Discovery Place

Discovery Place will create a community engagement model to inform the development of new exhibition and program experiences as it plans for a new building and interpretive exhibitions for its Discovery Place Nature facility. The two-year project will support planning activities designed to assess community needs and identify community assets. The museum will develop new community partnerships and expand existing ones, match organizational resources to community challenges and problems, and test approaches for elevating the connections between nature and the lives of Charlotte's residents. The museum will also collaborate with peers who are working across the country on community engagement projects and consultants with expertise in audience research/evaluation and diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. To sustain the work of the project, the museum will apply findings across its multi-facility organization, adapting approaches for application to its other three museums.