The Muskegon Area District Library (MADL), founded in 1938, serves a large area of Muskegon County in Michigan. The library saw a critical community need for high-quality spaces where young children could be engaged and challenged, specifically supporting their ‘Every Child Ready to Read’ initiative. They weren’t looking for more play places, but rather dynamic and immersive environments designed specifically to foster development in children ages 0-5. MADL challenged a full-service exhibit design and fabrication firm to create spaces that would effectively integrate the five areas of early education and learning, as well as incorporate essential STEAM learning exhibits. The library envisioned three distinct but similarly themed ‘Literacy Villages’ at three of their branches. They needed a partner that understood the high standards for safety, durability, and quality required for children’s environments, but also had a significant comprehension of childhood development theory. And, of course, the final product had to be fun!
In 2018, Taylor Studios designed, fabricated, and installed Storyville, a captivating and immersive village that spans the three libraries at Norton Shores, Montague, and Muskegon Heights. This comprehensive library exhibit design project created a series of custom-built exhibits where, no matter which piece of this enchanting village a child visits, they are invited into an experience that is just their size. At Wildcat Beach, they can enter a Submarine and look out of a fully functioning periscope. Olthoff Bay includes a walk-in lighthouse and a sailboat, promoting imaginative play. The adjacent ‘Baby Garden’ gives a soft, touchable, and safe space for the youngest visitors (ages 0-2) to safely explore as well. A playhouse and garden await children at The Neighborhood. Each area of Storyville is filled with murals, plant models, arrays of hands-on interactives, themed seating, and kid-friendly climbables. Designed to fascinate and delight young visitors, these educational displays are an excellent example of durable exhibit construction that seamlessly blends fun and learning for the community.
