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| Zimmer Children's Museum | |
|---|---|
| Name | Zimmer Children's Museum |
| Established | 1995 |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Type | Children's museum |
Zimmer Children's Museum is a nonprofit institution dedicated to interactive play and learning for children. It serves families and educators through hands-on exhibits, community programs, and partnerships with cultural and civic institutions.
The museum was founded in 1995 by philanthropists linked to cultural organizations such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Getty Center, J. Paul Getty Trust, and civic leaders associated with the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Unified School District. Early supporters included trustees from California State University, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and board members with ties to the Arts Council for Long Beach and California Arts Council. Its development involved collaborations with designers from firms connected to projects at Hammer Museum, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and Autry Museum of the American West. Funding and advocacy drew attention from foundations like the Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Kresge Foundation, and local donors with histories at Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Live Nation Entertainment. Throughout its history the museum has worked with community groups including Los Angeles Public Library, LA County Department of Arts and Culture, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and neighborhood organizations from Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, Koreatown, Echo Park, and Downtown Los Angeles.
Situated in a facility near cultural corridors that include The Broad, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, and Grand Park, the museum occupies gallery and classroom spaces designed with input from architects experienced with projects for Perelman Performing Arts Center, Frank Gehry, and firms behind the Walt Disney Concert Hall renovation. Nearby transit nodes such as Union Station (Los Angeles), the Metro B Line (Los Angeles Metro), Metro D Line (Los Angeles Metro), and bus services of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority provide access, while adjacent civic anchors include Los Angeles City Hall and the Music Center (Los Angeles County) complex. The facility includes flexible gallery halls, maker spaces modeled on concepts used at Exploratorium, California Science Center, and Children's Museum of Indianapolis, plus outdoor play areas reminiscent of installations at Brooklyn Children's Museum and Boston Children's Museum.
Exhibits emphasize interactive learning influenced by exhibition practices at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and American Museum of Natural History. Rotating galleries have featured collaborations with institutions like LACMA, The Getty Villa, Museum of Jurassic Technology, and artist-led projects associated with Theaster Gates, Ai Weiwei, and Shepard Fairey. Programs include STEAM workshops inspired by curricula from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and University of California, Los Angeles, alongside literacy initiatives aligned with Los Angeles County Library programs and arts residencies supported by Dolby Laboratories and Walt Disney Imagineering. Special seasonal exhibits have coincided with events at LA Phil, Los Angeles County Fair, Noche en Blanco, and festivals like LA Pride and CicLAvia.
Educational offerings are designed in partnership with school systems including Los Angeles Unified School District, Long Beach Unified School District, and charter networks tied to National School Boards Association. Professional development for educators has involved collaborations with higher-education partners such as University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, and California State University, Northridge. Outreach extends to community health partners like Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and social-service organizations including City of Refuge, Inner City Arts, Para Los Niños, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The museum's accessibility initiatives reference standards from Americans with Disabilities Act consultants and inclusive design practices endorsed by UNICEF and the World Health Organization.
The organization is governed by a board featuring leaders with experience at institutions such as Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, UCLA Health, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and financial sponsors connected to Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs. Funding sources have included private philanthropy from family foundations, corporate sponsorships from entities like Target Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, Anheuser-Busch, and public support via grants from the California Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. The museum has pursued earned-revenue streams through ticketing, facility rentals, and museum store partnerships with vendors known to supply museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and British Museum.
The museum is located within reach of accommodations such as hotels affiliated with Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and dining districts near Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, and Chinatown. Visitors often plan trips combining stops at Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles Zoo, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Disneyland Resort. Hours, admission policies, group-visit protocols, birthday-party packages, and volunteer opportunities are coordinated through the museum's front desk and partnerships with organizations such as VolunteerMatch and AmeriCorps. Parking and accessibility information references nearby structures like STAPLES Center parking facilities and municipal guidance from Los Angeles Department of Transportation.