A new two-part interactive exhibit has officially landed at the Chicago Children’s Museum. Aim High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen, honors the rich history of the all-Black fighter pilots of World War II while also showing children the math and science of flight.
The exhibit is a colorful display, located in a corner room of the museum. Inside, young children are immersed into the world of aviation, with different layouts of airport and military runways, toy airplanes, puzzles, and costumes. The Aim High exhibit also includes an actual aircraft simulation, where kids will be able to sit inside the cockpit of an airplane.
“This allows kids to start to really learn the basics of aviation,” said Noah Cruickshank, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Guest Services. Parents are welcome to participate in the fun, as the lifesize installation comes with real airplane passenger seats as well.
The museum unveiled the new exhibit on September 28 at an event also featuring Navy Pier board member Dr. Nicholas Pierce, and John Rodgers, co-ceo of Aerial Investments, whose father was a Tuskegee Airman.
The Tuskegee Airmen were an all-Black regiment trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. Tasked with escorting heavy bombers deep into enemy territory during World War II, they made history in 1944, when the 99th and 332nd squadrons were first given an opportunity to fly. Later known as the Red Tails, these bomber escorts went on to destroy over 250 German planes, nearly 1,000 railcarts and transport vehicles; all while executing more than 200 escort missions.
This information can be found in the opening part of the exhibit as soon as you walk through the door, titled Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight.
First seen at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Black Wings was a collaboration with Hosanna House Inc., a well known community center in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, that provides programs and essential services.
The rest of the exhibit is an interactive play area, brought to the museum in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Like the other exhibits at the Chicago Children’s Museum, the Aim High section places the focus on interactive learning through play. Kids can touch, feel and physically see themselves as a pilot.
“We knew this would be a really good fit for the folks that are coming in the door,” said Noah Cruickshank, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Guest Services at Chicago Children’s Museum. “We were always trying to create opportunities for the kids here to see themselves in the exhibitions that we have, and learn and grow for them.”
Like other museums in the city, the CCM’s lakefront location inside of the Navy Pier is no deterrent to visitors from each corner of Chicago. Sure it’s a tourist destination but also, many local families take advantage of the museum in the winter months for hands-on tactile learning via play. A typical visitor there will see a nearly even mix of Black, brown, Asian, Latino and biracial visitors.
“Our visitation is really close to the demographics of Chicagoland, and we’re really proud of that,” Cruickshank told The Triibe. In the new exhibit, children of all different backgrounds will be able to imagine themselves as larger than life figures.
The Chicago Children’s Museum has made it their mission to integrate immersive learning into the framework of how Chicago’s youth processes information. Cruickshank shared with The TRiiBE that the museum would be participating in a major initiative, involving 26 Chicago public schools located in Black and Brown communities.
“We’re helping to build out interesting, dynamic spaces in unused classrooms,” he told us. This program will integrate playful, immersive learning in the classroom, as well as give teachers the necessary training to compliment the new equipment.
This will give outdated classrooms the necessary life needed to engage children at a level they find interesting and helpful, just like the many experiences available at the museum.
“Part of what we do is underscore for the children coming through our door, that they have so many possibilities open to them,” he said. “We want to make sure that kids feel that way when they’re coming in, and when they’re leaving.”
The Aim High exhibit will be at the Chicago Children’s Museum through January 20, 2025. Navy Pier is located downtown, at 700 E. Grand Ave.
The post Immersive Tuskegee Airmen exhibit lands at Chicago Children’s Museum appeared first on The TRiiBE.
