Two Years into a Grand Experiment 

   July 1, 2024 10:03 pm Comments Off on The MCM Lunchbox: Flourishing Two Years into a Grand Experiment 

   

   This July marks the two-year anniversary of the Lunchbox, our pay-what-you-can cafe. The pay-what-you-can model—the only such restaurant inside a US museum—ensures that no one has to play on an empty stomach. That said, the cafe is for EVERYBODY. Eating together is a powerful shared experience. This innovative community cafe was featured during the Association of Children’s Museums Interactivity conference held in Madison in May, spotlighting the cafe for children’s museums internationally. We are proud to share our knowledge with everyone interested—and many are! We’ve received calls from other museums looking to replicate our model in their home communities.  

   Lunchbox facts

   • Since opening, 77% of food costs have been covered by payments in the cafe. (We’ve received additional cafe funding from individuals, businesses, and grants)  
   • That percentage has been rising, reaching 90% of food costs covered by in-cafe payments in June 2024 
   • Over 1,200 Watermelon slices have been eaten since May  
   • While composting & recycling are available in the cafe, an internally conducted waste audit showed not many visitors sort and separate their food waste into the correct containers, revealing an area we can make the cafe more sustainable in future 

   Madison Children’s Museum owns and operates the Lunchbox, a licensed retail food & beverage establishment. We purchase food and make it available to visitors. There are no posted prices; diners choose what they’ll pay for their food. It’s ok to pay a little, a lot, or nothing at all. Use of the cafe isn’t restricted to those with museum tickets; everyone is welcome. They can eat at our cafe tables or take the food to go.  

   The Lunchbox offers quick snacks—like fruit or granola bars—and freshly prepared meals. We are proud that the prepared foods you will find in the cafe are produced by local partners Willy Street Co-op & Ugly Apple Cafe. Both share our values and priorities: providing access to healthy food, addressing food insecurity, and operating sustainably. The museum purchases food from these partners at preferred pricing; they are invested in the success of the cafe. 

   “I often get asked if the cafe breaks even. The quick answer is: no, not yet. But breaking even isn’t the primary goal. The Lunchbox serves our mission, supporting children and their families, making sure that healthy food at the museum is accessible to everyone. That said, it’s great to see the payments in the cafe continuing to approach food costs.”
   — Lily Hoyer-Winfield, MCM director of visitor services

   Willy Street Co-op  

   The Willy Street Co-op has been a Madison institution since 1974—just like MCM! The Lunchbox cafe was a proud recipient of a grant from the Willy Street Co-op’s Community Reinvestment Fund in 2023. Given our shared history and values, we were delighted when this May, the Willy Street Co-op kitchen became our newest food partner and started weekly deliveries of fresh food to the Lunchbox. Their deli foods provide a variety of coop-favorite fresh salads and dishes, with a range of new flavors, textures, and sizes for our visitors to enjoy. In the Lunchbox cooler you’ll find “sharables,” “just for me,” and “try me” sizes of deli salads—perfect for families to try and share new food together. 

   

   Partnering with MCM has been great; this relationship speaks to many of us on so many levels. The intersection of sustainability and community means ‘local’ to me—building relationships within our community to help sustain our community. Dollars spent here get recirculated within our community and continue to help boost our local economy. This is what Willy Street is all about.” 
   — Nicholas Oconnor, prepared foods & cheese category manager of the Willy Street Co-op

   Ugly Apple Cafe

   Ugly Apple Cafe has been a partner with the Lunchbox since the fall of 2023. Every week, Ugly Apple provides fresh baked scones and muffins for Friday visitors. Ugly Apple Cafe is housed in the County Courthouse building, only a few blocks from the museum. On Friday mornings a staff person from the museum walks over and picks up delicious bakery goods—you don’t get much more “fresh and local” than that! These muffins and scones are seasonal, delicious, and baked in kid-friendly sizes.  

