


The Exploratorium is a museum of science, art, and human
perception founded in 1969. The Exploratorium's mission
is to create a culture of learning through innovative
environments, programs, and tools that help people nurture
their curiosity about the world around them.



600,000 people annually visit the Exploratorium
52% of visitors are adults and 48% are children
51% are from the Bay Area, 27% from the rest of California, 16% from other states, 6% outside U.S.
115,000 school-age students and their chaperones visit the museum each year, of these, 90,000 participate in the Field Trip program
11,500
individuals and families are Exploratorium
Members
44%
of visitors receive free or discounted admission
44,500
visitors attended on Free Wednesdays (first Wednesday
of every month) last year
145 million visit Exploratorium exhibits at science centers and other locations worldwide
 


700
original interactive exhibits, displays, and artworks
have been designed, prototyped, and built on site, with
currently 400 on view
Hands-on exhibits explore biology, physics, visual perception, listening, and mind
Public
programs include hands-on workshops, lectures, performances, films, and other special events. Bilingual programs in Spanish, Cantonese, and/or Mandarin are offered 2-3 times a year.
The
museum has hosted more than 275 artists
in residence
Exhibits
located at 58 international and 66 U.S. science centers
Partnerships
with 11 science centers naitonwide offer them exhibit
collections and educational training
Exploratorium
exhibitions—Memory and
Navigation—travel
worldwide
 


An estimated 6,000 teachers from 47 states participate in Exploratorium-designed workshops
400
U.S. teachers participate in more than 60 hours of professional
development each year
A
national model program improves the classroom success
of beginning teachers
Center
for Informal Learning and Schools, a partnership with UC Santa Cruz and King’s College London, develops leadership in the study of informal science learning and institutions, and their relationships to schools
The
Children's Educational
Outreach reaches 5,000 underserved children and families in the community
Explainer
Program hires and trains a diverse group of 75
high school students each year
The
Osher Fellows Program hosts
4 to 6 resident scholars, scientists, educators, and
artists
9 staff members, including 3 PhDs, comprise one of the world’s largest museum research and evaluation groups
 


28 million Web visits annually access www.exploratorium.edu, which has 25,000 pages of original content
50
live Webcasts originate each
year from the Exploratorium and remote locations.
50,000
copies of Exploratorium-developed publications
were sold in the past year, with 28 titles in print
12,500
copies of Member publications are distributed quarterly


The Exploratorium occupies 110,000 sq ft within
San Francisco's historic Palace
of Fine Arts, plus offices and exhibit-building
shops in adjacent Presidio Buildings. Facilities include:
multimedia Learning Center with library • 9 wired classrooms • life science laboratory
Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio • 125-seat McBean Theater • ample free parking
machine, wood, and electronics shops • store and café
The Exploratorium is available to rent for private events during evening hours.
 


2008–09 budget: $33,317,000
495 total employees; 250 full-time equivalent; 42% people of color
an
international team of 200 volunteers
contributes more than 12,000 hours annually
|