and Artist, Amy Stone, BFA ’94 of Fairys and Frogs Face Painting; a balloon artist; Music Dealer, DJ Chuuuch (Tauris Turner) monitoring the dance floor; Shelby County Schools elementary school teacher Tabitha D. Birdsong, Miss Birdsong’s Sweet Tooth co-owner and candy confections maker; fun crafts lead by CMOM employees and youth volunteers, and sheer fun for children both young and old alike. Included in the price of admission, each child in attendance received a goodie bag of candy upon arrival. CMOM Executive Director, Dr. Stewart L. Burgess, a former 4-year CMOM Board of Trustees member, took over the helm of the organization in August 2019. Possessing extensive experience and research in early learning, as a Developmental Psychologist, Dr. Burgess brings a wealth of knowledge concerning the scientific study of how and why human beings think, feel, and change or develop through their lifespans. “This actually ends up being kind of a cross section between actually designing learning spaces and designing the Burgess speaking of his cur r i cu l um,” said duties being CMOM new right in the spot where I Dr. Burgess went on to changes that have taken -four months including existing Roll Play Theatre within the facility and Manager Corey Brown. theatre is still a green dancing, but it now has a the stage takes up the includes spots for future Executive Director. “It’s want to be.” describe many of the place in the past three-to the changes made to the which were fabricated headed by Exhibits The revised roll play screen with a stage for wheelchair ramp and whole long wall and lighting and sound engineers to play. “We will begin partnering with other like-minded, nonprofit organizations that work within the scope of child development and parenting,” stated Dr. Burgess who also mentioned the museum was beefing up its grant writing. “Right now we’re looking at developmental grants that focus on electronic footprints, electric consumption, which can be very important for museums located in older buildings like these.” Dr. Burgess has plans for CMOM to include traveling exhibits in the future. The current traveling exhibit is from the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. It has been there for a while and will be leaving February 2, 2020, only to soon be replaced with another traveling exhibit. This is another way for members to experience new and old items during visits. One of CMOM’s most famous exhibits is the former LibertyLand Grand Carousel which was completely restored and enclosed in a building at its current location. The carousel is now an optional attraction for museum visitors to enjoy along with exhibits featuring local businesses that are each currently being redesigned. “We’ve increased the number of associates on the floor,” said Dr. Burgess who mentioned CMOM has enhanced it training process to ensure visiting children are fully engaged in enriched learning activities. CMOM recently launched a new tab on the website called “Learn” where parents, educators, and everyone can ask Dr. Burgess questions, and read about development and parenting. “I’m excited about this opportunity, it makes me smile all the time,” said Dr. Burgess who said he sings on the way to work and at the end of the day, if you see him in his car, you’ll probably see him singing then too! “This [position] is a gift. CMOM has a great mission. We serve ZIP Codes from all over Tennessee. This is something that I’m really passionate about. We have a lot of awesome organizations geared towards helping families in Memphis. CMOM is trying to be the place where all of those organizations can come and connect and maybe where we can all begin to combine our efforts.” CMOM, where learning is child’s play, is open 7 days a week from 9A-5P. The museum is only closed three days a year – Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. The H2Oh! Splash Park and Dinosaur Dig exhibits are open 10A-5P daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day only. Due to high traffic volume, the museum occasionally has to close for events at the Liberty Bowl Station which would be posted on the website in advance in addition to days where school trips are planned. The museum is located at the intersection of Central Avenue at Hollywood Street in Memphis, TN and can be reached by calling (901) 458-2678. 11
12 Publizr Home