Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach) facts for kids
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MOAS Courtyard
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| Location | 352 South Nova Road Daytona Beach, Florida |
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| Type | Art, Science, History |
| Public transit access | Route 7, VOTRAN |
The Museum of Arts and Sciences, also known as MOAS, is a cool museum in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the main place for art, science, and history in Central Florida. MOAS gets support from the State of Florida and is connected to the famous Smithsonian Institution.
This museum is home to some amazing collections. You can find the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art here, which has the world's largest collection of Florida art. It also has The Lowell and Nancy Lohman Planetarium, the only planetarium on Florida's Space Coast. With over 30,000 items, MOAS is one of the biggest museums in Central Florida!
Contents
History of MOAS
The Museum of Arts and Sciences started in 1955. It was set up as a non-profit group to help people learn. The State of Florida officially recognized it in 1962.
Growth and Leadership
In 1977, an art expert named Gary Russell Libby became the director. Under his leadership, MOAS grew a lot. It became a museum recognized by the American Alliance of Museums. It also became a partner with the Smithsonian Institution.
The museum expanded from one small building to three different locations. It now covers a huge area of 120,000 square feet. Gary Libby also started the first international museum travel program in Florida. This program allowed thousands of people to explore cultures in many countries. These included places like Mexico, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
When Gary Libby retired in 2002, the museum honored him. They named the main lobby the "Gary R. Libby Entry Court." He was also named the first Director Emeritus.
The L. Gale Lemerand Wing
The West Wing of the museum was rebuilt and opened again on October 30, 2015. It was renamed the L. Gale Lemerand Wing. This part of MOAS is very large. It holds several special galleries.
This wing was originally built on a low spot. Because of this, it flooded in May 2009 after heavy rains. The museum got help from FEMA to rebuild it. They also received money from Volusia County and their own funds.
What's Inside the Lemerand Wing?
The L. Gale Lemerand Wing is home to many interesting exhibits:
- The Cuban Foundation Museum
- The Karshan Center of Graphic Art
- The Elaine and Thurman Gillespy Jr. Gallery, showing African artifacts
- The Marzullo Gallery, with weapons from around the world
- The Prehistory of Florida Gallery
- The Charles and Linda William's Children's Museum
Explore the Exhibits
The main building at MOAS has 10 permanent exhibits. These exhibits show off Florida's natural history. They also feature African and Cuban culture, Florida art, and science.
Some of the most exciting exhibits include:
- The most complete skeleton of a giant ground sloth in North America. You can see it in the Florida fossil gallery.
- The biggest permanent display of Cuban art outside of Cuba.
- A huge collection of Americana from Chapman Root. He was a Coca-Cola business owner. His collection includes two private train cars. It also has the second-largest collection of Coca-Cola items in the world. You can see original molds and patents for the famous bottle.
- A collection of beautiful international decorative arts.
- Early American furniture and art.
- A gallery dedicated to Chinese art.
- The Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art. This museum has the largest collection of Florida art anywhere.
About half of the exhibits are always there. But many others change every few months. This means there's always something new to see!
The museum also has its own theater. It's called the Root Hall auditorium. It can seat 265 guests for shows and events.
The Lowell and Nancy Lohman Planetarium
The MOAS Planetarium first opened its doors on October 11, 1972. One of its very first shows was about a "trip to the Moon." This was presented during the Apollo 17 mission. That mission was the last time people went to the moon. It launched from just an hour south of Daytona in December 1972.
Since then, the Planetarium has followed many NASA missions. It has shown everything from Pioneer 10's trip past Jupiter to the building of Skylab. It also covers the International Space Station and the current Artemis program to return to the Moon.
In 2014, the Planetarium was completely rebuilt. It became a new, modern facility. It now has a fully digital projection system. It also includes a special exhibit space. In 2021, it was officially named the Lowell and Nancy Lohman Planetarium.
Charles and Linda William's Children's Museum
MOAS opened the first science center in the area on November 21, 2008. This is the Charles and Linda William's Children's Museum. It has many hands-on science exhibits. The museum is a modern facility covering 9,000 square feet (836 square meters).
The Children's Museum has interactive exhibits that teach science ideas. Kids can build their own vehicles for a raceway. There are also doctor and radiologist exhibits. You can try a tennis ball launcher or use a video light microscope. There's even a make-believe pizza parlor!
Gamble Place Historic Site
Another cool place MOAS offers is Gamble Place. It is located within the Spruce Creek Preserve. This property shows off Florida's rich natural environment. It also tells a unique story about the past.
Gamble Place has three historic house museums. MOAS has worked to develop and restore this property. They worked with The Nature Conservancy and the City of Port Orange. It is now a 175-acre (0.71 square kilometer) park. It has trails that go through five different natural areas. Many rare and protected plants and animals live there.
Klancke Environmental Education Complex
In 2005, MOAS opened the Kim A. Klancke, M.D. & Marsha L. Klancke Environmental Education Complex. This complex is in Tuscawilla Preserve. It is a 90-acre (364,217 square meter) nature preserve. It sits right in the middle of Daytona Beach.
The preserve has over 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) of boardwalks and nature trails. It protects a special type of Florida forest called a coastal hammock. This area is a home for many endangered plants and animals.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de las Artes y las Ciencias (Daytona Beach) para niños
