Company Profile
Company Overview
NCM is the only children’s museum in the United States with a mission dedicated to ensuring community participation in the arts and with a focus on building new audiences for the arts.
NCM commissions important contemporary artists to create works of art that are engaging and meaningful to an audience of children and families. Artists are involved in all aspects of NCM’s program design including everything from education to implementation of the visitor experience. By collaborating with a roster of local to international artists on biennial themed exhibitions, NCM has established a unique program that is nationally distinguished.
A focus on art and working with artists is part of NCM’s pioneering legacy since its founding in 1981. During the last decade as the arts have been effectively removed from public school curricula, the museum has intensified its commitment to the arts. This focus allows the institution to serve a broad demographic of toddler-to-teen and we see our mission as serving every K-6 grade student in our community and providing specialized experiences for older students who are already interested in the arts. The mission is also timely for its focus on developing the creative potential of children.
Company History
In May 2008, NCM re-opened to the public after a 7-year closure, in a new green contemporary, 50,000 sq ft. facility. Since that time NCM has welcomed more than 500,000 visitors, built a membership base of 4000+ families, and this fall will mount its third thematic exhibition with an internationally renowned roster of artists. In addition, NCM is on sound financial footing. In 2010 the museum successfully completed a $27,000,000 capital campaign with a $10,000,000 Community Matching Challenge. NCM is driven by a highly-engaged Board of Directors that has demonstrated its commitment and leadership by funding nearly 60% of the campaign. Thanks to the success of the campaign, in 2010 NCM was able to retire all construction debt and the institution is now debt-free.