SpaceQuest® Planetarium

Important Note – In late April 2009, SpaceQuest Planetarium was fitted with new, full-theater equipment upgrades, bringing full-dome video technology to SpaceQuest!! This offers our audiences spectacular new imagery and a new repertoire of shows. Wonders of the Universe and Two Small Pieces of Glass will join Cosmic Canopy in our new show rotation for the 2009 summer months. Stars of the Pharoahs will premier June 27 to celebrate the opening of the Tut exhibit and will be part of the summer rotation. Please join us to witness this amazing transformation and new immersive experiences for you and your family and friends in SpaceQuest Planetarium.

About Our Planetarium
Our 130-seat theater features the DigiStar full-dome projection system, along with a very impressive sound system. When you visit the planetarium, you are treated to an immersive experience that will amaze you.

About Our Programs
We have a variety of presentations for all ages. You can see the stars of the Indiana night sky or learn how a telescope works and about astromers who use/used it. Or fly past our Milky Way galaxy to see beautiful nebluae, stars born from dust and gas and the explosions of some dying stars.

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Artifacts and Specimens

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis boasts a collection of more than 100,000 artifacts. The collection is a storehouse of ideas and concepts; not only are these artifacts pathways to the thinking that has shaped our collective past, but also to the new connections and discoveries yet unborn in the minds of young visitors. Since its founding in 1926, the museum has nurtured the growth of its collection which is divided into three domains:

Natural World Domain Collections contain many real items, from dinosaur eggs and precious gems to sausage tree pods. Many interesting objects from the around the world illustrate natural and physical science concepts.

Cultural World Domain Collections contain folk toys, special clothes, decorated everyday objects and art by children and internationally-known artists.

Dakobi Quilt - a virtual exhibit The quilt depicts the dreams of a sleeping girl come to life on top of her covers! Her secret dreamland reveals a village of Dokabi, Korean trolls, acting out traditional Korean stories.

American Experience Domain Collections contain over 39,500 American and African-American objects spanning almost 200 years. These are seen by grandparents, parents and children in gallery exhibits and educational activities.

Check out our collection online hosted by the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library.

The collection of The Children's Museum is important because: artifacts tell stories that connect generations; artifacts offer insight into the lives of people here and in other parts of the world; artifacts are reference points for children to compare their lives with people through time and across cultures; artifacts inspire our imagination and enrich our lives.


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Core Principles

We believe:
	in understanding how children and families learn to continually guide our work and to meet demands that we innovate to remain relevant.
	in creating extraordinary learning experiences that foster family learning and nurture interaction between children and their families.
	in the power of family learning to help all children reach their potential and become effective citizens through an environment that encourages hands-on, minds-on experiences with nurturing adults, families, and friends.
	in serving a continuum of family interests focusing on children through the age of eleven, and providing special opportunities for adolescents and young children.
	in maintaining a commitment to education by effectively reaching and impacting schools, teachers and teacher training institutions.
	in sharing our experiences, our treasury of artifacts, and the talents of staff, volunteers, Guild and youth to positively affect children and families in our community, state, region, nation and the world.
	in being a catalyst for revitalizing the neighborhood.
	in investing in the development of our staff, volunteers, Guild and youth.
	in our responsibility to collaborate with other institutions and organizations and to seek dynamic partnerships which leverage the impact of our museum.
	in taking the museum to new audiences through multiple mediums.
	in having a safe, clean, positive, quality environment that is affordable and accessible.
	in our obligation to be good stewards of our human and financial resources.
	in the value of diversity in our staff, the audiences we serve, the programs we produce, and the relationships we pursue.
	in investing in research and development to remain relevant and to help us ensure we meet our strategic goals and objectives.

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Childrensmuseum

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
3000 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208-4716
P.O. Box 3000, Indianapolis, IN 46206-3000
(317) 334-3322 FAX (317) 921-4019

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, a nonprofit institution committed to enriching the lives of children, is the largest children’s museum in the world. The more than 400,000-square-foot facility houses 11 major galleries that explore the physical and natural sciences, history, world cultures and the arts. The Children’s Museum is a place to learn and do. Whenever possible, exhibits are “hands-on” or participatory in nature. The Children’s Museum strives to be one of the vital links in the lives of children as it supports their intellectual curiosity and love of learning. The museum, situated on 19 acres of land in Indianapolis, presents thousands of programs and activities each year.

