International Partnerships Among Museums 2005 - 2007 Cycle Sample Project Proposal

The Children’s Museum of the United States; Coastal City, California
Atlantis Children’s Museum; Atlantis

I. Purpose of Project

What is the project?
For whom are you doing it?
What are the intended outcomes?

The Children’s Museum of the United States (CMUS) and the Atlantis Children’s Museum (ACM) propose to create a collaborative exhibition in which the lifestyles, traditions, and cultures of the coastal regions of each country can be experienced by children in an interactive setting. The exhibition will travel to both institutions once completed and provide an opportunity for children and other visitors from the museums’ communities to learn about the relationship humans have with the coastal regions in each country. The interactive nature of the exhibit will encourage visitors to relate what they see to their own life, increase mutual understanding between our two nations, and spark a larger interest in and acceptance of diverse cultures.

II. Description of Project

The Coordinator of Educational Programs from the Children’s Museum of the United States and the Director of School Programs from the Atlantis Children’s Museum will spearhead the collaborative project. Other members of each institution’s staff will also be included in the exhibit planning process.

Over the course of the IPAM grant, the team will develop the concepts to be represented in an interactive exhibit. Accompanying educational activities and curriculum materials will also be developed. Participants will research and collect objects to be used in the exhibit; they will travel to coastal region sites and meet with children, teachers, and community representatives to gather information about the traditions, uses, impact, and representative objects of their coastal regions.

The result of this work will be the plan for an exhibit in which the children of the United States and Atlantis will have the opportunity to view and play with objects from each other’s culture and accompanying educational material that will deepen their understanding of the lifestyles and the natural environment of each country.

This project is very important and relevant at this moment in time. There a clear need for greater mutual understanding between our two countries. Moreover, environmental problems are figuring more prominently into the lives of all inhabitants of coastal regions. The knowledge that this exhibit will convey will not only bring the children of our two countries closer together, but may also foster an environmental awareness among the younger generation that may help to avoid a future environmental catastrophe.

III. Participants’ Qualifications

Professional and leadership experience
Similarity of professional specialization with potential partner
Other relevant qualifications

Helga Sinclair, Director of Exhibits and Development at The Children’s Museum of the United States, and Timeaus Critias, Coordinator of Educational Programs of the Atlantis Children’s Museum, hold comparable positions in their respective institutions and are well suited to lead this collaboration. Both have traveled internationally and have extensive experience with the development and production of interactive exhibitions and educational resources for children.

Helga has extensive experience using creative spaces and activities to facilitate positive learning experiences. She holds a degree in Early Childhood and Human Development and has special training in curriculum and program development.

Timeaus has been with the Atlantis Children’s Museum for over nine years and has considerable research and educational expertise. In addition, he speaks English with native-level fluency. Other staff from the ACM who will participate in the collaboration will include Cleito Dropides (Program Coordinator) who has expertise in the field of environmental education.