Case Statement for Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium

1. Museum and Planetarium Background: History, Mission and Accomplishments

Since opening to the public in May 1991, the Museum of Coastal Carolina has become a major educational and cultural attraction for vacationing families, students and residents of Brunswick County, North Carolina. The Museum offers exhibitions and educational enrichment programs to stimulate the interest and understanding of natural science, history and cultures unique to the coastal area of the Carolinas.

Ingram Planetarium opened to the public in May 2002 and offers theater shows, exhibitions and programs about astronomy and science. Specific audience groups are served by key programs for young children, families, K-8 students and senior citizens.

The Museum, located on Ocean Isle Beach and the Planetarium, located on Sunset Beach are four miles apart. Both Beaches are popular tourist destinations, and visitors come from all over the country and from overseas. Many vacationing families and school groups visit both facilities and take advantage of the diverse programs. School groups travel from surrounding counties in South Carolina and North Carolina. Brunswick is one of only 5 NC counties having both a planetarium and a natural science museum.

The Museum had three expansions to a total of 24,000 square feet. The 7,000 square foot Planetarium is the latest expansion. In spite of rapid building growth, the Museum retains a small-town, family-oriented atmosphere. Government leaders, general public, and teachers have high regard for the programs and facilities.

The Museum and Planetarium recently added new, permanent exhibitions.

All of the facility expansions and new exhibits were funded by private donations and grants. The Museum received a competitive $10,000 grant from the EPA Environmental Education Fund to install the stormwater runoff exhibit.

2. Community Need for Programs

The Museum and Planetarium are the only cultural tourism attractions in the area, serving approximately 30,000 visitors annually. They play an important role in the local economy by providing a destination for vacationing families to spend social time together. They also provide a unique educational resource for approximately 3,000 students and teachers annually.

As the population increases and demographics change, the Museum must provide contemporary and topical content to meet the audience needs. Some exhibits are aging and need restoration or replacement after more than 15 years of use. Analog planetarium shows are becoming hard to find as technology changes to digital format. At the same time, local government budget cuts have put a strain on the services the Museum provides Meeting operating expenses by increasing ticket sales is a conundrum because it requires more paid staff, marketing, programs, and supplies to meet the needs of the visitor.

The alternative – reducing visitor services - would have a negative effect on the local tourist industry in our area. Golf is a major draw with 43% of Brunswick’s visitors playing golf on 31 golf courses. The Museum and Planetarium provide educational, social, and entertaining opportunities for family members who do not play golf. Also, these facilities draw vacationers from area beaches that might otherwise travel to Myrtle Beach, SC or Wilmington, NC to spend dollars on attractions, food and gasoline.

Science education would suffer by reducing visitor services as well. Teachers get professional development credit at workshops. “Super (astronomy) workshop! You brought something so intangible down to earth,” wrote a Brunswick County 3^rd grade teacher. Professional, highly trained staff, updated exhibitions and equipment provide students and teachers the best informal science education opportunities in the area.

3. Meeting the Needs of the Community

Families visit museums primarily to spend quality time together. The needs of diverse ages are met by providing a variety of programs, exhibition components and activities.

Tourists will be served by forming a community advisory committee with participation from local tourism business owners, the Chambers of Commerce, and the NC Tourism Development Association in Brunswick County.

Thriving, non-profit museums have strong connections with the local community and are perceived as an integral part of the community. The community advisory committee will include local government leaders, property owners and other non-profit groups to get input about how to best serve the needs of the community.

The components of the programs and projects will expand on existing methodologies. Oral histories and lectures have been popular, especially with adult groups. Children and parents appreciate the hands-on exhibits in each gallery. Inquiry-based learning is the hallmark of activities in the Dennis Science Hall at Ingram Planetarium. Updated science research topics will be included in the dome shows. Teacher workshops and special events will provide learning opportunities for school children. Survey forms, interviews, and pre/post activity packets will be utilized to evaluate the success of educational programming and visitor satisfaction. The desired outcome is to provide high quality exhibits, dome shows, and programs for all visitors so they go away with a better understanding and inspiration to learn more about our unique coastal environment and astronomy. Another outcome is to connect with the local community and become a center of community activity.

4. Museum and Planetarium Qualifications to Succeed

Currently there are no other facilities in our area that provide a similar product to the tourist industry or the schools. The Museum was conceived and built to fill a niche that connects the visitor to the natural environment at the coast. The Planetarium serves to introduce the wonders of the sky and space exploration. The Museum and Planetarium currently enjoy a perception of high quality programming and exhibits based on visitor satisfaction surveys.

The vision of the Museum founders and hard work by excellent paid and volunteer staff resulted in a strong foundation on which to build. Key staff members have several years experience in museum education, marketing, and planetarium operations. As the visitor needs increase, these experienced key staffers will be mentors to new staff that will be needed to expand visitor services and increase quality of exhibits and programs to an even higher standard.

The facilities are well maintained. The Museum's recent successful building campaign led to several facility enhancements including the replacement of its roof and updated fire exits.  Fiscal accountability is a high priority and general accounting standards are consistently practiced. The Museum of Coastal Carolina ranks very high regarding cost effectiveness when compared to museums of similar size and visitation. Maintaining and updating the exhibits is a high priority at both the Museum and Planetarium. The strategic plan involves conservation and preservation of exhibits and artifacts, updating content and technologies, and expanding services to a wider audience.

5. Addressing These Challenges

As the resident population increases and as the tourism industry expands in Brunswick County, the Museum and Planetarium plan equipment upgrades, restoring or replacing exhibits and expanding program services. Additional full time positions and seasonal staff will be sought to facilitate programs and provide visitor services in the peak, summer season. Planning grants will be sought from National Science Foundation and Institute for Museums and Library Services. Local government officials will be contacted regarding the effect on the community and on the tourist industry as a whole.

6. Moving Ahead

The Museum of Coastal Carolina was created by the founders for the purpose of inspiring visitors to learn and understand the natural science, environment and cultural history of the unique region of the Carolina coast. Because of a geologic barrier known as the Cape Fear Arch, this region is rich with species diversity and home to more threatened and endangered species than any other county in North Carolina. The agriculture and fisheries industries played a key role in the cultural history of this area. The treats to these species and the ecosystem increase as more people relocate to this once desolate county. The Museum plays a unique and important role in educating residents, students and visitors about these issues.

The Planetarium is a valuable asset to the local economy because it draws audiences to a one-of-a-kind facility in this area. And local students have access to science and technology educational opportunities that only a few counties can offer.

The Museum and Planetarium are in good position to increase program offerings and expand the reach to a wider audience. The goals of updating program equipment, restoring aging exhibits and modernizing content will better serve the audience in understanding their role in this unique coastal environment. And increasing the audience base will be a benefit to the local tourist-dependant economy.