Old Favorites, New Fun
Young visitors to the Clay Center
play with an exhibit and conduct a
scientific experiment.
When the Clay Center for the Arts
and Sciences opened in Charleston the
summer of 2003, the goal was to offer
kids and their parents a place to explore
science on the screen and in their
hands. Eight years later, the dream is
being realized each day.
“The Clay Center is great for families because they can learn together, whether it’s
a movie about oceans in the giant-screen theater, a planetarium show, or an exhibit,”
said Lewis Ferguson, director of Visual Arts and Sciences.
The Clay Center has a new gallery called Mylan Explore-atory. It features a variety
of changing, temporary science exhibits throughout the year to give guests new and
different experiences. There will be a new exhibit every three months.
“These will be appealing to all age groups,” Ferguson said. “The first one was all
about the history of toys and the science behind them. Then we had a space exhibit
where visitors could see the world from a satellite’s perspective. This past summer
we let people put their sleuthing skills to the test. They used forensic science
techniques like fingerprinting and DNA analysis to investigate clues at a crime scene.”
The Clay Center has several exhibits and play areas that are permanent fixtures.
Gizmo Factory is made up of more than 30 exhibits exploring physical science with
emphasis on engineering, sound, light, color, energy and magnetism. Health Royale
lets kids explore the human body and test their health knowledge. Kidspace is an area
reserved for the littlest visitors, age five and under.
The Clay Center also offers workshops for both kids and adults. The hours are
Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more
information visit theclaycenter.org.