Page 22 - BusinessWest August 19, 2024

of momentum, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and how those traits are taking the complex to new places — and new heights.
Entrepreneurship on Display
They’re called Free First Wednesdays, or FFWs for short. The name tells you all you need to know.
Admission to the Museums is free the first Wednesday of every month, said Simpson, noting that the FFW on Aug. 7, which drew 1,723 visi- tors, was the best-attended since the program was launched in January with the help of a three-year, $800,000 grant from the Art Bridges Foundation, founded by Alice Walton, an heiress to the Walmart fortune.
Those visitors were treated to Olympics-themed activities, as well as exhibitions and permanent dis- plays, Simpson explained, adding that the Zip code capture in the Welcome Center confirmed that, in addition to strong participation from Connecticut and Massachusetts, visitors also came California, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and other states.
The Free First Wednesdays are just one example of how the Museums have become ... let’s say even more innovative and entre- preneurial. Others include initiatives like the Grinch’s Grotto in the SIS Hall of the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History for the months of November, December, and early January. Featuring an array of thematic, interactive displays, it “adds another layer to the Seuss experience at the Museums,” Simpson noted.
“After opening the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum we started thinking of ways to use some of the other spaces in our buildings for large, immersive exhibitions that have broad appeal,” she said, adding that a good example of this is the SIS Hall in the history museum, which has played host to not only Grinch’s Grotto, but other programs and family-friendly exhibitions as well, includ- ing a Big Games Big Fun event and a Barbie Day, which capitalized on the excitement of the 2023 movie.
“There’s an interest in making sure we’re contemporary and relevant,
and that we’re appealing to more diverse audiences, particularly in the city of Springfield but also beyond.”
SIS Hall has become site for many family-friendly exhibitions, like Big Games Big Fun.
“The board embarked on the first strategic plan in recent mem- ory about three years ago, and one of the key things we did was
to pivot the mission of the Museums and pivot it away from being just a sanctuary for beautiful things to defining its success by the experience of the people who come there,” he said. “There’s an interest in making sure we’re contemporary and relevant, and that we’re appealing to more diverse audiences, particularly in the city of Springfield but also beyond.”
For this issue and its focus on tourism, we take an in-depth look at how the Springfield Museums have caught a Seuss-inspired wave
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22 AUGUST 19, 2024
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