Text and images by Museo Pambata, Philippines
Museo Pambata, the country’s first interactive children’s museum, is finally reopening its doors to the public last September 25, 2022, in celebration of Family Thanksgiving Day. (Executive Order No. 241).
After two years of being closed because of the pandemic, the museum has been greatly affected. While it has been challenging to sustain museum operations amidst the pandemic, the reopening is a testament to the museum’s commitment to nurture, protect and empower the Filipino community by providing safe spaces for play & learning.
Launch of the Re-Imagining
The reopening day of Museo Pambata marked the launch of a three-year timeline of the RE-IMAGINING Project. The holistic revamp involves the organizational, structural, re-curatorial and programs innovation guided by the leadership of the Museum President, Bambi Mañosa-Tanjutco, Executive Director, Micah Sofia Pinto and Museum Curator, Dayang Yraola.
As we say it takes a village to raise a child, it would take a greater village to raise a community of children. The reopening is an invitation for collaborators, partners, patrons, and donors to support the rebuilding of the museum.
Re-opening
With the Museo’s re-imagining project encompassing the re-curatorial, only the ground floor galleries will remain to be accessible. Visitors can expect to create new memories in new spaces and installations. These are the Bahay Pukyutan (design inspiration from National Artist, Arch. Bobby Mañosa), Arts and Crafts area (designed by Robert Alejandro), “PLAYTIME PARADISO”, Installation of Tyang Karyel (exhibited during 2022 Art Fair Philippines), and the updated Batang Bayani wall (designed by Rap Eya). Also, part of the new spaces is the “Batang Katutubo” installation in the Kalikasan room which was finished in 2019 right before the announcement of the first lockdown in the Philippines. National Artist Kidlat Tahimik’s exhibition from Spain was mounted in Museo Pambata as part of a Manila citywide exhibit.
Schedule and Rates
Following the reopening, the new schedule and rates for the rest of 2022 were announced. Museo Pambata is now open to the public every Friday-Sunday, 10AM to 5PM and has 2 types of days:
Open House (Fridays) Tour the ground floor galleries at your own pace and access to the Bahay Pukyutan playground. Rate is 300 pesos per head.
Playshop (Saturdays and Sundays) Participate in 2 workshops/activities, tour the ground floor galleries at your own pace, and access to the Bahay Pukyutan playground. Rate is 450 pesos per head.
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