   

   Ugly Apple also caters many special events at MCM, including coffee and donuts for Member Mornings (a members-only hour on the first Saturday of the month) and food for member parties. They also often host a pop-up shop at MCM serving at events like Live from the Wonderground. Ugly Apple Cafe seeks to use produce and food products that may otherwise be thrown out for their appearance or for other reasons that don’t compromise the taste or nutritional value of the food.  

   “As a parent, we are at the museum playing a lot and it’s been really interesting to see how my children’s tastes compare with the items that are popular with the museum community.”
   —Ugly Apple Cafe owner Laurel Burleson. 

   The relationship between Madison Children’s Museum and these two valued organizations will continue to grow in 2024 and beyond, with all of us looking forward to breaking bread with our partners, visitors to Madison Children’s Museum, and the broader community. 
    
   The Lunchbox cafe opened in July of 2022 as a partnership between Madison Children’s Museum and Little John’s Kitchens. We thank Chef Dave for his vision and passion in helping to create the cafe.  

   Major support is provided by Jane Villa in honor of Deb Gilpin, with additional support provided by The Tamara D. Grigsby Office for Equity and Inclusion. 

   2022 pilot funders include the Ecumenical Fund for Nutrition at Madison Community Foundation, Jane & David Villa, Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation, Virent, Inc., Willy Street Co-op, Dane County Department of Waste & Renewables, and J.H. Findorff & Son Inc.  

   Access for Everyone support is provided by Nimick Forbesway Foundation, Exact Sciences, and JPMorgan Chase. Over 200 households and organizations made individual gifts of less than $2,500.  

2. Tom Linfield, Long-Time Arts Champion, Chosen to Lead Madison Children’s Museum

   May 23, 2024 9:17 am Leave a Comment

   June 28, 2024 is official start date

   The Madison Children’s Museum board of directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Linfield as the organization’s new president & CEO. With extensive experience in philanthropy and a deep connection to the local community, Linfield will bring a unique perspective and passion to his new role.

   

   “I am exhilarated by the opportunity to join Madison Children’s Museum,” says Linfield. “This is a cherished local institution, a nationally recognized museum, and one of the most innovative and creative organizations I’ve ever worked with. From the Rooftop Ramble down to the pay-what-you-can cafe, the museum continues to find ways to delight and engage their diverse visitors. Their commitment to equity and inclusion, integration of sustainable practices, and history of involving local artists in exhibition creation, are all reasons I’m so excited to join the team.” 

   Linfield currently serves as vice president of community impact at the Madison Community Foundation, where he has been employed for the last 20 years. He has helped distribute grant money to hundreds of local nonprofits and formed deep connections in the local community with donors and organizations.  

   He has served as part of a team at Madison Community Foundation that grew their assets from $100 million to $400 million, built a $330,000 community gardens project that tripled the number of food pantry gardens and community gardens in the greater Madison area, and leveraged over $27 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program funding (Covid relief) for Dane County nonprofits. 

   Linfield has strong connections to the museum: as a volunteer, contributing artist, and parent. When the museum reopened on the Capitol Square in 2010, he created the mosaic “L” that still hangs on the first floor. He fondly recalls bringing his own children to explore and discover the wonders of the museum in their younger years. 

   He also has longstanding relationships with museum staff. “Tom is an artist and a creative spirit,” says Brenda Baker, the museum’s vice president of exhibits, facilities, and strategic initiatives. “He has an unusual combination of strengths: a drive for excellence, a commitment to community—and a sense of whimsy and playfulness—that will meld seamlessly with what MCM does best.” 

   This is a pivotal time for MCM, one that offers space for new leadership and strategic planning. The Caretakers of Wonder project, a national, MCM-led initiative addressing the effects of climate change on young children, is entering a new phase. A major new MCM exhibit, the Nice Age Trail, opens on June 1. The museum is partnering with Lilly Endowment Inc. on an initiative with great potential to further MCM’s work via a major grant. And the museum just completed hosting the largest ever international children’s museum conference, in partnership with the Association of Children’s Museums, an event years in the making. 

   “I was lucky enough to participate in the recent conference hosted here by Madison Children’s Museum,” says Linfield. “Professionals from around the country were in awe of what our museum has accomplished. Deb and her team have really built something extraordinary.” 

