Contact:
Dan Carpenter
(325) 673-4587
Marketing@thegracemuseum.org

Grace closes Kidsville to make way for new Children's Museum exhibits

Abilene, TX (April 24, 2007) - The Grace Museum is closing its Kidsville Temporary Exhibits Saturday to make way for new Children's Museum exhibits.

The Children's Museum space on The Grace's second floor will remain closed until June 9 as contractors and exhibit installers complete work on the Children's Museum's first facelift since 1992.

"We are excited to be getting closer to the unveiling of our new Children's Museum exhibits," said Grace Executive Director Dennis Kois. "This final step, and temporary closure of the Children's Museum space, will pave the way for a new generation of discovery-based learning experiences."

The new exhibits include a fully padded toddler exploration area that includes a two-level Texas pecan tree with a hidden birds nest children can play in; a secret repeating whisper phone for relaying messages to friends and parents; a large working interactive clock that also includes pulleys, levers, and fulcrums that teach about mechanical advantage and systems; and a health and fitness learning area with a life-size "Operation" game table, "Build a Body" using x-rays, an interactive ambulance, kiosks on eyes and digestion (with fun and gross pull-out guts), and more.

"From its inception, the Children's Museum has always been - and continues to be - the #1 reason people visit The Grace. It attracts more than 55,000 visitors a year to the Museum," added Kois.

On June 9, The Grace will celebrate the opening of the new Children's Museum, as well as a new 4,100 square-foot education center, with KidzFest , a special day of activities in collaboration with the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, Frontier Texas!, the Abilene Philharmonic, the Historic Paramount Theater, the Abilene Zoo, Abilene Performing Arts Company, and the Abilene Community Band. Headlining the day will be special performances by Rachel Coleman, of Public Television's Signing Time, and a free concert by Grammy Award winner Dan Zanes, of Playhouse Disney's Catch That Train!.

The renovation of the Children's Museum has been made possible by a generous gift from the Dian Graves Owen Foundation, with subsequent gifts from the Terrell Tone Owen Memorial Fund, Abilene Regional Medical Center, Hendrick Health System, Dr. Eric and Sue Schackmuth, Dr. Sandip and Mishi Mathur, Roz and Jerry Love, Taylor-Jones-Haskell County Medical Alliance, and Cardiology Consultants.

The Education Center is being funded by grants from the Dodge Jones Foundation and the Shelton Family Foundation.

The Grace Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday. Admission is free Thursday evening after 5 p.m.

For more information, call 325-673-4587.

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The Grace Museum 's exhibitions and educational programs are supported in part by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the City of Abilene , Taylor County , and the Downtown Revitalization Program of the Tax Increment Finance District.

The Grace Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1909, The Hotel Grace served as a rest stop for railway travelers. The mission-style building was renovated and re-opened in 1992 as The Grace Cultural Center. The Grace Museum , a non-profit organization, now serves as a home to a Children's Museum, History Museum , and Art Museum. At 55,000 sq. ft., The Grace Museum is the 10th largest general museum in Texas . The Grace Museum is the cornerstone of cultural arts and education in West Texas.