COLUMBUS, Ind. – New Executive Director Whitney Hartwell of kidscommons, who assumed leadership of the community children’s museum in Columbus in January, is continuing to work on her plans.
One of her priorities was to begin participating in the national program, Museums for All. Through this program, those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits) can gain free or reduced admission to more than 1,000 museums throughout the U.S., now including kidscommons, simply by presenting their EBT card and a photo ID.
Locally, that means admission for qualifying families is just $3.00 per person for up to four individuals. Kidscommons also offers a 50% discount on special events like Hogwarts Homecoming and Polar Express.
Other plans for the museum include a new first-floor exhibit that explores agriculture and our food economy, where families will learn about growing fruits and vegetables and then see how they are sold at a farmer’s market. The museum is working with local architect Louis Joyner on preliminary designs for the exhibit.
“Pretend play is one of the things kids love most, and it’s great for their brain development. We wanted to be sure to incorporate pretend play into the new exhibit, and agriculture is such an important part of our culture and economy here in southern Indiana,” Hartwell said.
The museum is currently seeking input on its new strategic plan. The community is invited to share feedback via an online survey at www.kidscommons.org.
