Museum lover takes helm of Children's Museum

Five years ago, Art Krupicz would never have imagined the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada is where he would end up.

But the new executive director of the museum said that taking the helm just seemed to be the right move.

"I've always been in museums and I'm trained as an archeologist," Krupicz, 31, said. "I spent time hacking my way through the jungle with machetes and I discovered that it was more fun to tell people about archeology than to hack through the jungle."

Krupicz has a bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Maryland and a Master's Degree from the University of Arkansas.

Since his days working in the jungles of Puerto Rico, Krupicz has spent his time in and around museums of all kinds.

Krupicz, along with his wife and son, recently moved from Sante Fe, N.M., to Carson City. He joined the museum part-time in June and took over the director's position full-time in mid August. While he said he didn't expect to be working in a Children's Museum, it has become a good fit.

"I want to contribute to the community and working in museums is a good way to do that."

Over the next several months, the museum will undergo a low-key redevelopment in hopes of providing a larger variety of programs and increasing sponsorships.

"We are trying to bolster the exhibits and programs. We have ideas that will let us continue to keep things fresh," Krupicz said. "The goal is to make the exhibits refreshing and frequently changing so children are discovering new things all the time."

In addition to rotating exhibits, the museum staff also hopes to increase the number of programs and workshops offered, especially those geared at older children.

"Most of our exhibits are designed for children from toddler to about 10 years old. So we wanted to start developing more programs for tweens and teens," Krupicz said.

The museum has begun hosting teen dances and has partnered with the Community Council on Youth to offer the opportunity for older children to produce video projects.

"With this program teens can write, film and edit their own projects. They can do anything from short movies, music videos and public service announcements," Krupicz said.

The biggest hindrance to the museum's plan, according to Krupicz, will be funding.

"We are a classic small non-profit. We are always looking for funding to remain self-sustaining. We don't have a trust or major benefactors and we aren't part of the government system," Krupicz said.

Even with all of the anticipated changes, one thing will remain the same.

"We want to make changes so people will continue to appreciate the museum and we want everyone who can use it to be able to," Krupicz said.

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.