Children's Museum of Pittsburgh honored with two awards at the 2023 ASTC Conference
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is thrilled to announce that it won two awards at the annual Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) conference this past weekend in Charlotte, NC. The ASTC 2023 Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Business Practice and the 2023 Most Innovative Interactive Traveling Exhibition Award.
The Leading Edge Awards are presented to ASTC members and their teams in recognition of extraordinary accomplishments that enhance the performance of their organizations while also significantly advancing and inspiring the entire field. The Business Practice category recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the administration and financial sustainability of ASTC-member organizations. The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh along with their long-standing partner, Hosanna House, a local nonprofit that strives to end a lifecycle of poverty and help individuals and families reach their maximum potential developed an innovative business model. The two organizations worked together to envision and build the Center for Aviation Training and Technology—or CATT. Developing partnerships with the aviation industry, CATT includes a STEM makerspace, interactive exhibit space, and a museum honoring the Tuskegee Airmen with a new exhibit on the contributions of African American pioneers in aviation and potential careers in aviation. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Hosanna House developed a business model where all parties benefit from the revenue generated by a traveling version of the exhibit called Aim High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen. 30% of the rental income from the exhibit is paid as a royalty to support Hosanna House’s ongoing programs. The exhibit opened last month and is booked for the next 3 years, guaranteeing over $120,000 for Hosanna House’s programs.
The Children’s Museum was also honored to win the 2023 Most Innovative Interactive Traveling Exhibition Award at the annual Traveling Exhibition Forum . The inaugural Traveling Exhibition Awards are a new way to celebrate achievements, exemplary design, and innovation in the field of museum traveling exhibitions. Anne Fullenkamp, Senior Director of Creative Experiences, thanked event organizers Cynthia Brown and John Shaw for their commitment in continuing to build our traveling exhibit community.
She also said, “We are very excited and proud that our traveling exhibit Emotions at Play with Pixar’s Inside Out received the 2023 Most Innovative Interactive Traveling Exhibition Award. Big, joyous thanks goes to our peers for this recognition and our host venues who have made the tour a success.”
Learn more about Aim High Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen traveling exhibition
Learn more about Emotions at Play with Pixar’s Inside Out traveling exhibition
