Mexico: Festival of Toys at Chicago Children's Museum

Chicago Scenic's Senior Project Manager Ken Zommer worked closely with Chicago Children's Museum Project Manager Rudi Lyons and exhibit
designer Jennifer Schrider to create the Museum's latest temporary exhibit, "Mexico: Festival of Toys", a collection of more than 600 unique toys on loan from Papalote Children's
Museum in Mexico City.

Chicago Scenic's lead Mike Zaremba fabricated a wide variety of activity station elements that were designed to act as a backdrop for creative inspiration. Guests inspired by the colorful handmade dolls, puppets and musical instruments on display can stop in the DIY Toy Workshop to build their
own masterpieces.

The DIY Workshop features three workstations and multiple bin organizers that house craft materials in an accessible and tidy fashion. The recessed space incorporates the wood and corrugated metal materials found throughout the exhibit which is spread over two floors of the museum.

Outside the workshop, children clamber over a rainbow shape made of various carpet segments that range in color and texture. Guests can run through
a 5' diameter tunnel made of corrugated metal pipe or test the speed of toys on two different tracks.

The exhibit also features a mobile puppet theater on the first floor and another theater, complete with audience seating and working curtain, that's located in a recessed area adjacent to the Toy Workshop. Bright colors and a plywood façade separate the puppet theater from the second floor's great room of
interactives.

On the exhibit's first floor, younger guests can enjoy "Small Worlds", which features a rug and table landscape made from various carpet colors and textures. That same area features "Miniature Dwellings", a cityscape where guests can create their own interiors with miniature dolls and furniture.