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The second floor of Cleveland Botanical Garden is being transformed into an engaging learn-and-play family gallery
Discover the World of Plants
The second floor of Cleveland Botanical Garden is being transformed into an engaging learn-and-play family gallery that will deliver four seasons of activity.
By Kristen Hampshire
Rendering of the new 2nd floor galleries showing the area where kids can get active while learning about plants.
Roto prototyping an exhibit concept called Botanical Build with a local school group. Roto prototyping an exhibit concept called Botanical Build. Even adults loved this activity!
Experience, educate — touch, feel, do, see. A new family gallery at Cleveland Botanical Garden will consume the entire second floor and serve as a hands-on play-andlearn space, designed by the creative design agency, Roto, out of Columbus.
Roto is known for innovative, interdisciplinary spaces for museums, brands and attractions. The firm was retained by Holden Forests & Gardens to help imagine a space that sparks imagination and curiosity about plants and the natural world.
“The spaces will be visually intensive yet inviting,” says Jillian Slane, director of exhibits and experiences at Holden Forests & Gardens. Activities that span age groups will welcome children at a wide range of developmental stages to see, do, experience, play and create.
Rendering of the new 2nd floor galleries showing the studio area where kids can examine plants up close and get creative.
Plans are underway with a proposed opening of Spring 2022, and the space can be accessed from the Costa Rica Glasshouse and Eppig Gallery.
The gallery creates a permanent children’s activity space, which has been a longtime desire and is now coming to fruition, Slane says. When inclement weather results in the closing of the Hershey Children’s Garden, the family gallery will provide a dedicated area where young guests can participate in a range of fun.
What differentiates this gallery from other museum play spaces is its focus on plants, Slane explains.
Roto was an ideal partner to design and build the project because of their comprehensive in-house capabilities as a full-service firm, and their interest in truly kid-testing prototypes, Slane says. “They bring in school groups to play with prototypes and learn from how they interact with them — really kick the tires to see how durable the designs are they are constructing,” she relates, adding that pandemic testing has continued in a safe manner.
“That was appealing to us,” Slane says, adding that the overall design aesthetic aligns with Cleveland Botanical Gardens’ mission. It’s clean yet engaging — multi-faceted yet organized in a manner that allows for open exploration.
Ultimately, the family gallery gives members and visitors another year-round destination to explore. Slane says, “It will offer four seasons of engagement.”
Save the date Orchids Forever
