The Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine has received a federal grant of over $200,000 to expand programs that integrate ethnic, African American and Wabanaki studies into the public school curriculum.
The museum will use the grant from Museums for America to develop and expand programs that align with Maine’s required African American, ethnic and Wabanaki studies curricula. The $224,143 grant comes from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary federal funder for U.S. libraries and museums.
“This grant brings expanded and interactive resources to connect to the culturally diverse history and background of the land we now call Maine,” said Julie Butcher Pezzino, the museum’s executive director.
The museum will partner with local organizations, artists, musicians, performers and storytellers to develop outreach programs. It will also provide professional development opportunities for Maine educators to develop the new curricula. Funds will also support the production of a play based on a children’s book written by a member of one of the communities represented.
Through programming and professional development, the museum aims to expand knowledge from early childhood through fourth grade. It will develop and launch the program over the next three years and link it to its 2024-27 strategic plan.
The museum will work with Indigo Arts Alliance, I’m Your Neighbor Books, the Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network, and other community partners, including Passamaquoddy musician and storyteller Dwayne Tomah, as well as artists and performers, to develop programs and learning and performance opportunities that support Maine students and educators.
The Maine grant is part of a $23.4 million federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Museums For America program, its largest grant opportunity for museums. Up to 115 museums will receive support for strategic, project-based work.
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