The Franklin Institute has received a $3 million gift from the Boeing Company to develop a new exhibit on space exploration ahead of the museum’s 200th anniversary in 2024.
The gift from Boeing, a leading aerospace company, will allow the Franklin Institute to transform and expand its existing exhibit into an immersive two-storey gallery
“Boeing has a long and storied history of space exploration,” said Ziad Ojakli, Boeing’s executive vice president of government operations.
“As part of our proud space legacy, we know that space can be an indispensable tool for inspiring and engaging students around science, technology, engineering and math,” he added.
Franklin Institute reimagining core exhibits
Ojakli said the investment “will be transformative for both the Franklin Institute and the hundreds of thousands of students who will visit the reimagined space exhibit each year, ensuring future generations can be inspired by the endless possibilities of space”.
The Franklin Institute, home to the second oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, is set to reimagine its core exhibits over the next five years.
According to a release, the new exhibit will “provide opportunities to experience space phenomena, control forces of nature, and explore what it takes to live, work and play in outer space“.
“This cutting-edge, dynamic, fully-immersive exhibit is groundbreaking,” said Larry Dubinski, president and CEO of the Franklin Institute.
Museum celebrates 200th anniversary in 2024
“Involving all sectors of the community using an outside-in approach was an important part of this process to ensure that we created an exhibit that satisfies the desires of our many visitors,” he added.
“We listened and learned, and now we are ready to deliver an exceptional experience.”
Elsewhere, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has unveiled a new brand and identity for the first time since opening in 1976.
The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is the most visited museum in Pennsylvania. The 7,000-square-foot space exhibit will offer a sensory experience when it opens in fall 2023.
Images: The Franklin Institute
