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

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Six-foot lion centerpiece of new interactive art center

at The Grace Museum

Abilene, TX (August 4, 2008) - A six-foot, stuffed lion is the centerpiece of a new children's interactive art center which opened recently at The Grace Museum.

Dubbed "Simba" by the Museum staff, the lion lounges quietly and comfortably in the center of the "jungle" on the second floor Children's Museum at The Grace.

"Simba" is the finishing touch on the new art center, which features a jungle puppet theater, an S-shaped seating area where kids of all ages can try their hand at origami, a chalk wall, and two computer workstations where visitors can create their own on-screen art masterpieces.

The center is the outgrowth of the creative minds of The Grace's education staff, who designed it as a way to take the temporary wall that had been built in the Children's Museum down and open the space up to visitors.

The Museum is still raising funds to complete the original Phase II renovation of the Childrens Museum, which will include a replica of the Paramount Theater, but invites children of all ages to come play, experience and create in the new art center.

Special thanks to Reynolds Manufacturing for their assistance with this project.

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 .