Omaha Children’s Museum unveiled its own work of art when the new Creative Arts Center opened, July 15, 2006. The Creative Arts Center is the first phase of the $6.6 million “Building on the Best” campaign to renovate the museum’s permanent exhibits.

The centerpiece of the Creative Arts Center is the on-going Artist-in-Residence Program. Throughout a six-month residency an artist will work with children to show how a variety of art is created. The Artist-in-Residence program is made possible with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council.

"We are bringing in artists who are especially interested in learning from their work with children while the kids themselves get to learn from real artists by seeing the creative process in action,” said Tom Simons, director of education and public programs.

The new Creative Arts Center will not only feature fine arts but design and industrial arts.

The new center will allow visitors to design their own toys from different materials in the Design It area. The area will also feature a helicopter design by Leonardo da Vinci.

"Kids will be inspired as they create in a place where science and art meet, as in the work of Leonardo,” said Tom Simons, director of education.

The Tell-A-Story Station will allow both children and adults to record short videos of their experiences and thoughts to share with other museum guests. And, the new theater area will allow children to try on costumes, paint their faces and perform plays.

Many actors played a part in creating the new Creative Arts Center.

Craftsmen at Kiewit Building Group and exhibit fabricators Lexington of Los Angeles and Heartland Scenic Studio of Omaha have all had a hand in turning two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional reality.

Lexington built the Light Piano, a musical instrument that’s as fun to watch as it is to hear, and the Exploraporter, a vehicle that combines parts from a tractor, train, boat, submarine and helicopter. Both of these interactive pieces are custom-built and unique to OCM.

Main - About - Things to do - Membership
News - Opportunities - Give - Site Map