Ryan White’s bedroom, donated to the museum by his mother, is part of The Power of Children exhibition. Image courtesy of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
One of the premier children’s museums in the world, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis brings powerful humanities, arts, and science learning experiences to 1.2 million visitors per year. With an NEH grant, the museum opened in 2007 what has since become one of its most highly-regarded permanent exhibitions: The Power of Children. The exhibition tells the story of three twentieth-century children who shaped the world while exploring the cultural conflicts that shaped their lives. Designed to appeal to families and a wide range of ages, The Power of Children makes use of three-dimensional installations and live theatrical performances. Visitors explore Anne Frank’s annex and learn about the Holocaust; they sit at Ruby Bridges’s desk and consider the Civil Rights Era; they visit Ryan White’s bedroom and come to understand the HIV crisis.
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Though we were concerned about tackling tough topics, the positive response to The Power of Children gave us the confidence to tackle other difficult subjects.
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The Power of Children is an immersive experience that includes theater production in the exhibits. Here, Anne Frank reads from her diary. Image courtesy of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Take Me There, which was funded in part through an NEH grant, gives children the opportunity to explore different parts of the world through immersive experiences. In an exhibition focused on China, a child practices calligraphy. Image courtesy of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Families explore Chinese Cuisine as part of Take Me There. Image courtesy of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
American Pop, developed in part through an NEH grant, allows children and families to rethink popular culture. Image courtesy of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Striving for historical accuracy, staff consulted with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Civil Rights activists, and Ryan White’s mother and doctor. And the process of applying for NEH funding helped the museum hone the exhibition’s focus: in addition to telling the story of three children and their eras, the exhibition asks children to consider their own legacies and ability to help others. Jennifer Pace Robinson, Vice President Experience Development and Family Learning Exhibits for the museum, reflects that “though we were concerned about tackling tough topics, the positive response to The Power of Children gave us the confidence to tackle other difficult subjects.” In 2020, the Museum used an additional grant from the NEH to incorporate the story of Pakistani educational activist Malala Yousafzai into the exhibition and thus ensure its continued vitality.
Actor Todd Norris plays the role of Ruby Bridges' Federal Marshall as part of The Power of Children exhibition. Video courtesy of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.
With the Mid-America Arts Alliance, the NEH and the Children’s Museum have recreated The Power of Children as a traveling exhibition that can be hosted by other museums around the country. And the NEH continues to support humanities work at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. A recent grant has helped the museum develop a new permanent exhibit featuring artifacts from its extensive popular culture collection. American Pop fosters intergenerational conversations about the toys, television shows, and movies we love most.
