This year The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis plans to open a permanent exhibit on the life story of Malala Yousafzai, a human rights advocate.
Malala Yousafzai will join “The Power of Children: Making a Difference” exhibit on Sept. 18. This will be the only permanent exhibition in the world featuring Yousafzai. When she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, she was 17 years old and the youngest Nobel laureate.
Credit: Malin Fezehai for Malala Fund
In 2008 the Taliban banned girls from attending school in the Swat Valley of northwest Pakistan. Malala was 11 years old when she spoke up for girls and young women to receive an education through a blog, on the radio and through articles that were published by the BBC. Soon after a terrorist boarded Malala’s school bus and shot her in the head. She miraculously survived and continues to fight for human rights and equal education and against child marriage and child labor.
Malala’s story will be told alongside those of Anne Frank (1940s — child of the Holocaust), Ruby Bridges (1960s — one of the first to integrate schools in the American South) and Ryan White (1980s — AIDS activist) in the “The Power of Children: Making a Difference” exhibit.
The expanded portion of the exhibit will feature the story of Malala’s life, the challenges she faced trying to get an education and the positive impact she has had around the world. Visitors will see her re-created childhood home and learn about her life today.
“It is extremely important for us to create safe spaces in which families feel comfortable talking about racism, bullying and other difficult topics,” said Jennifer Pace Robinson, executive vice president at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. “We are delighted to be working with Malala and her family to share her story and add a fourth child to our Power of Children exhibit. If we can share stories of children who have experienced difficult challenges and persevered or changed the world, then it gives hope and inspiration to children of today.”
More to see
Opening April 10 at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is “Play Ball!” This exhibit explores the ins and outs of baseball. Discover the history of the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and their fan traditions.
The Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience® has begun its fifth season at the children’s museum. Twelve outdoor and three indoor sports experiences model health and fitness and are open through Oct. 31.
“Mini Masterpieces,” a permanent exhibit, has been updated with interactive experiences. All the miniatures were built using a 1:12 scale, which means one inch in the miniature room equals one foot in real life. This precise scale tricks the eyes and makes the rooms appear extremely lifelike.
On view through July 25 is “Sue Meets Bucky: Sue the T. Rex Meets Bucky the Teenage T. Rex.”
A new fossil exhibit is coming to the museum in February 2022. The museum is leading an international dinosaur dig in the Badlands of Wyoming called Mission Jurassic. The team has excavated more than 15 tons of dinosaur fossils belonging to two 80-foot-long sauropods and an ichthyosaur.
“Nickelodeon’s Dora and Diego —Let’s Explore!” is a temporary exhibit that can be seen through July 25.
“DC SUPER HEROES™: Discover Your Superpowers” runs through Sept. 26.
In “Barbie™ You Can Be Anything™: The Experience” visitors explore 11 different careers and learn about more than 200 jobs Barbie has had over the years, including an airline pilot, a robotics engineer and a wildlife photographer. Also featured are women who have broken down career barriers for women, including Amelia Earhart, aviation pioneer; Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician and physicist; and Laurie Hernandez, Olympic gymnast. This exhibit closes at the end of December.
