Fact Sheet 2009–2010

MISSION
The Exploratorium is a museum of science, art, and human perception founded in 1969. The Exploratorium’s mission is to create a culture of learning through innovative environments, programs, and tools that help people nurture their curiosity about the world around them.

AUDIENCES
• 575,000 people annually visit the Exploratorium
• 52% of visitors are adults and 48% are children
• 51% are from the Bay Area, 30% from the rest of California, 14% from other states, 5% outside U.S.
• 110,000 school-age students and their chaperones visit the museum each year; of these, 80,000 participate in the Field Trip program
• 11,500 individuals and families are Exploratorium members
• 47% of visitors receive free or discounted admission
• 43,000 visitors attended on Free Wednesdays (the first Wednesday of every month) last year
• 145 million visit Exploratorium exhibits at science centers and other locations worldwide

EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS
• 1000 original interactive exhibits, displays, and artworks have been designed, prototyped, and built on site, with 400 currently on view
• Hands-on exhibits explore biology, physics, visual perception, listening, and mind
• Public programs include hands-on workshops, lectures, performances, films, and other special events. Bilingual programs in Spanish, Cantonese, and/or Mandarin are offered 2-3 times a year.
• The museum has hosted more than 250 artists-in-residence
• Exhibits are located at 60 international and 66 U.S. science centers
• Partnerships with 13 science centers nationwide offer them exhibit collections and educational training
• Exploratorium exhibitions—Memory and Navigation—travel worldwide

EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
• An estimated 6,000 teachers from 47 states participate in Exploratorium-designed workshops
• 400 U.S. teachers participate in more than 60 hours of intensive professional development each year
• A national model program improves the classroom success of beginning teachers
• Center for Informal Learning and Schools, a partnership with UC Santa Cruz and King’s College London, develops leadership in the study of informal science learning and institutions, and their relationships to schools
• Educational Outreach reaches 5,000 underserved children and families in the community
• The Explainer Program hires and trains a diverse group of up to 75 high school students each year
• The Osher Fellows Program hosts 4 to 6 resident scholars, scientists, educators, and artists
• 8 staff members, including 3 PhDs, comprise one of the country’s most active museum research and evaluation groups

MEDIA
• 24 million Web visits annually access www.exploratorium.edu, which has 25,000 pages of original content
• 50 live webcasts, podcasts, and videos are produced each year from the Exploratorium and remote locations
• 50,000 copies of Exploratorium-developed publications were sold in the past year, with 28 titles in print
• 12,500 copies of explore, the membership newsletter, are distributed quarterly

FACILITIES
The Exploratorium uses 110,000 sq. ft. of floor space within San Francisco’s historic Palace of Fine Arts, plus offices and exhibit-building shops in adjacent Presidio Buildings. Facilities include:

• multimedia Learning Center with library
• 9 wired classrooms
• life science laboratory
• Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
• 125-seat McBean Theater
• ample free parking
• machine, wood, and electronics shops
• store and café

The Exploratorium is available to rent for private events during evening hours.

BUDGET & STAFF
• 2009–10 budget: $32,242,270
• 491 total employees; 266 full-time equivalent; 42% people of color
• an international team of 225 volunteers contributes more than 12,000 hours annually