We believe children need a place to come play,

be physically active and learn while doing it!

The mission of The Trailhead Discovery Museum & Arts Center is to nourish the imagination and creativity of children by appealing to their senses of curiosity and fun.  The Trailhead’s purpose is to serve the needs of Gunnison County’s children, their families and educators as a place of learning and discovery through exhibits and programs in the arts, sciences, and creative play.

Goals

The goals of The Trailhead Discovery Museum & Arts Center are:

·      to spark and nourish the imagination, creativity, and curiosity of children ages

1 -12 by appealing to their sense of fun and adventure;

·      to offer a stimulating environment where children work with artists, scientists and educators to learn in new ways;

·      to provide hands-on participatory exhibitions and innovative programs that give children opportunities to experiment, play, use their imagination and share ideas;

·      to create an aesthetic, positive, family-friendly space to promote physical activity and exploratory play for children;

·      to foster a life-long respect for the process of learning through self-discovery and self expression.

History

In 2007 the idea of a Gunnison County children’s museum began to surface amongst a group of families faced with another long cold winter with young children.  Recognizing that there is an overwhelming need for a space for stimulating science projects, art programs, music classes, special kid-friendly events, and an indoor jungle gym, The Trailhead Discovery Museum & Arts Center was born. 

To date a number of dedicated volunteers have taken this first concept of a local children’s center to the current model of a place of learning and discovery that will have a broad-reaching appeal to both local and visiting children.  The Trailhead will fulfill the needs of many organizations, families, and individuals who are seeking an engaging, interactive learning environment designed for children to explore and discover their world.

As a member of the national Association for Children’s Museums and soon to be a federally recognized 501(c)3 organization, The Trailhead is poised to begin its first year of operations with traveling exhibits and programs that will rotate through schools, day-care providers, the Gunnison Community Center, and businesses. Architects and planners are currently working on the final design of the museum space, which will be located on Gothic Avenue in the town of Crested Butte, with ground breaking on the new building scheduled for spring of 2009 with an estimated spring 2010 opening.

We already have several volunteers supporting The Trailhead Discovery Museum and Arts Center. To date, we have had $7600 in in-kind contributions, as well as over 100 volunteer hours with 8 volunteers.  We have 20 volunteers on a waiting list ready for work when needed.

Vision & Values

The Trailhead Discovery Museum & Arts Center is founded on a shared vision for learning and basic values which include the following:

·      all children deserve respect;

·      families are important as children’s first teachers;

·      learning occurs in many different ways;

·      art and music education is vital for the development of children;

·      play is a major technique for learning in the arts and sciences;

·      physical activity is important for children throughout every season of the year;

·      children need a variety of learning experiences that deepen appreciation and understanding of the self, other people, and their physical world.

Programs & Activities

A sample of future programming for The Trailhead Discovery Museum & Arts Center will include summer camps, arts education, enrichment programs for the public schools, traveling science exhibits, a play grocery store, indoor jungle gym and activity center, space for artists to teach classes such as ceramics, watercolors, photography, room for special events, music instruction, and a family learning zone.  Outside amenities such as a water park feature and maze will be available during the summer months.

We serve the entire Gunnison Valley

The Trailhead Discovery Museum and Arts Center serves everyone interested in stimulating the social, motor and cognitive development of children! The Trailhead will work directly with the Gunnison and Crested Butte elementary schools to provide exhibits directly related to curriculum being studied in our school district.  We have already received support from The Crested Butte Center for the Arts, RMBL and Crested Butte Parks and Recreation and will meet several of their needs, as well.