Children's Museum of Indianapolis

Purpose: Sustaining Cultural Heritage The children's Museum of Indianapolis will partner with the National Geographic Society and the Environmental Systems Research Institute to create a national traveling exhibit, "MAPS: Tools for Adventure." This 3,500- to 5,000-square-foot exhibit will use unique objects and state-of-the-art technology to tell the story of humankind's place on the planet. Families will see how maps help us understand the world in spatial terms, a key component of geographic literacy. Maps, globes, and other geographic representations build geographic literacy; they are the tools that help people make sense of the world, make decisions and solve problems, respond to the present, and plan for the future. In this project, the museum will complete the planning and design phase for the "MAPS" exhibit. Activities will include creating a conceptual and working design document; conducting front-end analysis; creating additional partnerships and collaborations; and working with partners and advisors to create the main messages, secure relevant artifacts, and design the exhibit. "MAPS" will debut at the children's Museum of Indianapolis, then move to the National Geographic Explorers Hall in Washington, D.C.; from there it will visit 15 cities in North America, reaching an estimated three to four million families over a five-year period.