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Junior Museum Construction Moving Forward Marcy Stryker - 235-2120 The rumble of trucks and the mixing of concrete mark progress toward completion of the Winslow Building, the future home of The New Junior Museum. "Winter weather has not slowed our momentum," says Duncan Stewart, construction manager for Zandri Construction, the firm hired to complete the Winslow project. Since September's groundbreaking, many structural components have been completed, including:
The elevator has already been delivered to the building and will be installed shortly. A new steel framework and new concrete floors on the upper levels are expected to be completed by March 31. The next step will be installation of new systems, including heating and air conditioning designed to make the building more comfortable for our visitors. "It's exciting to see the physical progress," says Ralph Pascale, executive director of The Junior Museum. "Now, our focus and energies turn to creating hands-on learning environments including exhibits using live animals, multimedia technology, and interactive experiences." Barbara Harris, a registered architect and art educator with more than 10 years' experience working in children's museums, leads an exhibit design team that meets weekly to identify and hire top exhibit designers. "The work of the designers will enhance the museum's ability to fulfill its educational philosophy -- to create a place where kids can do science, history, and art," says Harris. Among the designers chosen to work on the project is Tom Lucky, a nationally renowned sculptor whose work can be seen at the Boston Children's Museum. Lucky is currently designing a new children's climbing sculpture that will greet the public at the front entrance. The sculpture, created specifically for The Junior Museum to take advantage of its unique attributes such as a second-story entrance, will allow children to safely climb two stories high on the outside of the building, in an enclosed structure. "Community support for the project has been outstanding," says Sandra Doring, The Museum's director of development. "We've had much success raising the necessary funds to allow us to physically move into Winslow. Now, we have a tremendous opportunity to identify partners to support special projects within the new museum - everything from windows and changing exhibits in the second floor galleries, to program support for the new Digistar II planetarium and computer lab we're installing on the third floor." To learn more about plans for The New Junior Museum, please call Sandra Doring at (518) 235-2120. In cooperation with Troy United Ink Corp., a not-for-profit corporation 
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