   Linfield’s first day on the job as president & CEO of Madison Children’s Museum is set for June 28, 2024. 

   Deb Gilpin, MCM president & CEO for the last 11 years, will work through July 3, committing some consulting hours after that to ease the transition. Gilpin is retiring after 37 years in the field.  

   Matt Premo, president of the MCM board, says, “Tom brings strong community connections, deep knowledge of how nonprofits operate and are funded, and an innovative approach that will make him a dynamic and effective leader.”

   Jennifer Johnson, executive search committee chair and former MCM board chair, adds, “After a long national search vetting many qualified candidates, the hiring committee and board are thrilled to welcome Tom to Madison Children’s Museum.” 

   The board retained the services of the Arts Consulting Group, a Chicago agency that has extensive experience in executive leadership searches.   

3. Deb Gilpin, President & CEO of Madison Children’s Museum, Announces Retirement

   January 22, 2024 2:01 pm Leave a Comment

   Board begins national search for new leader

   

   January 22, 2024

   After 11 years at the helm of Madison Children’s Museum, and 36 years total in children’s and science museums, Deb Gilpin, MCM’s President and CEO, will retire this summer. The museum’s board of directors has begun a national search for her replacement.

   “Deb leaves the museum in great shape, giving plenty of notice for the daunting task of replacing her,” says Matt Premo, president of the MCM board. “We’re in the admirable position of looking for a leader who can continue to make great things happen.” 

   Like so many of the museum’s best features, Gilpin is locally grown, born and raised in the Madison area. She began her museum career in 1987, when she helped open the Discovery Museum, a new hands-on museum in Acton, Mass. After serving as CEO for ten years, she moved to the Arizona Science Center, and then opened another museum—the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, growing it for nine years from infancy to one of the top children’s museums in the country. 

   Deb brought her talent, experience, and passion for the field to MCM. Under her oversight, MCM continued to flourish as an industry leader, setting the standard for other museums in sustainability and breaking down barriers to access. 

   Gilpin took the job in 2013, three years after MCM moved from State Street to its larger current home on Capitol Square. Under her leadership the museum grew and thrived, building several new exhibits; improving its financial position through donations, grants, and earned revenue; increasing employee pay and retention; growing community partnerships; and continuing the museum’s history of innovation and leadership in the children’s museum field.  

   She led the museum through 15 months of pandemic-forced closure and the long, slow process of reopening and recovery. Like many leaders of businesses and nonprofits, she made hard decisions about layoffs, terminations, and cutting positions. Within months of reopening the museum, the Wonderground opened—a 10,000-square-foot, sustainably built playground for active, imaginative play, constructed on the museum’s former parking lot. In place of an unusable, structurally compromised eyesore, the community now had a safe place for healthy outdoor play just as families were cautiously venturing back out. By that time, many staff forced to leave in the crisis had been rehired. 

   Since reopening, the museum is stronger and more successful by all significant measures. 

   During her time, Gilpin oversaw the launch of several innovative programs. In response to the first Race to Equity report in 2014, the Teen Workforce program was launched to improve the job opportunity gap between teens of color and their peers. That program continues with new teens joining the staff team each summer, while many graduates of the program have been promoted into other positions at the museum.  

   In 2017, the museum launched the First-Time Parent Membership, giving a free membership to every family with a new child, until the child turns 18 months old—2,000 families signed up before the end of the first year. That program is also still running, and at least a half dozen other children’s museums have consulted with MCM staff and launched their own similar programs. 

   In 2022 MCM opened the first pay-what-you-can restaurant in a museum, Little John’s Lunchbox. The cafe served nearly 16,000 meals last year, many to food insecure families. The Lunchbox was recently listed by the American Association of Museums as one of twelve noteworthy innovations in 2023. 

   The Access for Everyone program, reducing barriers to museum admission, was in place when Gilpin arrived. Under her leadership, usage increased from 17 to 30%, a healthy indication that MCM is serving families who might not otherwise be able to afford to visit. In 2018, MCM further reduced barriers by removing documentation requirements from Access for Everyone membership and admission programs. This simple change has likely contributed to the increased usage—and decreased stigma. 

