CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OUTGROWS LOCATION.Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer Forget the movies and theme parks because the new Children's Museum of Los Angeles The Children's Museum of Los Angeles is a museum specifically catered to children whose purpose is to educate, entertain and enrich children's lives in the greater Los Angeles area. It was modeled from the children's museums in Boston, Indianapolis and Brooklyn. will soon be the hot place for kids - that is, if Sally J. Thompson has her way. As the newly appointed president and chief executive officer of the museum, the longtime Chatsworth resident has ambitious plans. ``Currently, the museum is the only meeting place for kids from all backgrounds. It's a place where all kids in the city can come together and interact creatively. We want to be the `go to' place for children,'' Thompson said. Among her duties is finding a new site for the museum, which she hopes when built will become a national model. The current museum, located in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or , has outgrown its 17,000 square feet. The goal is to expand to as much as 100,000 square feet. The problem is finding a site. ``The key to the new location is mass transit mass transit, public transportation systems designed to move large numbers of passengers. Types and Advantages Mass transit refers to municipal or regional public shared transportation, such as buses, streetcars, and ferries, open to all on a availability for families to be able to come to the museum,'' said Thompson. Several sites are being considered, including one in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , she said. Thompson expects the site to be announced To be announced (TBA) A contract for the purchase or sale of an MBS to be delivered at an agreed-upon future date but does not include a specified pool number and number of pools or precise amount to be delivered. in three to four weeks. Thompson said once the site is secured, the next challenge will be to raise awareness and launch the capital campaign to build the expanded museum. The goal is to raise $60 million over a three-year period. The museum describes its vision as one that ``seeks to inspire'' young people to experience the world through hands-on performance and visual arts visual arts npl → artes fpl plásticas visual arts npl → arts mpl plastiques visual arts npl → . Thompson hopes everyone in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , including the general public and the entertainment industry, will ``come on board'' for the museum's fund-raising efforts. A future goal is to bolster outreach programs. The museum currently sponsors a Girl Scout troop for homeless and disadvantaged girls and takes its recycled-art workshops for children to locations throughout the city. Thompson said she wants to offer more music appreciation programs and teacher training. ``I think our greatest asset is our children,'' she said. ``The museum is critical to our community because it's a venue for our children to learn. It's a place of wonderment for children. It's an opportunity for all of us to discover the world through our children's eyes.'' The Children's Museum Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs that 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 is open during the week for school groups from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Presidents Day, the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is located at 310 N. Main St., Los Angeles. (213) 687-8800. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: THOMPSON Searching for a bigger site |
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