The Betty Brinn Children's Museum is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

children's museum located in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

About the Museum

The museum is a "hands-on" exhibit based educational museum primarily targeted for children between the ages of 1 and 10. It includes interactive spaces, such as the grocery store in the "Home Town" exhibit, the space to play in the "Kohl's Healthy Kids: It's Your Move!" and the design workshop in the "Be a Maker (BAM) space." It is particularly known for its initiatives on supporting

maker culture The maker culture is a contemporary subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture that intersects with hardware-oriented parts of hacker culture and revels in the creation of new devices as well as tinkering with existing on ...

, and it is the host of the annual Milwaukee Maker Faire.

History

The museum was founded by three women, Therese Binder, Susie Gruenberg and Julie Sattler-Rosene. They raised community funds and were able to open the museum after six years. The official ribbon cutting was on March 30, 1995, and the doors opened to the public on April 4, 1995. It is named for

Betty Brinn Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatric ...

, the founder of Managed Health Services. She grew up in over 15 foster homes, so when she became successful, she worked to help low-income women and children get medical insurance and care. On September 11, 2020, the museum announced plans to relocate to a leased space in

Milwaukee Public Museum The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) is a natural and human history museum in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884; it is a not-for-profit organization operated by the Milwaukee Public Mus ...

's new campus along N. Sixth St, between W. McKinley Ave and W. Vliet St. on a site 1 block north of Fiserv Forum. The plans were later dropped in early 2022 due to budget concerns.

References

{{reflist Children's museums in Wisconsin Museums in Milwaukee Museums established in 1995