New Children's Museum benefits families, Square

By James Edward Mills

The Madison Children's Museum's relocation and expansion is progressing. The new facility at 100 N. Hamilton St. will increase existing space from 8,000 to 41,570 square feet and open to the public in 2010.

But this major renovation means much more to Downtown than extra space for exhibits. The nonprofit early childhood education center aims to anchor Capitol Square with a major public attraction that will draw families to the heart of the city.

Though the primary beneficiary of the new facility will undoubtedly be the children of Madison, the museum's board is making a solid pitch to the surrounding business community to support the effort in the interests of economic development.

The growth plan was set in motion by a $5 million grant bestowed by local philanthropist Jerry Frautschi in 1999. The Madison Children's Museum was originally supposed to be included as part of the Overture Center for the Arts project, which was completed in 2007.

Due to limited space, an alternative location was selected nearby so the vital energy of cultural expression Downtown could be shared by visiting young people as well as their parents.

Gateway to downtown

"One of Jerry's reasons for insisting that the children's museum building be within walking distance of Overture is that he recognized that we would be a gateway to the Downtown for families," said Executive Director Ruth G. Shelly.

"We who work and live Downtown don't recognize that there are still some obstacles for those that live outside of the area to get here. If our children's museum can bring people and their families Downtown, it demystifies the Downtown region," she said.

Currently, the Madison Children's Museum offers exhibits and programs of interest only to kids up to age 7. In addition to increasing in size, the museum plans to broaden its appeal to children as old as 12.

"And that's really significant," Shelly said, "both to address community concerns but also to capture the 48,000 kids who go through the Capitol on their fourth-grade field trips every year."

The larger building will be able to accommodate entire school groups, which is now impossible due to the museum's small size.

In a bigger facility, children from across the state will have more to do than visit the Wisconsin Historical Museum and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. The new Madison Children's Museum will offer additional program areas for public performances, more sophisticated exhibits for older kids and bigger classrooms for advanced educational programs.

Capitol Square benefits

Shelly hopes the expanded museum will be a fun destination for children who will likely encourage their parents to visit often. And that means a big boost to nearby businesses.

"When families come Downtown they want to know what else than can do. And our front desk winds up being a great information center for the entire Capitol Square area," Shelly said. "We've already developed business partnerships with local restaurants and other organizations to offer discounts to our members."

Developing relationships in the business community is a big part of the museum's plan for continued growth. Eliot Butler, president of the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co., said his role as a member of the board is to help realize the museum's potential not only as a center for learning but also as an economic engine for the Downtown area.

With the creation of an attraction that will draw more visitors to the Capitol Square, Butler said the Madison Children's Museum should be more aggressive in its demand for community support. The board aims to raise another $10 million to complete the project.

"We have so much more to offer now that people are going to respond to that," he said. "We won't apologize if we're asking a little more from our donors, for our annual membership or even for individual visits.

"People are going to expect to pay more when there's twice as much to do and to see. The amenities are there for it."

Big economic impact

Shelly said the success of other communities around the country supports the anticipated economic impact.

"The new children's museum in Columbia, S.C., documented $13 million in additional revenue to the downtown over their first five years of operation," she said. "Children's museums are the fastest growing cultural attractions. There are 341 children's museums nationally. That's an eight-fold increase since 1975."

Parents, Shelly said, are looking for opportunities to let their children learn through play in a safe, supportive and positive environment. Locally, the new facility will draw families who may have avoided Downtown because it offered so little for children.

But perhaps more important than the immediate influx of visitors and their cash to Madison's Downtown is the long-term effect of providing children with cultural influences early in life.

"Research has shown that children's museum attendees graduate to other cultural institutions," said Jennifer Collins, director of development at the Madison Children's Museum.

"That means going to Overture, to the Historical Society or going to a science center. They get comfortable with their museums and their families get comfortable and they kind of graduate to going to MaMOCA (Madison Museum of Contemporary Art) and other cultural centers."

Cultural enrichment stands to create an entire generation of creative and well-educated young people for a new generation of Madison citizens, Shelly said.

Even those who are financially challenged will be able to benefit from the new facility.

Helping all children

"We never want inability to pay to be an obstacle to coming to the children's museum," she said. "We currently have a very popular $.25 admission program. If you show any proof of public assistance, you can get in for $.25. We have a $5 membership for families who qualify in the same way. So they can come for free for a whole year."

Currently, one quarter of people who come to the Madison Children's Museum come through public assistance programs.

"We really are eager to spread that message," Shelly said, "that we not only serve under served communities, but we actively cultivate them."

The museum's "Discovery-to-Go" program takes exhibits and programs into communities throughout Dane County. Groups of underprivileged families are invited personally to visit the museum and learn how they can benefit from the available services.

It's direct community involvement like this that draws the support of both business and philanthropic institutions. The CUNA Mutual Foundation donated $100,000 to the Madison Children's Museum capital campaign. Executive Director Steve Goldberg said his company's employee were most impressed by the museum's work with children.

"Not only do they provide good early childhood education and development programs but they also partner with several other organizations in the community like United Way that provides them as well," Goldberg said.

"It's probably their outreach to children with limited financial means that makes them continually one of the leading children's museums in the country."

James Edward Mills is a Madison freelance writer.

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