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CONVENING COMMUNITY THROUGH THE ARTS—REACHING OUT AND REACHING IN
<br /> Piloting an Artist-in-Residency Program and Sustaining Arts Outreach at Kidzu Children's Museum
<br /> Orange County Arts Commission General Support Grant Application Narrative
<br /> 5/22/2013
<br /> 1) Organizational Proflle
<br /> Kidzu Children's Museum is an educational,interactive museum for young children and their caregivers in Chapel Hill,
<br /> NC. A 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization,Kidzu's mission is to inspire young children and the adults in their lives to
<br /> learn through play.Our programs and exhibits are dedicated to sparking a love of learning in children with a focus on
<br /> nurturing creativity and providing engaging,developmentally-appropriate educational experiences for all children in our
<br /> community from their earliest years. The museum is situated in historic downtown Chapel Hill. Kidzu has a solid
<br /> foundation in artistic education.We have hosted a number of exhibits celebrating the arts such as"Inside Art." In July
<br /> 2008,Kidzu unveiled our original exhibit,"Kidzoom:The Power of Creativity." This interactive exhibit incorporates
<br /> works of art by more than a dozen local artists and encourages children to exercise creativity in all areas of life. We have
<br /> also developed numerous arts-based programs with local artists,both on-site and throughout the community.
<br /> Demand for Kidzu's services exceeds the capacity of our 1,800 square foot site in University Square. In summer,2013,
<br /> we will be moving to an interim site in University Mall,which formerly housed the Chapel Hill Library during the
<br /> preparation of its new facility. This site will serve as a"creative laboratory"and"launch pad"to prototype innovative
<br /> exhibits,programs,and partnerships as we create our permanent facility atop the Wallace Plaza in downtown Chapel
<br /> Hill,scheduled to open in 2016. The Town of Chapel Hill has provided a$1/year,99-year lease(valued at$4 million)
<br /> for Kidzu's new site. It includes space to construct a building of 15,000 W with 7,500 112 for outdoor exhibits and
<br /> public art.This location will allow us to expand substantially,while contributing to the vitality of our downtown and
<br /> providing a family-friendly creative destination. Frank Harmon of Raleigh is serving as the lead architect on the project.
<br /> Kidzu's vision for the future is to become one of the best community children's museums in the country—that is,to
<br /> excel at serving,celebrating,and reflecting our community. Our goal is to create an educationally-innovative museum
<br /> infused with creativity and informed by best practices in 21St century learning,where we develop creative,evidence-
<br /> based methods for educating children and families and contribute to an understanding of how children and families learn
<br /> best in museums.Our focus is highly"place-based"with an emphasis on sharing and celebrating the talents,traditions,
<br /> and resources of our community and region. We are also deeply committed to serving children and families in need to
<br /> help combat opportunity and achievement gaps. In addition,we are part of a national effort to"reimagine"children's
<br /> museums as centers of active audience engagement,where visitors of all ages"co-curate"museums,and take part in
<br /> highly participatory experiences. With the extraordinary educational and creative expertise of our community,Kidzu
<br /> provides much-needed interactive learning experiences,preparing children to meet the creative challenges of the 21St
<br /> century,as we lay the groundwork to become a lasting resource for our community and region.
<br /> 2) Audiences Served
<br /> Kidzu serves the young children,families and schools of our region. The majority of our visitors are from Orange
<br /> County. We also serve children and families from Durham and Chatham counties,from nearby portions of Wake and
<br /> Alamance counties,as well as visitors to our area from other regions of North Carolina and beyond. Since opening our
<br /> doors in downtown Chapel Hill in March 2006,Kidzu has served more than 192,000 visitors(an average of 31,000
<br /> visitors/year). In our University Mall site,we anticipate serving 40,000-45,000 visitors/year or more. Our current target
<br /> age range is 0-8 years,with plans to expand our age range to 10 in the future. At present,approximately 92%of our
<br /> child visitors are in the birth-6 year age range. Approximately half of our visitors are children and half are adults. We
<br /> serve roughly equal proportions of male and female visitors. Kidzu provides outreach to underserved children through a
<br /> range of free and discounted programs for schools and families,including free field trips,Free Sundays,and off-site
<br /> outreach with such partners as the UNC Hospital School,El Centro Hispano,Orange County Head Start,the Karen
<br /> School and many other organizations. The number of visitors served in Kidzu's dozens of programs range from---15
<br /> visitors for small,intensive,one-time programs to thousands served in programs such as our Free Sundays.
<br /> 3) Plans to meet challenges of cultural diversity both within organization and in programming.
<br /> Kidzu has been very successful at attracting a culturally diverse audience. A 2012 survey of Kidzu visitors indicated that
<br /> 55%were Caucasian, 17%African-American, 16%Hispanic,9%Asian,and 3%identified as multi-racial or"other."
<br /> Participants in our OCAC-funded programming include an even broader representation of cultural minority groups.
<br /> Funding from our Orange County Arts Commission grants has helped us deepen collaborations and forge new
<br /> relationships with community organizations serving diverse audiences,including El Centro Hispano and the Karen
<br /> School(a cultural initiative for Karen immigrants from Burma and other countries). As we seek to expand our role as an
<br /> educational innovator in the coming years,we have embraced a goal of increasing the diversity of our staff,board,
<br /> partners and program and exhibit content. Please see enclosed Strategic Plan for more detail
<br /> 4) Current Programs and Services
<br /> Kidzu offers a wide range of programs including hands-on arts programs that celebrate our community's creativity and
<br /> feature local artists,performers,authors,dancers,musicians and others.Regular Kidzu art programs held in our studio
<br /> include:Painting in the P.M.,Messy Morning in the Art Room,and Clay at the End of the Day.We have established
<br /> dozens of partnerships with local cultural and educational organizations at UNC and in the broader community,such as
<br /> the FPG Child Development Institute,the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission and other Town entities. Kidzu co-hosts
<br /> regular collaborative programs with the Ackland Art Museum,FRANK Gallery,PlayMakers Repertory Theatre,the
<br /> Morehead Planetarium and Science Center,the NC Botanical Garden,and the Carrboro Farmers'Market,among others.
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