MISSION:	To create extraordinary learning experiences that have the power to transform the lives of children and families.
YEARLY ATTENDANCE:	1 million+
FUNDING:	The Children's Museum is a nonprofit institution [501 (C) (3)] with revenues from investment income; contributions and grants from individuals, foundations, corporations and groups; earned income; program and workshop income, memberships; and admission income.
BUDGET:	Total museum budget $23 million in 2004: 49% support from endowment 17% contributions and grants from individuals, foundations, corporations, The Children's Museum Guild and other organizations. 9%, museum store and leased restaurant. 25% admission and memberships, program and activity fees.
GOVERNANCE:	An independent, nonprofit institution with a 30-member board of trustees. In addition, there is a 15 member Board of Advisors.
HISTORY:	1924: Mary Stewart Carey, an Indianapolis civic and social leader, provided the stewardship and inspiration that contributed significantly to the founding of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. 1924: Civic leaders met for the first time to discuss the foundation of a children's museum. 1925: Incorporation of The Children's Museum. 1925 – 26: The museum's first homes were in a carriage house behind a mansion in Indianapolis ' Old Northside and at the Garfield Park shelter house. 1927 – 1946: Located in founder Mary Stewart Carey's Indianapolis home. 1946 – 1976: Housed in the St. Clair Parry mansion on 30th and Meridian Streets in Indianapolis. The current museum is on this site. 1976: Grand opening of new building. 1983: New restaurant, additional storage, loading dock and air handling system added. 1988 – 1989: Welcome Center and SpaceQuest® Planetarium open along with Special Exhibit Gallery 1 and 2 and Entrance 2. 1996: Grand opening of the CineDome™ Theater. 1998: New museum store, food court and sack lunch area open. 2000: infoZone opens. 2001: CineDome closes. 2004: Dinosphere opens, along with 900-space, four-level parking garage and expansion of dining area of food court.
CONSTRUCTION COST:	1976: original building: $6.8 million 1983: extension - $1.8 million 1988: extension - $16 million 1996: CineDome Theater and Allen W. Clowes Festival Park - $14 million 1998: addition - $10 million 2004: addition - $50 million
FACILITY DIMENSIONS:	433,500 sq. ft. 1976: building - 225,000 sq. ft 1983: Addition - 19,000 sq. ft 1988: Addition - 80,000 sq. ft 1996: CineDome Theater - 32,000 sq. ft (renovated in 2004 to become Dinosphere) Outdoor - Allen W. Clowes Festival Park and Clowes Garden Gallery: 50,000 sq. ft. 2004: Addition - 46,000 sq. ft. added, along with complete renovation of 32,000 sq. ft. large format theater Parking Garage: 293,200 sq. ft.
ARCHITECTURE:	The Indianapolis architectural firm of Wright, Porteous and Lowe designed the 1976 building. The exterior was dictated by the interior design's form and function. Wide, gently graded ramps provided a solution for how to move large groups of children efficiently through the museum. The ramps wrap around a five story central core with galleries, working areas and offices located on the north and south sections of the building. The east window walls and core skylight provide natural light. Since 1976, several additions have complemented the museum's structure. These include the Welcome Center (designed by Woollen, Molzan & Partners), which expands from the west wall of the original building and provides a grand entrance to visitors year-round. In 1996, the 310-seat CineDome theater opened. Designed by Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf Inc., its domed roof and pitched angle contributed to its becoming one of Indianapolis ' most distinctive buildings. The CineDome's patterned bricks are repeated in the gently curving wall of Festival Park. In 2004, the museum's largest combination renovation/expansion ever, designed by Ratio Architects, opened to the public. The CineDome was transformed into Dinosphere: Now You're In Their World, a one-of-a-kind immersive dinosaur experience. At the same time, the dining area of the food court was doubled, additional collections storage space was added and a new entry/exit sequence for Dinosphere was completed. The 900-car parking garage opened to the public, including a skywalk across Illinois Street and pedestrian walkway to the entrance of the museum.

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