Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine Announces $14 Million Capital Campaign, Begins Construction on New Facility
PORTLAND, Maine - On February 3, 2020, the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine announced at a press conference the public launch of its $14 million Imagine Capital Campaign to fund construction of the Museum & Theatre’s new state-of-the-art 30,000 square foot facility at Thompson’s Point. Doubling its size and projected to host nearly a quarter of a million visitors per year, the Museum & Theatre will offer performing and visual arts, STEM, and cultural education for children, youth, and their families. All new exhibits will be fully inclusive to children and caregivers of all abilities. Campaign leadership announced that this largest capital campaign in the Museum & Theatre’s 97-year history has already raised, to date, $12.5 million dollars in gifts and pledges from individuals, corporations, and foundations, and from the proceeds of the sale of its 142 Free Street building. Throughout 2020, community members will be invited to participate in completing the Museum & Theatre’s campaign.
More than a hundred people attended the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine press conference on February 3, 2020. Executive Director Julie Butcher Pezzino announced that the campaign has raised $12.5 million of its $14 million goal and that construction has begun.
Press conference attendees toured the active construction site at Thompson’s Point where work began in November and signed a six-foot steel beam to memorialize the occasion. The steel beam will be integrated into the roof of the new facility and will support the Museum & Theatre’s historic camera obscura.
“For nearly 100 years, the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine has helped inspire our next generation to pursue creativity, STEM education, the arts, and more – and Maine has reaped the benefits of this work,” said United States Senator Angus S. King, Jr. “By immersing our children in so many vibrant experiences, the Museum sparks lifelong passions and gives our young people the tools they need to succeed, innovate, and lead our state in the years to come. I think it’s both notable and important that this is a community effort – individuals, businesses, and local nonprofits, all coming together to help the Children’s Museum invest in the future of our state. I’m grateful for their work, and look forward to seeing how the museum’s expansion enables them to grow their learning opportunities as they prepare to enter a second century of service to Maine’s children.”
Grants from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Portland, the Greater Portland Council of Governments, and the Davis Conservation Foundation have been supporting brownfield remediation of the construction site.
(L to R) Imagine Capital Campaign Co-Chairs Deb Deatrick and Barbee Gilman at podium with Executive Director Julie Butcher Pezzino and Board of Directors President Chris Dougherty. Sitting at right are City of Portland Mayor Kate Snyder, Representative Dick Farnsworth, and staff representatives Gail Kezar (Senator King), Peter Morin representing Senator Collins, Katherine Drummond Cloutier representing Congressman Golden and Omar Andrews representing Congresswoman Pingree.
The campaign’s ten top donations include three of the largest single gifts that the Museum & Theatre has ever received.
Philanthropist Dorothy Suzi Osher has named the entire Museum & Theatre facility after her parents Joseph A. and Anna Marie Petrin of Biddeford. “Mrs. Osher has been a kind and generous supporter of the Museum & Theatre for many years and this astonishingly generous gift continues to take our breath away. Because we devote our mission not only to the healthy development of children, but to supporting parents and caregivers in the joyful yet challenging job of raising a child, we are deeply moved that the entire complex is being named in honor of her mother and father,” said Imagine Capital Campaign Co-Chair Barbee Gilman.
Architectural rendering of exterior of new facility under construction which has been named by philanthropist Dorothy Suzi Osher, in honor of her parents, Joseph A. and Anna Marie Petrin.
Madeleine G. Corson of Yarmouth–who is the former Chair of the Board of Guy Gannett Communications and Honorary Chair of the Imagine Capital Campaign–led the quiet phase of the campaign with a foundational gift in honor of her life-long commitment to children’s theatre. In recognition of her generosity, the new, 100-seat theatre will be named “Maddy’s Theatre” after Madeleine’s birth mother, with whom she shares her name.
“As the oldest continuously operating children’s theatre in the country, we are delighted that ‘Maddy’s Theatre’ will not only host productions by children and youth, but will also provide northern New England with an additional performing arts space for the community,” said Director of Theatre and Education Reba Askari.
The new Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine will open with a 100-seat theatre. In recognition of Madeleine Corson’s foundational gift, the new, 100-seat theatre will be named “Maddy’s Theatre” after Madeleine’s birth mother, with whom she shares her name.
