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The Works (science museum)

Coordinates: 44°49′38″N 93°17′10″W / 44.82722°N 93.28611°W / 44.82722; -93.28611
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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 50.77.53.37 (talk) at 17:09, 8 January 2018 (gave greater detail of past locations, and included a link to the blog/site created to describe the history of the museum.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Works
Map
Established1995
LocationBloomington, Minnesota
TypeScience Museum
WebsiteThe Works

The Works is an interactive children's museum in Bloomington, Minnesota that focuses on technology and engineering.[1][2]

The museum was conceived by Rebecca Schatz, a software engineer who was inspired by a visit to the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and by the hands-on technical education for children that she observed during a year as a Luce Scholar in Japan in 1984. The Works first opened as a gallery exhibition within the Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota in 1995, then moved to a series of temporary locations in shopping centers and to the community center in Edina[3] (Ridgedale - 1995-1997, Eden Prairie Center 1997-1999, Southdale 1999-2002, and Edina Cmty. Center 2003-2011), before finding a larger, permanent home with 40,000 square feet of space in Bloomington in 2011.[4][5] In 2011 the museum reported annual attendance of 50,000 visitors.[6] Since 2003, The Works has sponsored an annual "Tech Fest".[7]

References

  • Official website
  • Rebecca Schatz, "Focus and Balance for the Small Museum", in Cynthia C. Yao; Lynn D. Dierking; Peter A. Anderson (10 October 2006). Handbook for Small Science Centers. Rowman Altamira. pp. 35ff. ISBN 978-0-7591-1408-1.
  • http://www.inventingtheworks.org/2015/02/welcome-to-history-of-works.html

44°49′38″N 93°17′10″W / 44.82722°N 93.28611°W / 44.82722; -93.28611