I am honored to be the new deputy director of the Children’s Museum and I am committed to further developing and realizing the unique programs that the museum has created for the children and families of San Diego.

My personal background is in visual art and arts administration. As an artist and the founder and former executive director of Sushi Performance and Visual Art, I have always been impressed with the quality of the museum’s program design with its unique emphasis on the arts to create provocative exhibits and installations for children. I was pleased to discover that the museum has been recognized as a model for its arts concept by the National Organization of Children’s Museums.

An integral part of the museum’s mission is the active participation of professional artists who are commissioned to create original works that are stimulating to children and challenge their critical thinking skills.

Recognized international, national and regional artists have created permanent and temporary works that have engaged our audience. Artists include Jean Lowe, Betty LaDuke, Faith Ringgold and Alberto Caro. The new museum will feature commissioned works by Joyce Cutler-Shaw, Paul Hobson, Ernie Silva, Tom Luckey, Roberto Salas, Dennis Oppenheim and others.

The new museum will continue to present and enhance its existing programs and add new activities with careful consideration of current child development philosophy and practice.

The new facility will increase exhibition space, allowing for more regional and touring shows curated to present relevant themes to children including multicultural and environmental issues. One space will be completely devoted to the continuous exhibitions of works by children and youth. The Copley Family Gallery will be San Diego’s only professional space of its kind.

An enhanced toddler area, designed for babies and youngsters up to 3 years old, includes an intriguing sculptural crawling environment that is both physically and visually stimulating.

The theatre arts area will have a traditional stage and enhanced “backstage” with costume and make-up areas, mask making, storytelling and a new African/Native American drumming circle.

The museum also includes a clay studio and kiln area, a painting studio and mixed media studio.

New programs include the 3D and media studios, built with recycled auto windshields and ambulance doors, that are equipped with computer animation, video editing, and MDI software.

Increased space also will allow the development of an artist in residence program in which professional visual artists will set up a working studio for 30- and 60-day residencies.

The new public programming space, a 250-seat “black box,” is designed for flexible staging and will serve more than 100,000 children, parents, educators and other patrons annually. Dance events will showcase a diversity of styles from post modern to ballet folklorico to hip hop. Music will range from classical and popular to jazz and world music. Theater will be created and presented in collaboration with San Diego’s leading producers including Junior Theatre, the La Jolla Playhouse and the Old Globe. These art events will focus on age-appropriate content by and for children. It will be San Diego’s only presenting venue exclusively for children and will provide an invaluable introduction to the performing arts.

All of these exciting programs and activities are essential to the future of our children. The museum’s goals are ambitious, but I think San Diego’s children and families deserve a model Children’s Museum inside and out. I look forward to the work and challenges of opening of our museum in the fall of 2006.