Company Profile
Milwaukee Public Museum
Company Overview
"The Milwaukee Public Museum, a not-for-profit organization operated by
Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., is an institution of human and natural history providing a dynamic and stimulating environment for learning. The Museum interprets the world's cultural and natural heritage through the integration of exhibits, education, collections and research.
MPM holds its collections as a public trust and is dedicated to their preservation for the enrichment of present and future generations."
Company History
Today, the Milwaukee Public Museum is the pre-eminent human and natural history museum in the state of Wisconsin and is recognized by its museum peers around the world for excellence in exhibit design and educational programs. In 1882, by an action of the state legislature, the Milwaukee Public Museum was founded as a city institution with a collection of 20,000 objects and a staff of two. This original collection was largely a legacy of the Natural History Society of Wisconsin.
As collections grew and staff was added, the Museum moved from the German-English Academy to the Exposition building, where its first public halls were opened. In 1898, the Museum relocated to the Milwaukee Public Library and remained there for 65 years. From 1962-1963, in need of space of its own, the Museum moved to its current location. The Museum was accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1972.
Milwaukee County purchased the Museum from the City of Milwaukee in 1976. The Museum continued to be run as a county institution until an action was passed by Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors on November 12, 1991, approving a public/private partnership for the Museum. On March 31, 1992, the Milwaukee Public Museum officially began a new era in its history, and is now run as a private, not-for-profit organization governed by a 30-member volunteer board. The Museum building, lands and collections remain the property of Milwaukee County.
Since the advent of the public/private partnership, the Museum has added a large-screen theater, the Humphrey IMAX Dome Theatre and soon to be completed Daniel M. Soref Planetarium. The IMAX opened in the fall of 1996 and the Planetarium is expected to open November of 2006. The complex is a unique educational/entertainment center attached to the Museum building with expanded retail and food service areas.
The Museum has a long history of excellence in exhibition, education, research, and collections