[00:00:11.530] – Monica
Violence and gun violence is a huge part of the story and really making sure we were talking directly with families about how, again, to create that space that doesn’t shy away from how important and dramatic and tragic the story is, but also in a way that makes it approachable and provokes that conversation. And the same thing absolutely is true with Emmett’s story. We didn’t want to shy away from that as well. We wanted to make sure that we were speaking very clearly and plainly and talking about the importance of what happened and saying the words of what happened and making sure that we were propelling people into action.
[00:00:55.410] – Tonya
That’s Monica Ramsey, Director of Exhibits and Interactive Media at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. I’m Tonya Fitzpatrick.
[00:01:05.100] – Ian
And I’m Ian Fitzpatrick. And this is World Footprints, the podcast that connects you to the world through stories.
[00:01:13.110] – Tonya
Monica took us around the exhibit–The Power of Children Making a Difference–a permanent display at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. The Power of Children debuted in 2007, initially sharing the incredible stories of three extraordinary children Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White. A fourth child story, Malala Yousafzai, was added to the exhibit in 2021. All four children are featured because of their unintentional legacies and emergence as heroes of the 20th century by overcoming hatred, racism, and fear.
[00:01:55.470] – Ian
From its founding in 1925 by Mary Stuart Carey, an Indianapolis philanthropist whose family made its fortune making glass, Carey used her vast wealth, travels, and political influence to bring a children’s museum to the Circle City after visiting the Brooklyn Children’s Museum in New York City. Since its origins, the mission of the Children’s Museum has been to create extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. Nearly a century later, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has become the biggest children’s museum in the world. But it’s not like any other children’s museum you’ve experienced.
[00:02:40.590] – Tonya
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis offers more than touch and learn STEM exhibits and programming. In spaces like The Power of Children making a Difference, the museum provides spaces for history and the voices of social justice to be heard in the hope that visitors will be immersed in the stories and be inspired to find ways to make a difference themselves.
[00:03:06.010] – Ian
A towering chestnut tree stretching from the floor to the ceiling greets you as you enter the Power of Children Gallery. Named the Promise Tree, this artificial monolith of a tree draws its inspiration from the chestnut tree that provided Anne Frank solace from the Holocaust unfolding outside her attic window from her Amsterdam home. The promised tree is so immense, the archway carved in its base is large enough to provide the gateway to enter the exhibit.
[00:03:35.070] – Tonya
As the war closed in on Anne and her family, her tree became a reminder of and hope for a better world. Today, the model of Anne Frank’s tree holds many promises for us all.
[00:03:49.290] – Monica
You can see in some areas, you can see these silver leaves, too, that are promises that people made when we opened the exhibit and we were adding to the tree. But this Tree of Promise is meant to be kind of the gateway to come in and see these stories. And then you can take a pathway, you can choose a pathway to go and learn more about Anne’s story and learn more about Ruby Bridges story and Ryan’s and Malala’s. And then those will take you through, again, through their stories and the history and the context around their stories. And then they each have an all about area. It’s kind of how we set in context what happened after, kind of that significant point in their story. And so, again, what they are doing now, others who were part of helping them or who were part of the issue that we talk about with each of them. So, it’s another opportunity to talk about more powerful children…
[00:04:42.810] – Monica
I think we talk about two or three dozen children really, in this space. Beautiful tree is just so beautiful and just a really interesting and inviting thing to walk through. And again, imagining how it was a source of peace and connection to the outside world through Anne’s eyes is just really interesting. And then as you walk through it, you hear promises that kids had written down and then we had them record it. And so, you can hear what their promise is…
[00:05:14.870] – Tonya
Oh wow…
[00:05:15.110] – Monica
On any different scale too. You hear adult voices, too. This is definitely about the power of children, but we talk throughout about how adults really need to be part of that with them and how they can help support children to feel that they’ve got power to make a difference.
[00:05:30.360] – Tonya
Okay
[00:05:31.610] – Exhibit Audio
I promise that I will listen. I promise to be nice to everyone I know. I promise to help the environment. I promise to take some time off watching TV and help my friends around the house.
