The Works (science museum)

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

The Works
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Established1995
LocationBloomington, Minnesota
TypeScience Museum
WebsiteThe Works

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

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  • 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