The Museum's website (
visit link) informs us:
"The New Children’s Museum is a new model of children’s museum whose mission is to stimulate imagination, creativity and critical thinking in children and families through inventive and engaging experiences with contemporary art.
What We Offer
The Museum offers opportunities for children of all ages to experience the arts in ways that are meaningful to them, whether it's an energetic romp through the climbing structures, a thoughtful sculpting of a clay figure during a day visit, or recurring participation in camps, workshops and other in-depth programming.
The Museum also has an expansive and innovative roster of programs that give access to families from all economic levels. Through the Community Access Program, The New Children's Museum provides programs that ensure financial ability will never be a factor in a child's opportunity to experience the arts. Selected programs include Check Out The New Children's Museum, free Title 1 school visits, Target Dollar Second Sundays and a variety of community partnerships offering free or discounted admission.
Why We’re Different
The New Children's Museum empowers children to think, play and create through participatory exhibitions, engaging art-making activities, captivating artistic performances and in-depth educational opportunities. Serving all ages, from toddler to teen, the Museum brings families together in a rich educational environment that fosters creativity—blending elements of art museum and children's museum.
We commission art pieces directly from leading contemporary artists rather than reinterpreting existing works of art or applying an artistic element to a hands-on children's activity. By asking artists to create pieces with tactile, physical and participatory components, the Museum opens a world of art to children through opportunities to observe and create.
Featuring a wide array of art and inspiring creativity through a range of topics, our exhibitions since reopening in 2008 include Childsplay (2008), Animal Art (2010), TRASH (2011) and our current exhibitions, Feast: The Art of Playing With Your Food (2013) and Eureka! (2015).
We Offer Outdoor Play Too
Across the street from the building is a beautiful park and a new installation called The Garden Project, extending the museum visit outdoors where visitors can run and climb, have an outdoor lunch and learn about growing fruits and vegetables.
The park was designed by Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects and features climbing structures, swings, hard and soft surface playrooms and sand play. The acclaimed poet Quincy Troupe collaborated with SPLA to create poems inspired by, and integrated with the park features. The Garden Project is a result of a collaboration between Urban Plantations and Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects.
Where We're Located
Located at 200 West Island Avenue, The New Children's Museum faces Harbor Drive and is well positioned near the MTS Convention Center Trolley stop, Seaport Village and the Gaslamp Quarter, making it accessible to residents and visitors throughout the region."