[00:05:42.900] – Tonya
I love this.
[00:05:44.340] – Ian
Leaving the Promise Tree, a short path leading to the space honoring Malala Yousafzai, the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Prize.
[00:05:54.140] – Monica
So, we worked really hard to recreate the authentic spaces where they lived or was their sanctuary. So, Malala’s home is kind of an amalgamation of a few different places her family lived over the years, because they did have to move around a lot as we’re moving through her formative years and going to school. And that was just kind of the nature of how it was. So, we’ve got the exterior of one home and this gate is the entry point to the home that was actually the last one they lived in before they had to flee for the UK after she was attacked. We really wanted to talk about because every time we talked to Malala’s father, who was one of many, but obviously a key advisor on this, which is true of any of the spaces we have, Ruby is our primary source to build her area. Ryan’s Mother, we worked with Anne Frank House, and we worked with the Yousafzai family and the Malala Fund as well as members of our local community who are from Pakistan. Tremendous support from them and really helping to help us build this picture. And one of them was talking about how beautiful Swat Valley is and where they lived…
[00:07:14.170] – Monica
And another key point in everything we do across the building is to make sure that we are really thinking hard and intentionally about our accessibility. And for this and a number of other things, I think we’ve done a lot in the last few years understanding how we can make sure people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices can participate, but really thinking about those who have low vision or who are blind or are deaf or hard of hearing. And so, this map of the Swat Valley is very tactile and then it has sensors to activate the narration that we’re hearing that describes the river, and Angora, and just again, the beauty of the mountains. And these photos, some of these photos are from Yousafzais or journalists that they’re friends with who have taken these photos. So, it’s really great to be able to include that.
[00:08:12.110] – Tonya
Lovely.
[00:08:14.270] – Monica
So, it’s really critical. And again, that’s one of the successes that we built upon and know is really important to include in the spaces. Like the initial experience, having the ability to talk one on one with one of our staff members to help interpret all of this content is really, again, what’s really successful, that is to broach these difficult topics…
[00:08:37.100] – Monica
So, we have in each of the four areas we have programming that ranges from informal conversation to museum theater where someone is embodying a character that is part of the story. And then we also have sound and light shows, which is essentially a film, but it’s surrounding you in the room. There is lighting and video and sound and it’s a really immersive experience. Specifically, the programs that are more informal, they’re still structured, but a staff member will come out, they last about ten or fifteen minutes. Staff member will come out and figure out how to connect them with it. So, one of my favorites that was developed when we brought in the Malala story was really kind of a quiz to figure out what your power word is. And so really a great way to say, well, wisdom may be the power word that came up and here are some suggestions of how you can use that power for good. And I think a lot of times people come in and they’re so overwhelmed by the gravity of some of these stories and they’re like, what can I possibly do? And it’s an opportunity for us to say it’s not about matching what they did, it’s a scale that they did there are so many other opportunities for you to be empowered. So that’s what those programs are all about.
[00:10:04.930] – Tonya
In the early 1980s, a disease called AIDS terrified the nation and misinformation about how the disease spread was rampant. Ryan White, an Indiana teenager, contracted AIDS in 1984 through treatment for his hemophilia. And he was expelled from school due to his condition. His fight to be allowed to return to school and live a normal life made him famous around the world. Ryan lost his fight with AIDS in 1990. Ryan’s family kept his bedroom intact and they contacted the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis about preserving his story. Ryan’s Face, this is a recreation of his bedroom and his home in a town just north of Indianapolis. And so, this was his mother came to us and said, this is what we have. And just lots of great relationship building and conversations about how we can use this to tell the power of Ryan’s story and inspire other kids. So, this is a space that really talks about how he was a normal kid. There’s a lot of familiar, at least to those of us who grew up with him at the time, but that sparks amazing family conversations about what you did as a child and what your kids recognize.
[00:11:28.810] – Monica
There are a lot of celebrity memorabilia in there because he had so much celebrity support throughout the times he was advocating for AIDS care and acceptance. So, Ryan’s face is definitely about step in a little bit more, having the power of your voice
