DETROIT – After being closed to the public for more than a decade, the Detroit Children’s Museum is reopening its doors Saturday with new energy — and new exhibits — aimed at sparking curiosity in Detroit-area students.
The museum, located at 6134 2nd Avenue, was long designed to serve as a hands-on hub for science, history, arts and culture. But funding challenges forced it to shut down in 2011.
In the years since, it has continued to operate in a limited capacity as a lending library, allowing teachers to borrow artifacts for classroom lessons.
Now, with help from an $800,000 grant secured by the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Foundation, the museum is once again welcoming visitors inside.
“We are extremely excited to now see our students come back into this facility and see everything that it has to offer,” said Kerrie Mitchell Campbell-Mabins, president and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation.
The Detroit Children’s Museum has been part of the city’s educational landscape for more than a century.
“We’ve been around since 1917. And everybody has given their treasures over the years,” said Don Bogart, the museum’s Senior Curator of Collections.
Bogart said the building houses an enormous collection.
“There’s 2.5 million artifacts in this building. About 10,000 are on display right now,” Bogart said.
Museum leaders say visitors will notice significant changes — especially if they haven’t been in years.
“They will experience something very new. So, if you visited over 15 years ago, it is not the same museum,” Campbell-Mabins said.
The museum has added five new exhibits, including:
- A tour of the Middle Ages
- An exhibit on the history of communications
- An “Under the Sea” display featuring a large collection of seashells donated by a former Davison principal
Beyond the new additions, staff says many exhibits are interactive and STEM-focused, giving students opportunities to dress up, explore and learn through hands-on discovery.
“This embodies what we do,” Bogart said. “We get treasures of people’s lives. They don’t want it to be locked away in a basement. They want it for kids to see and enjoy and love.”
The Detroit Children’s Museum’s grand reopening is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. at 6134 2nd Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202.
Staff also encourage families to attend the museum’s family-friendly community days, held on the fourth Saturday of every month.
Click here for more information about the Detroit Children’s Museum.