press release
The State of Qatar Champions Education with a $2 Million Sponsorship of National Children’s Museum’s Centerpiece Exhibit
For immediate release:
July 9, 2019
– Dream Machine will Invite Children to Climb, Play and Explore in the Nation’s Capital –
Washington, DC – National Children’s Museum, a nationally recognized cultural and educational institution that serves children and families, is pleased to announce a cornerstone partnership with the State of Qatar. The generous $2 million gift from the State of Qatar will fund the fabrication and installation of the Museum’s centerpiece, The Dream Machine, a three-story climbing structure and slide.
“This transformative gift is critical to the reopening of National Children’s Museum,” said Crystal Bowyer, President & CEO of National Children’s Museum. “The State of Qatar will bring The Dream Machine, a landmark piece for Washington, D.C., to life, inspiring the next generation of children. We are thrilled to work with such a strong, global advocate of education to ensure this special learning experience will be accessible to all children.”
The Dream Machine will create a magical entrance for an estimated 500,000 national and local visitors annually. Spanning all three levels of the Museum, this artistic piece will be the physical manifestation of imagination, encouraging guests to slide into the exhibit experiences below. Critical to the Museum’s mission of inspiring all children, the cloud-like structure will include points of handicap accessibility.
“We are honored to partner with the National Children’s Museum to bring The Dream Machine to Washington, D.C.,” said H.E. Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, Ambassador of Qatar to the United States. “Qatar and the National Children’s Museum share the belief that there is no greater investment than education. This exhibit will inspire all those who visit to learn not only through physical play but science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) experiences as well.”
About National Children’s Museum
Reopening in November 2019, National Children’s Museum is poised for its greatest chapter yet, just steps from the White House and National Mall at 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. With accessible Metro and transportation options, locals and tourists alike will meet at National Children’s Museum for a playful learning experience dedicated to providing interactive science, technology, engineering, arts, and math exhibits and programs. Founded in 1974, the Congressionally-designated Museum has served Washington’s youngest learners for over 45 years.
About Qatar
Qatar is an independent state in the southern Arabian Gulf. Diplomatic relations with the United States were established in 1972; in the same year, Qatar’s first diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C. opened. The relationship between the two countries has always been friendly, highly productive, and reciprocal. Qatar is home to many Americans, and the United States is both Qatar’s largest foreign investor and its largest source of imports. Qatar-U.S. relations are growing continuously in multiple areas: economic, political, military, educational, and cultural. Qatar is a close ally of the United States and a strong advocate of building a peaceful, prosperous, and stable Middle East.
Qatar has provided significant humanitarian and development assistance to countries around the world, including the United States. In 2005, the State of Qatar announced the Qatar Katrina Fund, which provided $100M in grants for housing, healthcare and education projects directly to local partners across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to support long-term recovery in the region after Hurricane Katrina.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, the State of Qatar announced a gift of $30 million for the long-term recovery of the storm’s victims in Texas. The Qatar Harvey Fund was created to administer the gift.
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