   Gilpin has timed her departure to go out on a high note: Early this summer, MCM will open a major new exhibit, The Nice Age Trail. That exhibit grows from the Caretakers of Wonder initiative, funded through a national leadership grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. MCM is leading a cohort of eight children’s museums and science centers on a two-year project supporting young children and their families in the face of climate change. Here in the Madison area, the exhibit will be the most visible product of Caretakers of Wonder. But later in the summer of 2024, the influence of Caretakers of Wonder will grow well beyond Madison—and the other eight partner sites—as the project shares learning and resources with the national museum field and other organizations that serve young children and families. 

   Gilpin has made her mark here and in the national museum field, leaving programs, exhibits, and ideas that will benefit children for many years to come. She plans to take three months off after her retirement to rest, recharge, and travel. Then she expects to find new ways to serve. 

   “I see every child who comes through the front door like a glowing ball of potential. I’ve always been curious about drawing out those gifts—for their own good as well as for the benefit of others with whom they will interact,” says Gilpin. “I think it’s those kids with their nearly limitless potential who I’ll miss most.” 

   The board has retained the services of the Arts Consulting Group, a national full-service consulting firm specializing in executive search for arts and culture organizations.  

   

   

   

   

   

   Highlights from Deb Gilpin’s time at MCM

   • 2013, Deb joins Madison Children’s Museum as president & CEO 
   • 2014, In response to the Madison Race to Equity report, the museum launches the Teen Workforce program 
   • 2017, New exhibit From Coops to Cathedrals: Nature, Childhood, and the Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright opens 
   • 2017, MCM launches the First-Time Parent Membership program bringing thousands of babies and new families to MCM 
   • 2018, MCM dismantles barriers by removing documentation requirements from Access for Everyone membership and admission programs 
   • 2018, Received Women of Industry Award from InBusiness Magazine 
   • 2019, Planning and fundraising begin for a major expansion of the museum’s outdoor spaces 
   • 2020, The pandemic hits; MCM closes its doors, future uncertain. Gilpin works to secure funding, keeps MCM operating with limited staffing, and continues progress on a modified expansion 
   • 2021, The museum reopens; the Wonderground opens, adding 10,000 square feet of open-air play space 
   • 2022, MCM opens the first pay-what-you-can restaurant in a museum, Little John’s Lunchbox 
   • 2023, MCM leads the national Caretakers of Wonder initiative funded through a national leadership grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services  
   • 2024, Construction begins on The Nice Age Trail, a new exhibit informed by the work of Caretakers of Wonder, set to open in June 2024 

4. A Third Act for Slippery the Calf

   December 11, 2023 12:24 pm Leave a Comment

   The museum’s exhibit From Coops to Cathedrals: Nature, Childhood, and the Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright closes on January 2, 2024, but the museum has a longstanding practice of reusing and upcycling exhibit elements, often in surprising ways.

   

   One of the most iconic elements of Coops is a calf unofficially named “Slippery” who started out as part of a dairy-themed exhibit when the museum was in its former location on State Street. Slippery is so-named because, for a while on State Street, there was a sign on the calf that said, “Be careful climbing on me, I’m slippery.” Kids understandably began to call the calf Slippery and the name stuck.

   Every election season, the museum sets up a temporary exhibit called The Polling Place, where children can see realistic ballots and vote on matters in the museum. (Thus was Poop Day instituted, when the four- year-old vote turned out in strong numbers. These elections have consequences.) When the museum moved from State Street to its current home on N. Hamilton Street, kids voted on which old elements should be included in the new space and the cows won. Instead of recreating the former exhibit in the new location, the cows were incorporated in new ways. One became part of the “cow jumping over the moon” over the museum’s atrium and another overlooks the Wonderground. Slippery joined Coops in 2017, and became a popular feature, with kids brushing, bottle-feeding, and riding the calf constantly.

