A Museum Without Walls

• In 1983, a “Museum without walls” was established to serve and reach the Austin community.
• In 1987, this group of entrepreneurs got thier first building and and space to make a children’s museum.
• In 1997, they moved to thier current location and have been reaching children and parents alike. Their mantra is “Families learning together”.
• In 2009 the Museum is in the stages of planning for a new museum.

Does this story sound familiar to you? It’s actually OUR story. It is how Austin Children’s Museum started out and came to be!

The museum is excited to see another generation of children coming to the museum. When I got to thinking about all this I started to wonder, “What was the museum like back then?”

I had the pleasure to sit down with Becky Jones, Director of Education, and learn about what the museum was like 21 years ago, and how it has changed. Her favorite exhibit is En mi Familia, and she loves learning about new things and “Endulging in her own curiosities.”  In our interview, Becky compared the museum’s birth and growth to a butterfly. This is a great metaphor!

A Butterfly lays an egg. When it hatches, a tiny caterpillar crawls out. This caterpillar goes through many changes and stages in his life. When he grows too big for his skin, he sheds his layers so he can keep growing. Then the caterpillar goes into a cocoon for a little while. When its ready, it opens up into a beautiful butterfly!

The museum is like a butterfly. As we grow we will continue to equip and inspire children and their families. Wow! this sounds exciting! I can’t wait!