In addition, a number of campaign gifts are supporting portions of an entire 10,000 square foot floor–or one third of the new facility–that will be devoted to STEM education for school groups, and children and youth with their families.
“At the same time that Maine is committing itself to becoming a technology hub, the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine is greatly expanding its long-standing commitment to STEM education for pre-K through 8th graders. The more we can develop critical thinking skills, create a comfort level with processes of inquiry and engineering design, and increase understanding of basic concepts such as ‘cause and effect’ and the interconnectedness of systems, the more successful our workforce development initiatives at higher grade levels will be,” said Executive Director Julie Butcher Pezzino.
Nestlé Waters, and their Poland Spring® brand are supporting the Museum & Theatre’s center for natural science and environmental education. This 2,000 square foot exhibit features aquariums and touch tanks that will showcase Maine ecosystems. The ecosystem exhibits range from mountain rivers to intertidal zones to the Gulf of Maine. From observing the behavior of turtles to discovering a jellyfish under an ocean pier, visitors of all ages will have the opportunity to observe nature, test hypotheses, and build curiosity. This exhibit will serve as a home for daily STEM educational programming emphasizing the importance of water stewardship and sustainability.
Within this exhibit, the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust is naming an intertidal touch tank after the late philanthropist, conservationist, and former Museum & Theatre board of directors member Joan Morton Kelly.
Nestlé Waters, and their Poland Spring® brand, are supporting our center for natural science and environmental education. This 2,000 square foot exhibit features aquariums and touch tanks that will showcase Maine ecosystems.
Another 2500 square foot space on the STEM floor features three interactive exhibits that explore the phenomena of light, water, and gravity and foster critical thinking skills and an understanding of physics. Of these, the Air, Ramps & Balls exhibit is being named by a lead gift from Drew and Barbee Gilman of Cape Elizabeth. The Gilmans believe in the power of education and its importance for setting all children on the path to success. In addition, The Hagerty Family and The Coulombe Family Foundation have named the Water Play Exhibit to show their support for the “power of play” and for investing in children to create a better future.
IDEXX has generously named the IDEXX STEM Learning Hub. This is a large workshop offering specialized educational programming from scientists, including IDEXX scientists, who are practicing in several fields. This space will contribute to greater awareness of the importance of STEM learning and will help foster and keep the talent that Maine needs.
The youngest press conference attendee joins the crowd in signing the steel beam that will become part of the Museum & Theatre’s roof.
Bank of America's largest gift ever awarded in Maine has named the First Floor Admission Desk and the Welcome Area. The gift acknowledged the impact of the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine on not only individual children and families, but also on economic development and workforce development of the region. A quarter of a million visitors each year will pass through this welcome area–double the current visitation.
President of the Board of Directors Chris Dougherty said, “We are inviting the full community to help us get to the finish line so we can open our doors in early 2021; there are many exciting giving opportunities available at all levels of participation. Over the next 12 months, we will also be forging new partnerships and building a robust volunteer corps to fortify our growing community.”
A vibrant slate of Children’s Museum & Theatre exhibits, performances, classes in arts, culture, and STEM, workshops, and events will continue to welcome visitors at the 142 Free Street location throughout the construction phase and until the move to Thompson’s Point in early 2021.
Executive Director Julie Butcher Pezzino addressed press conference attendees and said, "Our partners at Zachau Construction have provided us with this six foot beam - that you are all invited to sign - to memorialize this momentous occasion. After today it will be integrated into the roof of our building, supporting our historic camera obscura. Because each of you have been such a critical part of this project, we wanted your names to etched - literally - forever inside our new space. So please grab a pen and sign your name!"
About the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine: The Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine exists to inspire discovery and imagination through exploration and play, with a focus on science learning, community engagement, performing and visual arts, and early childhood education. The Museum & Theatre serves as an indispensable resource for families and educators, helping to create a broad community devoted to our children's development and learning. It is committed to providing access for children of all economic means and all abilities through a variety of access initiatives. With hundreds of educational programs, almost one hundred years of children’s theatre history, and nearly fifty years as a children’s museum, the award-winning organization is considered one of the top children’s museums in the country. See www.kitetails.org for more information.