   Plans are already underway for how this beloved bovine can become a part of another exhibit. So it won’t be “goodbye” to Slippery, just “So long, and see you later!” 

   

   

   

   

5. MCM Hosts Caretakers of Wonder Conference 

   March 3, 2023 11:58 am Leave a Comment

   On a blustery February week in Madison, leaders and staff from nine children’s museums and science centers from across the nation came together in Madison for the Caretakers of Wonder conference. This project, led by Madison Children’s Museum, and funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, will help shape much of MCM’s work over the coming two years—including building a network of museum professionals dedicated to taking climate actions and enhancing young children’s agency and connections to nature. At MCM, the project will also result in an exciting new exhibit coming in the spring of 2024.  

   We look forward to sharing more information as it develops! 

   

   We were thrilled to welcome so many of our friends from across the country. Together we discussed how we can work to change practices in our field to enhance the lives and futures of the children we serve. MCM leaders led tours of the museum and shared the innovative and industry-leading sustainability work we have already undertaken. We also enjoyed showing our museum peers a little slice of Madison life (including an early morning ski adventure on Lake Monona, mac & cheese pizza from Ian’s, and Spotted Cow beer).

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   It was exciting to connect with our museum peers who attended in person and via zoom, including Arthur G. Affleck, III, CEO of the Association of Children’s Museums. Our museum partners include: 

   • Chicago Children’s Museum, Illinois 
   • The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon, Oregon 
   • Discovery Museum, Massachusetts 
   • KidsQuest Children’s Museum, Washington 
   • Louisiana Children’s Museum, Louisiana 
   • Museum of Discovery and Science, Florida 
   • National Children’s Museum, DC 
   • The Wild Center, New York.  

   Our team also includes museum experts like Julia Bland, Jenni Martin, Katie Slivovksy, Blake Wigdahl, and Environment & Culture Partners. 

   We were also joined by the project’s expert advisors, including: 

   • Dr. Richard Davidson, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the UW–Madison 
   • Dr. Jonathan Patz, Nobel Prize winner, Professor of Health and the Global Environment at UW-Madison, and director of the Global Health Institute 
   • Dr. David Sobel, author and Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood/Nature Education at Antioch University New England 
   • Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Emeritus Professor of Urban Education at UW-Madison and board member of both the National Academy of Education and MCM 
   • Dr. Peter Wardrip, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at UW-Madison. 

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   Watch for more updates about Caretakers of Wonder coming this summer and fall. 

   This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

6. The Chidyllo Family: Supporting Child-Driven Play

   January 23, 2023 10:17 am Leave a Comment

   Peter and Laura Chidyllo moved to Wisconsin with their two children during the height of the pandemic. After a year of social distancing, Laura and Pete were eager to visit MCM—to provide creative play opportunities for their children and as a way for them to learn about their new home in the Midwest.

   

   “Having moved amid the pandemic, the museum was the first place that we felt safe and comfortable inside. The kids were also able to learn about their new state in the Coops to Cathedral exhibit by playing with cows on the farm!” shared Peter.

   In appreciation, they made a generous gift and became Wonder Makers.

   The Chidyllo’s attended the opening celebration of the Wonderground in fall of 2022. The space captivated the whole family. Laura appreciates, in particular, the chances for child-driven play planted throughout the Wonderground.

   “The Wonderground gives the kids an outlet to use their imagination, especially at the cabin. Our kids don’t have to follow anybody’s rules or play the right way. They can just play and pioneer for the afternoon. It’s a whole encompassing experience for our kids to learn and play using their imagination.”

   Child-driven play empowers children to take the lead in their learning as they explore the museum at their own pace and in their own way. Research shows that allowing children to play in this way can help build a child’s self-confidence, self-direction, and social development.

   

   The Chidyllo’s have had a hand in recent child-driven playful moments: They became major sponsors of winter programming.

   Peter and Laura have a strong history of giving back to their community. “We like to support organizations that focus on children, as well as eliminating food insecurity. We appreciate that MCM does both through access to safe, imaginative play and access to food within Little John’s Lunchbox.”

