Port Discovery Children’s Museum Receives a $150,000 Federal Grant for Agricultural Exhibit

Port Discovery Children’s Museum has been awarded a $150,000 federal grant through the Museums for America program from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). With the grant, Port Discovery will design, fabricate, install, and promote Here We Grow, a new exhibit that will explore agriculture through the themes of science and technology, history, local ecology, global economics, and art. Port Discovery’s Here We Grow exhibit is one of 244 museum projects selected to receive an IMLS grant out of more than 700 that applied to the highly-competitive program.

Here We Grow will help children and their caregivers develop an appreciation for the importance of agriculture in their everyday lives by understanding the connection between farms and the products they enjoy, while becoming familiar with the concepts of agricultural conservation and sustainability. The exhibit will be rich in words, ideas, images, sounds, and interactive elements to support diverse learning styles; build school readiness skills; promote self-directed and multi-generational learning; and help children develop logic, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills necessary for success in the 21st century. It will support Maryland’s Social Studies and STEM curricula and help motivate students who have difficulty engaging in classroom settings. The exhibit is tentatively scheduled to open in Fall 2015.

“IMLS recognizes three valuable roles museums have in their communities: putting the learner at the center, serving as community anchors, and serving as stewards of cultural and scientific collections,” said IMLS Director Susan Hildreth. “It is exciting to see the many ways our newly announced grants further these important museum roles. I congratulate the slate of 2013 museum grant recipients for planning projects that advance innovation in museum practice, lifelong learning, and community engagement.”

"IMLS’ support of children’s museums underscores the importance of early learning and of cultural institutions dedicated to children,” said Port Discovery Children’s Museum President and CEO, Bryn Parchman. “This grant in particular represents a vote of confidence in Port Discovery’s work. I am very proud of our team for winning the support of IMLS."

Maryland’s largest commercial industry, agriculture is an exciting interdisciplinary field overflowing with content that can engage children of all ages with safe, creative learning experiences. From its inception, this exhibit project has been supported by a group of invested community partners who share Port Discovery’s enthusiasm for educating children about agriculture, including Wright Family Foundation, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc., Maryland Soybean Board, Maryland Egg Council, and Maryland Dairy Industry Association. These key supporters are all extremely pleased to be part of a project that has grown in scope to be worthy of significant support from IMLS.

About Port Discovery Children’s Museum
Port Discovery Children’s Museum connects purposeful play and learning, offering three floors of educational, interactive exhibits and programs designed for children ages birth-10 years of age. The Museum is ranked among the Top 12 children’s museums in the United States by Forbes.com and has served 3.8 million visitors. To learn more, visit www.portdiscovery.org and follow Port Discovery on Facebook and Twitter.