Melissa Wagner Telford, director of development at Young at Art Children’s Museum, checks in…

Young At Art Children’s Museum has received a prestigious one-year Museums for America “Engaging Communities” research grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to prototype exhibits for its new, 55,000 square-foot museum and children’s reading center.

The project, Prototyping A New Model: The Art Museum for Children, will explore the concepts and methodologies designed to bolster YAA’s vision to create an art museum for children – a new sector in the museum field that will transform the way children embrace the arts while becoming tomorrow’s patrons, advocates and supporters of the arts.

Children of all ages will be involved in the project that presents both the quantitative elements of key exhibit concepts as well as the qualitative elements of a child’s ability to understand the underlying key education goals.  The evaluation process will assist in the determination of the child’s focus, retention of concepts, use of materials and ability to understand art.

The NEW Young At Art Children’s Museum is scheduled to open in November 2011.  For more information, contact YAA at 954-424-0085 x18.