The Mind Museum Bags International Award For Outstanding Achievement

Local landmark recognized as the first world-class institution in the Philippines

 in the 20th Annual Themed Entertainment Association Awards

The Mind Museum, the first world-class science museum in the Philippines, was recognized for its exceptional design and masterful execution of exhibits at the 20th Annual THEA (Themed Entertainment Association) Awards held last April 5 at the Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California. 

Universe Gallery

The Mind Museum is among 13 recipients of this year’s THEA Awards for Outstanding Achievement, bringing pride and honor to the country. The recognition comes as a first for any establishment in the Philippines and for science museums in Asia.

Other recipients include Gardens by the Bay in Singapore; Enchanted Tales with Belle in the Walt Disney Resort in Florida; Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE, shown in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas; and Marine Worlds Carousel in Nantes, France.  Past years’ awardees also include Waterworld, A Live Sea War Spectacular, in Universal Studios Hollywood; and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter in London, to name a few.  

TMM Exhibit Designers Mafe Bautista and Mark Bautista,
Museum Curator Maria Isabel Garcia, IAAPA 2014 Chairman Mario Mamon

The prestigious THEA Awards is considered and dubbed as the "Academy Awards" of the themed entertainment industry. Presented by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), an international non-profit association representing the world’s leading creators, developers, designers and producers of compelling places and experiences, it was created to help realize a key mission: bringing recognition to achievement, talent and personal excellence within different categories. 

TEA cites that The Mind Museum “went the extra step in expanding science into a fully experiential world, creating unusual scale, playful details and interactivity throughout... demonstrates true excellence in design and execution. The thematic thread and artistic treatments throughout the museum is what makes this project extraordinary by any standards.  This world-class design combined with sensory-rich experiences make The Mind Museum a truly outstanding achievement in the museum category.”

To quote The Mind Museum’s Curator Maria Isabel Garcia who received the award on behalf of her team, “The Philippines has figured in many tragedy-related records.  We ranked #3 in the World Risk Index under Climate Change and we have also landed the most destructive typhoon ever recorded. But now, we make a happy record in the first Philippine institution and the first science museum in Asia to receive one.

I thank our Board for believing and actively supporting the dream, the scientists here and all over the world who answered my cold emails, the artists for this was a project that was built because we had the arts “rescuing the sciences.” But most of all, I thank our people, the Filipinos, who, in their numbers and reactions when we finally opened our doors last 2012, told us “It’s about time”.

Kieth James (CEO, Owner, JRA) Maria Isabel Garcia (Curator, TMM),
Matthew Wheeler (Sr Project Director, JRA), Shawn McCoy (VP, Mtkg and Bus Dev JRA),
Mark Bautista (Industrial Design, TMM)

The Mind Museum was built to provide families and students an immersed educational experience, creating a unique way of sharing millions of stories about science, hoping to transform their lives by having a deeper understanding of the world. It recently marked two years of wonderment, exploration and creativity with adventures that have taken kids and kids-at-heart on an unforgettable journey.

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About The Mind Museum

The Mind Museum is a project of the non-profit Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc. It is dedicated to providing an extraordinary educational experience that promotes and inspires the public understanding of science. The Mind Museum concept is uniquely Filipino. Its exhibition takes off from a narrative that presents science in over 250 interactive exhibits through five interconnected stories. The exhibition spans nature in scale, from the smallest things in nature to the largest and everything in between: Atom, Earth, Life, Universe, and Technology.

Other References:

More about other 2014 THEA Awards Recipients: 

http://tea-connect.blogspot.com/2013/11/tea-prepares-for-20th-annual-thea.html

April 16 Press Release: Vibrant TEA Summit & Thea Awards Gala 2014 reflect today's international attractions industry:

http://tea-connect.blogspot.com/

Jack Rouse Associates, a leading museum and theme park designer, writes about The Mind Museum and THEA:

http://www.jackrouse.com/blog/7032/5458

The 2014 TEA Summit: Embracing Risk, Inspiring Change

http://www.inparkmagazine.com/the-2014-tea-summit-embracing-risk-inspiring-change/?utm_source=24Apr14&utm_campaign=24apr14&utm_medium=email