   Madison Children’s Museum is grateful for that support, which helps provide opportunities for joyful play to approximately 200,000 visitors each year, nearly 50,000 of whom visit for free or at a reduced cost through MCM’s six Access for Everyone programs.

   

   Learn more about becoming a Wonder Maker and supporting a wonder-ful cause with wonder-ous benefits. Support MCM today!

7. Birthday Parties Going Green at MCM

   January 5, 2023 12:03 pm Leave a Comment

   Kids’ birthday parties often create mountains of plastic trash. Plastic tablecloths, forks and spoons, disposable decorations, cheap party favor toys, etc. Last year, when we restarted our birthday party program, we wanted to do better by our guests and by our environment.

   Madison Children’s Museum now provides reusable plates, cups, bowls, and cutlery in kid-approved colors as part of every party package. Our staff washes the dishes after the party, so parents don’t need to stress about cleanup without resorting to plates and cutlery which would end up in a landfill afterward. The tables in our party room are covered in the same paper we use in the art studio, with crayons provided so guests can color between activities, replacing disposable plastic tablecloths. Even our party room decorations are made by our staff out of paper and other recyclable materials, so families can skip buying balloons or other single-use decorations and still have a beautiful, festive atmosphere.

   

   

   

   

   For our deluxe party package, which comes with goody bags for the guests, we replaced generic, plastic party favors with a coloring book developed by our staff, crayons, a reusable cup, stickers, and a play pass. We also created a birthday party poster that kids can color on during the party, making a memorable keepsake without generating even more plastic waste.

   

   We even reduced waste in our birthday party program behind the scenes, slashing the number of printed forms we generate for every party. And at MCM when

   Kids have loved the updates and parents appreciate both the aesthetics and the chance to throw a birthday party that doesn’t end up in the landfill. And as a museum, we love that sustainability and environmental stewardship are part of every event at Madison Children’s Museum.

   

   

   

   Learn more or book a birthday party at MCM.

8. Wonderground Graph Theory

   October 20, 2022 9:34 am Leave a Comment

   The Wonderground Phase 2 construction is complete which means that the most unusual, creative outdoor play space in Madison is now open once more!

   The Wonderground Phase 2 expansion takes the already-popular outdoor playspace to another level. The Thicket climbing grew a whole new platform with a double-decker “birdhouse” and a twelve-foot tall spiral slide as well as ladders, climbing tubes, and bridges connecting all parts of the climbing structure, providing innumerable paths to travel, exponentially magnifying the play potential of the whole sculpture.

   Well, not really innumerable. There are ways to figure out just how many paths there are through the Thicket. Can YOU calculate it out?

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9. Looking Ahead: Birthday parties, weddings, more Wonderground, extra hours—and 500 flowers

   March 1, 2022 12:51 pm Leave a Comment

   

   It’s been nearly nine months since we reopened last June. For most of that time, we’ve focused our attention on rehiring, rebuilding, and raising money to make this the most joyful, inspiring—and safest—museum experience we can for the children and families who visit. That’s still our most important focus; it always will be.

   But you can grow a lot in nine months! (Most of our best customers, in fact, were grown in that amount of time.) And we’ve been slowly planning the return of many of the programs and activities we all enjoyed before we closed. Here’s an update on some of what’s in the works, roughly in the order they’ll happen.

   Wonderground
   This spring, over 500 bulbs that were planted in the fall will make their first gloriously flowering appearance, along with many new perennials. Look forward to major growth and changes in the Wonderground this fall as the third platform is finished and made as climbable, playable, and inviting as the first.

   Birthday Parties
   Birthday parties will be able to be booked for June, July, and August in the Wonderground. The Down Under, described by one parent as “the ultimate rec room,” will be available for outdoor birthday parties with indoor comforts on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the summer months. Pricing and reservation information will be posted on our website in April. The move to the Wonderground is spurred in part because the Celebrations room, the former home for MCM birthday parties, is still being used as our eating area. We’re excited to explore the potential of the Wonderground and Down Under for hosting birthday parties.

