Museum Expansion Project

DALLAS (Dec. 8, 2008) –Momentum continues to grow as the Museum of Nature & Science surpasses the $115-million mark with more than $14 million in donations made over the last several months. These contributions, which include a $5-million gift from former Governor William P. Clements, move the Museum even closer toward its current Expansion Project goal of $155 million, which will fund the site acquisition, exhibition planning, design and construction of the new Victory Park facility, education programs and an endowment.

In addition to Governor Clements’ gift is a $5-million contribution from Deedie and Rusty Rose along with three $1-million donations each from Maura B. and Timothy P. Costello, Exxon Mobil Corporation and The Hersh Foundation. Other gifts include three $500,000 contributions from The Mike and Mary Terry Family Foundation, EOG Resources and an anonymous donor and $250,000 from Forest Oil Corporation.

“Rita and I are delighted to support the Museum of Nature & Science,” said Governor Clements. “At a time when fewer and fewer young people choose to pursue the sciences as a career, it’s pretty evident we’ve got to do something to light a fire and inspire some excitement. This museum is a winner – and I know it’s going to make a big impact not only on kids but anyone with a morsel of curiosity, whether it be for nature, technology, the environment or future energy sources.”

Nicole Small, president & CEO of the Museum of Nature & Science stated that “despite the economic downturn, the Museum of Nature & Science continues to make steady progress toward its fundraising goal, ensuring our plans to break ground at Victory Park in the fall of 2009.”

“It’s very clear to us, in speaking to our current and prospective donors, that math and science education for our young people is a crucial investment that cannot be delayed, no matter the economic outlook,” said Small.

For several years, the Museum has been finalizing plans to build a new state-of-the-art nature and science museum in Dallas, which will supplement the existing Fair Park facilities. The need for additional space became even more critical after the 2006 merger, unlike any in the nation, of three cultural institutions – the Dallas Museum of Natural History (est. 1936), The Science Place (est. 1946) and the Dallas Children’s Museum (est. 1995).

In May of this year, the Museum of Nature & Science received a $50-million gift made by the Perot children in honor of their parents, Margot and H. Ross Perot. The Victory Park facility, which will supplement the existing Fair Park facilities to address the growing demand for math and science education, will be named the Perot Museum of Nature & Science.

Other major lead gifts for the new facility have included $10 million from Hunt Petroleum, $10 million from the Hoglund Foundation and Family, $10 million from The Rees-Jones Foundation, $10 million from T. Boone Pickens, and $2.5 million from the Corrigan Family.

The Perot Museum of Nature & Science will be constructed on a 4.7-acre site at the northwest corner of Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Field Street adjacent to Victory Park. In January 2008, the Museum named 2005 Pritzker Prize Laureate Thom Mayne of Morphosis as the architect for its new facility. Mayne is the first American in 17 years (since 1991) to be selected for architecture’s most prestigious award, the Pritzker Prize. This achievement capped a three-decade career in which Mayne received more than 100 awards and honors from across the world.

The goal of the new exhibition spaces is to create one-of-a-kind experiences using hands-on activities, collections and the latest in technological advances to communicate the wonders of nature and science.

The approximately 150,000 square-foot facility will be walking distance from the American Airlines Center, W – Dallas Victory Hotel and House of Blues, and just minutes from the Dallas Arts District, the largest urban cultural district in the country; the Sixth Floor Museum; the Trinity River Corridor Project; and intown districts such as Uptown and Turtle Creek.

The combined Fair Park and Victory Park facilities will dramatically increase space so that the Museum can showcase a wider spectrum of its valuable collections, incorporate modern technology, host world-class traveling exhibitions, and greatly expand its educational programs for schoolchildren and the general public. With the new spaces, the Museum can better accomplish its mission to “inspire minds through nature & science” and help Dallas and its citizens maintain their competitive edge by developing an educated workforce for the future.

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About the Museum of Nature & Science
The Museum of Nature & Science – the result of a unique merger in 2006 between the Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Science Place and the Dallas Children's Museum – is a non-profit educational organization located in Dallas' Fair Park. In support of its mission to inspire minds through nature and science, the museum delivers exciting, engaging and innovative visitor experiences through its education, exhibition, and research and collections programming for children, students, teachers, families and life-long learners. The facility also includes the TI Founders IMAX® Theater and a cutting-edge digital planetarium. The Museum of Nature & Science is supported in part by funds from the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the Texas Commission on the Arts and EDS. To learn more about the Museum of Nature & Science, please visit www.natureandscience.org.