For Immediate Release

Contact: Elizabeth Caudle, ecaudle@discoverygateway.org, 801-456-5437

Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum opens Curate My Community

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 15, 2021 — Curate My Community invites people in Salt Lake City and the surrounding communities who have a passion for curating interesting collections to display their work for small children and their families at Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum. This new space will open on Feb. 15.

“Our vision was to create a unique community space for children and families that would emulate a traditional museum gallery in look and feel, but instead of featuring museum-quality specimens and artifacts, it will showcase unique collections from individuals in our community,” said Kathleen Bodenlos, Executive Director. “On rotation, new collections will be placed at a child-friendly height giving small children the opportunity to practice visiting ‘no-touch’ zones that are typically found in other museums and galleries. This will engage children with interesting objects and strengthen their  powers of observation.”

The first featured collection in Curate My Community will be a compilation of natural wonders curated by Andy White, a retired teacher. Nature’s art is “all out there. We just have to take time to notice,” said White. The collection features a series of shadow boxes of various sizes filled with items from nature artfully arranged that were found on hikes and walks. As a former teacher and naturalist, White encourages everyone to look around, take some time and observe the beauty of nature in all its stages of life. However, he stresses that he never disrupts living plants or animals for use in his collections and encourages others to be good stewards of the environment as well.

Apart from this collection the children’s museum will also feature a live stream on Facebook in which Andy White will tell the stories around his collection, and the opportunity for children visiting the museum to do a hands-on activity of creating their own box filled with nature’s wonders.

Individuals of the greater Salt Lake City community with interesting collections are encouraged to contact the museum’s education department for consideration.

About Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum

Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum is located in downtown Salt Lake City at 444 West 100 South and is a contemporary discovery center offering 60,000 square feet of interactive, hands-on fun. The engaging workshops, programs, and exhibits invite the whole family to create, learn, and play together. It is the mission of Discovery Gateway to inspire children of all ages and abilities to imagine, discover, and connect with their world to make a difference. For information, please call (801) 456-5437 ext. 136, or visit us at www.DiscoveryGateway.org.