The Exploratorium is a non-profit public learning laboratory and science, art, and human perception museum. Frank Oppenheimer, a physicist, established the institution in 1969 with a $50,000 start-up grant from the San Francisco Foundation. It was subsequently relocated from the Palace of Fine Arts to its current location on the waterfront, which opened as the Pier 15 campus in 2013.
The museum focuses the visitor experience on hands-on experimentation. It currently has 650+ hands-on exhibits spread over six galleries and 75,000 sq ft of exhibition space, as well as the largest interactive exhibit in its collection, Tactile Dome, where visitors experience total darkness by moving through the exhibit using touch and sound. The exhibits focus on physical sciences, biology, engineering, environmental phenomena, perception, and artistic experimentation.
A total of 572,509 people visited the Exploratorium in 2023, and 152,496 people enjoyed free admission that included California teachers, Title 1 school groups, and those eligible for admission on an EBT card. It also made 1.5 million hits from 62 countries on its free online science education resources, taking its education beyond the museum.
Education is also a significant aspect of its activities. In addition to developing professional learning programs for educators, the Exploratorium also builds exhibits for other institutions and collaborates with science centers around the world. In 2023, it added 300 new exhibits created and delivered, 80+ new artworks made or commissioned, and 66,000 square feet of new exhibition space built on three continents and in four languages. It also helped establish new science centers in Omaha and Brasília that were expected to serve 600,000 people annually.
The Exploratorium is a leading San Francisco museum and a global developer of hands-on learning experiences. Its work is far-reaching, from its exhibits to its educator projects, online resources, and its partner projects, going well beyond its Pier 15 walls.
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