Children's Museum of Oak Ridge
Encyclopedia
The Children's Museum of Oak Ridge is a non-profit
children's museum
in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
, United States, that provides museum
exhibits and educational programs.
project. With the support of a $500 grant
from Reader's Digest
, it opened on March 11, 1973 in the library of the former Jefferson Junior High School. In January 1974 it moved to the former Highland View Elementary School, where it is still located, with 54000 square feet (5,016.8 m²) of space for exhibits, classrooms, and special events. The museum purchased the building and land from the city of Oak Ridge in 1983.
Selma Shapiro was the director of the museum from shortly after its establishment in 1973 until 2004. After her retirement, she continued to serve as a volunteer until shortly before her death in 2011. In the early 1980s Shapiro was the first recipient of the Tennessee Arts Commission's Gordon Holl Arts Administrator Award. In 2005 the American Association of Museums
named her to its Centennial Honor Roll, recognizing her as one of 100 American "museum champions" who had worked during the past century to innovate, improve and expand how museums in the United States
serve the public.
During the period 1978 to 1982 the Children's Museum conducted a public education project known as "An Appalachian Experience," funded by a $376,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
. The project resulted in the development of teaching materials on Appalachia
and the 1982 publication of An Encyclopedia of East Tennessee, edited by James R. Stokely III and Jeff D. Johnson (ISBN 978-0960683208).
s built in Oak Ridge to serve the children of Manhattan Project
employees. It was completed in 1944 at a cost of $181,000. With 25 classrooms, it was intended to house up to 765 students. In 1993, when the Oak Ridge Historic District
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, the school building was included as a contributing property
.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
children's museum
Children's museum
Children's museums are institutions that provide exhibits and programs to stimulate informal learning experiences for children. In contrast with traditional museums that typically have a hands-off policy regarding exhibits, children's museums feature interactive exhibits that are designed to be...
in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
, United States, that provides museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
exhibits and educational programs.
History
The museum was first conceived as a Girl ScoutGirl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
project. With the support of a $500 grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
from Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, it opened on March 11, 1973 in the library of the former Jefferson Junior High School. In January 1974 it moved to the former Highland View Elementary School, where it is still located, with 54000 square feet (5,016.8 m²) of space for exhibits, classrooms, and special events. The museum purchased the building and land from the city of Oak Ridge in 1983.
Selma Shapiro was the director of the museum from shortly after its establishment in 1973 until 2004. After her retirement, she continued to serve as a volunteer until shortly before her death in 2011. In the early 1980s Shapiro was the first recipient of the Tennessee Arts Commission's Gordon Holl Arts Administrator Award. In 2005 the American Association of Museums
American Association of Museums
The American Association of Museums is a non-profit association that has brought museums together since its founding in 1906, helping develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and advocating on issues of concern to the museum community...
named her to its Centennial Honor Roll, recognizing her as one of 100 American "museum champions" who had worked during the past century to innovate, improve and expand how museums in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serve the public.
During the period 1978 to 1982 the Children's Museum conducted a public education project known as "An Appalachian Experience," funded by a $376,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
. The project resulted in the development of teaching materials on Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
and the 1982 publication of An Encyclopedia of East Tennessee, edited by James R. Stokely III and Jeff D. Johnson (ISBN 978-0960683208).
Highland View Elementary School
The Highland View Elementary School that houses the museum was one of several elementary schoolElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s built in Oak Ridge to serve the children of Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
employees. It was completed in 1944 at a cost of $181,000. With 25 classrooms, it was intended to house up to 765 students. In 1993, when the Oak Ridge Historic District
Oak Ridge Historic District
Oak Ridge Historic District is a historic district in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, the school building was included as a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
.