To create South Florida’s first art museum specially designed for children.
Winner: Mindy Shrago
Amount: $500,000
About the project: Through a partnership with Broward County, Young at Art is constructing what will become Florida's first art museum for children. In five galleries, the museum will explore art as it relates to history, the environment and diverse cultures, among other topics. It will also include an art institute for painting, printmaking, digital photography and ceramics. Offering an experience for babies through teens, the museum strives to transform the way children view the arts and turn them into future patrons.
Project Web site: http://www.youngatartmuseum.org
About the winner: Since 1989, Young At Art Children's Museum has been dedicated to shifting the paradigm of arts education from learning about art to using art for learning. Through exhibitions, artist residencies, school tours, programs for at-risk children and studio classes, the museum has brought art to the forefront of education. The museum is the #1 ranked youth museum in Florida and was named the Best Children's Art Museum in the Nation by Child magazine. The museum is the recipient of an Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Award, NEA Artistic Excellence Award and Promising Practice Award from the Association of Children's Museums. The new art museum for children is scheduled to open in 2011.