The i.d.e.a. Museum invites you to experience our gravity-defying exhibition, “Wing It! Things That Fly.” Soar to new heights in the Whitman Exhibition Gallery while exploring different perspectives of flight and winged creatures. With a focus on STEAM, imagination and movement – there is something for kids of all ages.
Jarrad Bittner, Director of the i.d.e.a. Museum, said, “As we develop new exhibitions at the i.d.e.a. Museum, we always seek to create innovative and interactive experiences for our community. “Wing It” showcases artists from around the world demonstrating varying forms of visual art on the theme of things that fly and paired with unique hands-on STEAM learning experiences that explore scientific elements of flight.”
Children and families can test aerodynamic forces with a wind tunnel, examine the makings of feathers under a MicroEye, create and tell a story of their own winged creature, and so much more.
Upon entering the Museum’s outdoor space, families will be visually taken by the interactive mural created by local artists Roy Wasson Valle and Koryn Woodward Wasson of Fireweather Studio. “It is a large interactive mural about being small, but part of the whole. It’s large scale in order to experience the elements in a size we are not accustomed to.” The mural incorporates touch, sound, smell and play.
To help make the arts more accessible for all, i.d.e.a. Museum is thrilled to announce the addition of three pairs of Enchroma Glasses to support guests with color blindness. i.d.e.a. Museum guests can borrow the EnChroma Glasses to enhance their museum experience. The glasses will allow most patrons with either Duetan or Protan color blindness to see an expanded range of colors more clearly and distinctly. EnChroma’s color blind glasses are engineered utilizing a light filtering technique to give those with color blindness the ability to see a more of the broad spectrum of colors.
Finally, guests will have the opportunity to interact with art created by local and national artists, introducing children to the world of art while promoting their self-discovery and self-expression. Local artists include:
- Frank Gonzales is native to Mesa, Arizona. Instead of categorizing things found in our world, he approaches his art with the weaving of science and imagination, blurring the lines of reality and idea.
- Amanda Adkins, an Arizona native, is known locally for her public murals and art installations. Her storytelling has been featured on NPR Morning Edition, and she has taught a community mural-making course at Arizona State University, her alma mater. Her love of the desert is apparent throughout her work.
- Aja Rolland has been creating “masterpieces” since she was five years old. Starting with decoupage and moving now into painting unwanted canvas. “I find great pleasure in restoring broken, worn down, and abandoned canvases and making them into something that brings joy to others and is appealing to any color enthusiast.”
“Wing It! Things That Fly” is included with regular museum admission and i.d.e.a. Museum memberships. For information about “Wing It” and the i.d.e.a. Museum, visit ideamuseum.org.
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ABOUT i.d.e.a. MUSEUM
i.d.e.a. Museum is owned and operated by the City of Mesa with support from the i.d.e.a. Museum Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. The Museum is centrally located in Downtown Mesa with interactive art exhibitions and STEAM activities aimed to inspire families of all ages and backgrounds to experience their world differently through art, creativity and imagination. For more information, visit ideamuseum.org.