Children's Museum, 25 years after founding, launches first endowment campaign.

Sometimes writers must go far afield geographically in search of a story. But so much is happening in the arts today that it is no surprise to find interesting news virtually anywhere, even down the block. In this instance down the block is West 83rd Street in Manhattan and the subject, a stone's throw from this writer's residence, is the Children's Museum of Manhattan.

The museum is one of many New York City cultural institutions currently involved in a major funding effort, but major effort, especially in New York, is a relative term. For although this past summer, the museum launched what is for it a giant fund drive - a five-year, $15.5 million capital campaign which includes $7 million for the museum's first endowment fund - that figure is dwarfed by the ongoing capital campaigns of several prestigious, well-established city cultural organizations including the American Museum of Natural History, with a $425 million drive; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a $400 million drive; and the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Botanical Garden, both of whom have $200 million drives underway.

However, the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is far from intimidated by the sound of millions of dollars falling nearby, and like several other smaller institutions swimming in a sea of whales, it is confident that it will meet the challenge of achieving the significant goals that it has set for itself. These goals include a major expansion of its facility, the creation of new and innovative exhibitions for its target audiences of youngsters and families, and a financial underpinning that assures its stability and continued growth. "Our campaign may seem modest when compared to the campaigns going on around us," said museum director Andrew Ackerman, "but it is only because our past history is so modest. Our real challenge in this campaign is to make our donors and potential donors understand the importance of investing in children and families."

That modest past began with the museum's founding in a Manhattan storefront 25 years ago because Manhattan, a borough with museums of every kind, did not have one focusing on children and families. Developing a small but loyal following in its early years, when it found a home in an old firehouse on Manhattan's West 54th Street, it made a major move in 1989 to a former private school on Manhattan's W. 83rd Street, raising over $8 million for remodeling and its initial exhibits. Over the past decade, it has built an annual audience of 250,000 in one of the most densely visited spaces in the city. Through its programs, it also has reached into New York City schools and to audiences in other cities as well. Through its exhibitions, the museum has developed innovative ways to reach new segments of its audience. Wordplay, an exploration of fun with language, which opened this past October, is the first exhibition of its kind in New York City to tap children from infants up to age four, their parents and caregivers.