Muse Knoxville highlights a year of growth at annual luncheon
More than 92,000 visitors to the children's museum traveled from 49 states and 10 different countries in 2024.
For the first time, the Muse Knoxville held their annual fundraising luncheon in the Jacob’s Building at Chilhowee Park. It was one of the non-profit museum’s largest luncheons to date, marking a significant year for the Muse. The Executive Director, Allison Comer welcomed hundreds of business leaders, community members, civic leaders, parents, students, and partners of the Muse for a special review of the museum’s accomplishments in the past year.
For a relatively small space, the Muse had a monumental impact on the Knoxville community and surrounding region in 2024. Last year, the museum had touch points with more than 143,308 children and caregivers. While a large portion of that comes from the regional school districts, the number also includes visitors from 49 states and 10 different countries. The secret is out – the Muse is the place to visit.
“We cut the ribbon on our Weather Wonders exhibit this year, which was a huge attractor for families and schools,” Comer said. “It was a popular exhibit for the more than 1,000 STEM and outreach initiatives our teams led this school year – and we still have two more months to go.”
The non-profit children’s museum is supported by grants, city funding, generous donors, corporate partners, and memberships. Comer shared that the Muse has about 3,000 memberships, and about 49 percent of them receive a subsidized discounted rate.
However, to keep providing subsidized memberships to an increasing number of families, the Muse will need to expand.
“We are feeling the physical restraints of our building every day. Our space can only hold 100 children at a time. We have three classrooms, each holding about 30 students,” she said. “It’s tight, and we don’t have room for expansion in our current building.”
The current Muse Knoxville museum location is in Chilhowee Park, near the Zoo Knoxville. Given its proximity to the fairgrounds, and other nearby infrastructure, the museum is landlocked and cannot expand the physical building any further to accommodate growth and new exhibits. As a result, the museum had a goal to raise $50,000 to begin the process of searching for a new space, design new exhibits, and expand outreach efforts.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon joined the Muse staff for the annual luncheon, drawing attention to the museum’s impact on a local level.
“There’s a waiting list for people who want to join the Muse, and the waiting list is longer than ever,” Kincannon emphasized. “We need to make it more accessible for the future, so more children have access to hands on STEM education.”
As of 2024, the Muse hosts field trips for about 184 school districts in the region. Last year, they welcomed 1,500 different field trip groups, exposing thousands of children to unique STEM learning opportunities.
As of the beginning of the luncheon on Tuesday, the museum had surpassed $36,000, inching them closer to its ultimate goal of $50,000.
To support the Muse Knoxville, click here.
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