Will Bumgarner
Online Editor
After a decade of fundraising, brainstorming, and construction, the new Kaleideum has finally come to life. The museum opened on February 17th and has already welcomed thousands of guests to experience everything the new location has to offer.
“The Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem and SciWorks began discussions about a merger in December 2014,” Kaleideum’s CEO, Elizabeth Dampier said. “The merger was completed in July 2016 and then we began the process of working with the county to identify architects and the construction company. We were able to break ground in August 2021, so the actual construction piece was about two and a half years, but the entire project from start to finish was much longer.”
Since this new museum is replacing both old locations, their hope is that it successfully serves as a space for all age groups to learn and enjoy.
“There is a dedicated space for our youngest visitors – infants, crawlers, and early walkers – and their caregivers, but also exhibits in every gallery for all ages,” Dampier said. “We want to create a space where the whole community feels welcome and sees themselves in the museum. That means we’d love for middle and high schoolers to decide that they want to come to late Friday nights or for afternoon/evening programming we have as well as to see the digital dome shows.”
R.J. Reynolds’ senior Kat Edwards has worked for Kaleideum for the past two years and hopes that high schoolers will be able to take advantage of all the opportunities it has to offer.
“I really love my coworkers and I love the interactions I have with so many families and kids and getting to help build their childhood memories,” Edwards said. “You can explore and create and even host fun events there. There are also so many volunteer opportunities where people get to work at fun events we host. It’s an all-around great time.”
Kaleideum hopes that it can help play a part in growing the downtown community. In recent years the area has undergone large amounts of construction and development and the area has finally become a successful hub for the region.
“The location downtown is a big change,” Dampier said. “We are very happy to become part of the downtown landscape and bring people together downtown to come to the museum, the restaurants, and other shops to spend the day.”
It took around forty-eight million dollars to see the new museum reach completion and the funds were gathered from various places to reach the high dollar goal.
“The project is a public-private partnership between Forsyth County, the City of Winston-Salem, Kaleideum, and the community,” Dampier said. “Forsyth County is the largest investor and donated thirty and a half million dollars to the project. They own the land and building and Kaleideum is the tenant of the building. Kaleideum also embarked on a sixteen million dollar capital campaign which was supported by the State of North Carolina and other individuals, companies, and foundations in our community.”
Dampier hopes the rotating exhibits, special events, and extended hours will help draw in guests from all over.
“We hope to see at least 250,000 people in the first year,” Dampier said “We hope that when people see the museum they are proud to have it here in our community.”
Kaleideum plans to open its rooftop adventure exhibit this summer and will continue to work to expand its impact and involvement in the community. They have begun working with artists and will continue to incorporate local influences in their new exhibits.
“I hope Kaleideum can become a big staple in Winston Salem,” Edwards said. “Being the heart of downtown Winston when the town is growing and developing allows kids from all over to explore, play, and have a great time.”