MCM Hosts Caretakers of Wonder Conference

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).

Brenda Baker, MCM’s vice president of exhibits, facilities, & strategic initiatives, talks about the construction of exhibits in the museum’s Wildernest
Kia Karlen, MCM’s vice president of education & community engagement, talks about “planning for serendipity” in front of the Giant Bucket in the museum’s Wonderground
Deb Gilpin, MCM’s president & CEO, leads a tour of the museum for directors from other museums and Arthur G. Affleck, III, CEO of the Association of Children’s Museums
Participants in the Caretakers of Wonder conference get a behind-the-scenes look at the Exhibits Department, where MCM’s exhibits are fabricated

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.

Dr. Richard Davidson, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at UW–Madison, presents at the Caretakers of Wonder conference
Dr. David Sobel, author and Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood/Nature Education at Antioch University New England, presents at the Caretakers of Wonder conference
Britt Zimmerman and Sunny Spicer of The Children’s Museum of Southern Oregon presented information about their own work during the Caretakers of Wonder conference.
Neil Gordon of The Discovery Museum, Acton MA presented information during the Caretakers of Wonder conference.
Arthur G. Affleck III, CEO of the Association of Children’s Museums speaks at MCM in the Coops to Cathedrals exhibit

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.

Madison Children's Museum

MCM Hosts Caretakers of Wonder Conference