The joseph moore museum will initiate the redesign of its gallery spaces to increase engagement with its collections and stem learning for its visitors

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded Earlham College, Inc. $1,043,238 on September 1, 2026, under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) to redesign gallery spaces at the Joseph Moore Museum and increase STEM learning engagement for visitors.

The museum will develop an overall plan for its galleries and detailed designs for two new exhibits focused on space science and the interplay between art and science. Working with an external design firm, the museum will conduct stakeholder workshops involving Earlham College faculty, students, and local community representatives to inform the gallery redesign. The museum will hire a graduate student to support project implementation and engage students and faculty from the college's physics, engineering, and astronomy departments to assist with exhibit development and installation. Project impact will be measured through visitor surveys assessing the exhibits' effects on college students, school groups, and other visitors.

Performance runs through August 31, 2028, at the museum in Richmond, Indiana. The award is classified as a Project Grant.

Based on the recent completion of an interpretive plan, the museum will work with an external design firm to hold workshops with stakeholders-including college faculty, students, and local community representatives-as IT develops an overall plan for the museum galleries and detailed designs for two new exhibits exploring space science and the interplay between art and science. The museum will hire a graduate student to assist with project implementation and engage students and faculty from the earlham college physics, engineering, and astronomy departments to assist with exhibit development and installation. The project team will use visitor surveys to measure the impact of the exhibits on college students, school groups, and other visitors.