Interactive art museum set to reopen in Mesa and debut new car installation
Dec 10, 2024, 4:45 AM | Updated: 7:10 am
PHOENIX — It’s out with the old and in with the new for one of Mesa’s top children’s museums, which is set to debut its new facilities and brand on Friday.
The i.d.e.a. Museum at First Street and Country Club Drive was known for encouraging youth to express themselves through hands-on activities.
However, it’s been closed for the past few months as officials worked to revitalize it. They dropped the periods from the name to make for a sleeker look but say the “idea” in “idea Museum” still stands for imagination, design, experience and art.
The name switch is just one of many changes families who revisit the reopened museum can look forward to.
idea Museum to debut new installation
Several public art installations have popped up around the museum’s exterior, such as a mural and three pinwheels that passersby can play with.
There’s also new flooring and a new exhibition, which is called JoyRide: Art on Wheels.
Visitors can speed over to the Whiteman Family Gallery to explore lowriders, skateboards, bikes and even tricked-out wheelchairs. This exhibition encourages children to explore the mechanics of wheels and rides in a hand-on way. Children can:
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- Design ramps and rails on a miniature skatepark with toy-sized skateboards.
- Add a pinstripe to a lowrider.
- Contribute to a large-scale weaving installation using bike wheels.
- Creation original designs using LEGO pieces and transfer them onto paper to create a unique print.
- Crack open a book in a reading nook built in a 1980s Ford truck bed full of plush cushions.
Families can also admire 20 custom skateboards made with paint, ceramics, neon lights and more. They’re made by various artists, including Efrain “Bugs” Gonzalez, who is from Mesa.
Access to JoyRide: Arts on Wheels is included in the cost of admission.
What else is new at the idea Museum?
The museum will also debut its fresh paint job and new flooring.
However, there’s more that lovers of the idea Museum can look forward to in early 2025. That’s when a new functional space for guests, which is made out of the museum’s former administration office, will open.