   Summer Hours & Programming
   Planning for summer hours and programming is well underway. A new partnership with MMSD and MSCR will enable MCM to provide field trips and summer arts enrichment programming for 1,500 MMSD elementary students during the summer school term. This programming, funded by a state grant to support Out of School Time learning, will take place during non-public hours, and will replace our typical summer camp season. We continue to operate with staffing levels well below our pre-pandemic levels, and we’re working with our small but mighty programming team to make sure that summer 2022 includes all of our visitor favorites in some manner, including camp-like programs and workshops for school age children. In the coming months we’ll have more news to share about summer programs and events, which will kick off with our SummerPalooza festival on June 11.

   Rentals & Events
   We’re planning to begin taking facility rental reservations this summer for fall onward. A lot of people have been asking about holding weddings and other events at the museum. People are also asking for  the return of Adult Swim. We’re aiming to hold the first new Adult Swim party sometime this fall.

   More Members-Only Time
   We’ve heard that members want more exclusive time in the museum. So we’re piloting new members-only hours this summer. The museum will be open for members only, 9 am–noon, Tuesdays June 7 through July 26. The Wildernest exhibit will host Early Explorers Play Group from 9–10 am on these Tuesdays. During this hour the Wildernest will be limited to children ages 2 and under, making it a great time and place for First-Time Parent members to stretch out with their babies and toddlers.

   Food in the Museum
   Visitor surveys show interest in the return of the cafe or other food service. We’re actively researching and considering a few options. Look for more news on that front in late spring or early summer.

   Do you have questions or ideas about what you’d like to see in the museum—either the return of previous programs or adding new ones? Please write us.

   Thanks for your continued support and engagement!

10. Log Cabin on the move!

    March 5, 2021 2:53 pm Leave a Comment

    Madison’s only existing, historic log cabin was lifted off of its foundation on March 3, in preparation for its move to a storage lot on E. Washington Ave. 

    The Log Cabin dates back to around 1838 and is among the oldest surviving dwellings in the state. It arrived at Madison Children’s Museum just before the museum opened at its current location and was restored on site. The 288 sq ft. (16’x18′) cabin became a popular exhibit, visited by tens of thousands of children in the roughly ten years it was open.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    The Cabin was located behind the museum at the corner of Dayton and Hamilton streets. It sat on the deck of the museum’s former parking lot, set into a period-correct landscaped and planted yard. The parking lot had deteriorated over the years to the point that it could not be used, and the museum was actively planning to repurpose that space. In 2019 the cabin was closed to visitors to prevent further deterioration of the parking structure. During the pandemic, the museum launched a new initiative, Our Future In Play, and part of that effort includes creating a new, 10,000-square-foot exhibit in the place of its former parking lot. The new exhibit will feature the historic cabin, an awe-inspiring climbing sculpture as centerpieces to a new outdoor play space, and assorted smaller hands-on exhibits and adventures.
    
    While it is likely to return to a similar position in the new exhibit, the Log Cabin had to be moved to make way for demolition of the former parking lot and then new construction. The initiative also includes a fundraising effort to pay for that exhibit—as well as other necessities the museum requires to weather closure. The community has so far generously given over $3 million dollars toward the final goal of $4 million, which must be raised by the end of June 2021.

    Recovery from the pandemic and the return to downtown and former activities will likely be slow in spring and summer, with a continued emphasis on outdoor activities, increasing the need for an outdoor exhibit in all seasons.

    This new exhibit will provide a safe place for all children to play, to come together once again from all neighborhoods. The exhibit aims to provide a fun, healthy outlet for getting young bodies in motion; a nurturing space where children can experience the healing power of play after a rough year or more; and a cultural anchor that draws families back to the square and the surrounding downtown. When the Log Cabin returns it will become an important part of this new exhibit’s year-round play space.

    After being extracted and loaded on the truck, The Log Cabin will be transported to Reynolds Moving and Storage on E. Washington Ave., where it will spend the rest of the winter, spring, and early summer before the process is reversed and it is relocated back to the museum.

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