Louisiana Art & Science Museum Inc

AS THE SPACE SHUTTLE NEARS RETIREMENT, MOST AMERICANS REMAIN UNAWARE OF THE SPACECRAFT THAT COULD REPLACE IT OR ITS PLANNED DESTINATIONS. THE GOAL OF

FIE EARMARK GRANT AWARDS

THE LOUISIANA ART & SCIENCE MUSEUM (LASM) WILL CONDUCT A THREE-YEAR PROGRAM, ?HEALTHY AGING WITH LASM,? WHICH WILL SERVE SENIOR ADULTS IN THE 11-PARISH CAPITAL REGION. THE MUSEUM WILL IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CAPITAL AREA AGENCY ON AGING, THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH COUNCIL ON AGING, THE BATON ROUGE GENERAL ARTS IN MEDICINE PROGRAM, AND DR. REBECCA BARTLETT. SENIOR ADULTS HAVE FACED UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS OF ISOLATION, STRESS, AND HEALTH RISK DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE MUSEUM WILL PRESENT VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON ART AND SCIENCE PROGRAMMING DESIGNED TO COMBAT ISOLATION, FOSTER MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS, AND PROMOTE HEALTHY AGING. PROGRAMMING WILL INCLUDE VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS, DISTRIBUTION OF ARTS AND SCIENCE VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSETS, AND A SERIES OF HANDS-ON ARTS WORKSHOPS.

THE LOUISIANA ART AND SCIENCE MUSEUM WILL CREATE NEW DIGITAL TOURS FOR ITS SOLAR SYSTEM GALLERY, ANCIENT EGYPT GALLERY, AND OUR LOUISIANA MAIN ART GALLERY, WHICH WILL BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE MUSEUM'S IN-PERSON GUIDED TOUR AND GUIDED EXPLORATION PROGRAMS FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH-GRADE STUDENTS. EACH DIGITAL TOUR WILL FEATURE A GALLERY TOUR GUIDED BY STAFF CONTENT EXPERTS ALONGSIDE COLLABORATING CONTENT EXPERTS, IN ADDITION TO CLOSE-UP INVESTIGATIONS OF RELEVANT OBJECTS FROM THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION. AFTER THE DIGITAL TOUR PRESENTATION, DOCENTS WILL FACILITATE A GUIDED DISCUSSION AND INVESTIGATION OF THE GALLERY, ALONG WITH A HANDS-ON ACTIVITY FOR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN GUIDED EXPLORATION PROGRAMS. THE MUSEUM ALSO WILL DEVELOP A NEW VOLUNTEER DOCENT PROGRAM. THIS PROJECT WILL ENHANCE THE MUSEUM'S CAPACITY TO DELIVER INTERPRETATION-DRIVEN, DOCENT-GUIDED PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE MUSEUM'S RECOVERY FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.