Organization Information:

Organization Name

Durango Discovery Museum

Organization's Mission Statement

Our Mission: To ignite curiosity, spark imagination, and power exploration. Our Vision: To be a leading science and educational center in the Southwest that brings together curious minds of all ages, inspires innovative learning, and unleashes human potential.

Organization Website

http://www.durangodiscovery.org

Submission Information

Impact Essay

One hundred years in the making—no wonder they’re done waiting. The Durango Discovery Museum at the Powerhouse is supposed to be the coolest interactive science center ever. But will it ever open? Five intrepid kids grow impatient with the grownups’ slow progress, so they take matters into their own hands. With the help of a mysterious voice from the past (played by NPR’s infamous Dr. Science), the Kids discover their special powers and set out to make their vision for the Powerhouse "really real." High jinks ensue. It’s a kid show. It's viral fundraising for a worthy social sector cause. It's a history lesson with a shocking twist. It’s your chance to help the Kids bring the Powerhouse to life! The Powerhouse Kids is a live-action webisode series designed to engage audiences in the mission to open an interactive science center for all ages in a historic power plant on the banks of the Animas River in Durango, Colorado. The series was produced by the Durango Discovery Museum, Exposure Productions, The City of Durango, and City Span 10 with support from the Preserve America Initiative. Sarah Douglas of gaiacreative, graphic designer for the project, on driving social change through strong design: "As the Durango Discovery Museum’s graphic designer, I use Adobe’s Creative Suite to handle all aspects of the non-profit science museum’s needs. The museum is constantly growing and adding new educational and fundraising programs, so they need brand identity for their programs quickly and on a small budget. Adobe Illustrator is my go-to program for all logos and vector artwork, including the Powerhouse Kids insignia—currently "playing" as a temporary tattoo on a kid near you. I can quickly move from one Adobe program to another, creating graphics in Illustrator that place seamlessly into a DVD eco-wallet design created in InDesign. InDesign is really a powerhouse (no pun intended/well, kinda). In it, I create everything from large-scale banners to push-the-envelope invitations and posters. Photoshop allows me to save artwork as JPGs and transparent GIFs–making it simple for museum staff to use their logos on pieces created in-house. Adobe Creative Suite allows me to build a solid brand for the museum. It helps me create a variety of designs over numerous mediums that all share the "fun and interactive" concept. Come to think of it, CS programs are a lot like that for me–fun and interactive. I’m constantly discovering new capabilities and exploring new ideas with the help of the software. My explorations within the software have allowed the Durango Discovery Museum to stand out as a force for social change through informal, hands-on learning."

Image

Video

URL

http://bit.ly/phkidsvideocomplete

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