Children's 'museum without walls' to host inaugural event

When she moved to Sarasota two years ago from Hong Kong, Asya Stuart found herself in search of hands-on museum attractions to suit the needs of her three children. 

After she began working with other mothers in the area to help bring one to the community, she found that not only did demand exist in the area, but also another group led by Christina Fredericks was in pursuit of the same goal.

Courtesy image

In August, the two groups united, and now the Sarasota Children's Museum will be hosting its inaugural event, The Museum of Me, on Sunday, Jan. 7 at Ibis Playground in The Bay Park.

The museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit since November, is taking a “museum without walls” approach this year, developing programs and exhibits for the community and launching a fundraising campaign. Stuart hopes that by the end of 2024, the museum will have found its own dedicated space.

“It's designed to provide hands-on, playful experiences for the kids because children learn through play,” Stuart said. “The children's museum exhibits and programs are tailored experiences that allow kids to explore with their own senses, to touch, to pull and to really bring them into this 3D learning environment.”

She hopes Sunday’s event will serve to introduce the new nonprofit to the community.

“For us, it was mostly ‘Come and meet the team,’ because I feel like we've been working in the silent stage for so long,” Stuart said.

Correction: This article has been updated to state Asya Stuart moved to Sarasota from Hong Kong.