In Search Of
A New Universe
WORDS & PICTURES: Wendy Dewhurst
It was a big day for the South Florida
Museum on January 16th - a day that
was ve-years in the making!
Museum staff, Board members and
supporters, as well as local ofcials and
children that will one day benet from the
museums expansion, broke ground on
the North Education Center and Mosaic
Backyard Universe.
South Florida Museum CEO Brynne Anne
Besio, Provost Jeff Rodgers, Congressman
Vern Buchanan, Michael Bryant of Fawley
Bryant Architects, Bradenton Mayor
Wayne Poston, Bradenton Police Chief
Melanie Bevan, and 15 young students,
all grabbed a shovel to toss some dirt to
get the project under way.
The new expansion will bring innovative
exhibitions for young learners and their
families. The new classrooms will increase
the museum’s capacity to engage
students, educators, and the public, as
well as immerse visitors in experiences
that support an understanding and
appreciation of science and nature.
“This is such an exciting time for us and
the community as we begin our transition
into the museum of the future,” said Jeanie
Kirkpatrick, President of the Museum’s
Board of Trustees. “Our transformation will
enhance the community’s ability to explore
the universe based on the solid foundation
we laid more than seven decades ago.
This expansion will also allow us to serve
new audiences, and further connect
us with the Riverwalk as an anchor in
Bradenton’s reinvigorated downtown.”
“I am very excited to be here,” said
Congressman Buchanan. “Thank you
for inviting me to be a part of this exciting
time for Bradenton and Manatee County.
Both private and public organizations
working together is what makes days like
this possible.”
Karla Guzman-Mims, of the Mosaic
Company Foundation, said: “We look
forward to being a part of the museum’s
exciting future, as the Mosaic Backyard
Universe takes shape and kicks off
an exciting new chapter for those who
are blessed to call this area home and
consider this museum part of its family,
just as Mosaic does.”
Just a few of the exhibition components
of the Mosaic Backyard Universe include
The Space and Time Machine, The Rock
Pile, The Buttery House, A Tree Fort,
raised planting beds, a sundial, and living
walls. Construction is expected to take
between 14 and 18 months.
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