The close of the fiscal year has been a joyful reminder of Port Discovery’s place in our community, as we reflected on a significant milestone – the Museum’s 25th Anniversary! Celebrations kicked-off in January with a special media event, and continued through the year with signature educational themed weekends, a very notable Play It Forward gala in April, and culminated with a community birthday bash in June that invited families, past and present, to visit Port Discovery for a free day of play! All of these exciting celebrations happened alongside our ongoing, high-quality programming, which form the core of Port Discovery’s work. I am so proud to share notable highlights, such as:
- Our Parents At Play program expanded to serve the first cohort of Grandparents At Play! Hosted in partnership with the Baltimore County Jewish Community Center, this program provided caregiving resources and education to one dozen grandparents and their young grandchildren.
- The Museum selected three artists to participate in our inaugural Artist Exhibit Program, which invites local creatives to share their artwork upon our walls and reach the next generation of museum-goers. Regional artists Kay Lee and Gary Mullen installed new painted works that have enlivened our second-floor walls. Baltimore-based Bridget Cimino transformed our Atrium south wall with an amazing mural that pays homage to the water- and landscape of the Chesapeake.
- The launch of the Discovery Crew, a youth ambassador program that invited 15 exceptional young folk, ages 4 to 10, to share their voices with the Museum. Our Crew members spent the past months participating in special events, reporting on Museum happenings, and test driving new Museum programs.
- PlayMakers continues to grow as a necessary and vital program for Maryland families. PlayMakers visitorship grew again, this year by 30%, and families are coming to Port Discovery from as far away as Hagerstown and Washington County.
We had so much to celebrate in FY2024, all of which could not have been done without the support of our devoted Board of Directors, dedicated Museum staff, generous funders, and YOU – the parents, teachers, advocates, and caregivers who understand how important it is for our city and region to have a robust and thriving children’s museum. After reading this report, we hope you too remain inspired by the work Port Discovery is doing, and we look forward to partnering with you in the next year and beyond!
With gratitude,
Carter Arnot Polakoff
President and CEO