Like many children in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Atiba Edwards created some of his fondest childhood memories at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (BCM), from the tunnel at the entrance to staring at a 35-foot Burmese python,.
“We have this tunnel, or people tube, that has been a key part of my life and many people’s lives. It’s been around since the ’70s. I definitely remember running down that tunnel, having a blast,” he said.
Since 1899, the BCM has been known for blending and adapting elements of natural history, local history, and art into child-friendly and play-focused ways. The museum played a foundational role in Edwards’s childhood, and shaped his appreciation for the role it played in the community by making cultural and educational opportunities accessible to all for the last 125 years.
Today, Edwards leads the institution with the same sense of wonder and purpose he felt as a young visitor, and as the first Black person in that role. After careers in investment banking and education, Edwards joined BCM in 2019 as chief operating officer. By November 2023, he was promoted to president and CEO. “It’s come full circle,” he said of his connection to the museum.
The museum is rooted in its mission to celebrate and serve Brooklyn’s diverse population. According to the Furman Center, the borough is 12.3% Asian, 26.9% Black, 18.9% Hispanic, and 35.7% white, with high-income disparities between neighborhoods and a poverty rate at just under 20% in 2022.
Under Edwards’s leadership, the BCM continues to deepen its engagement with the community. This mission is evident in the dozen cultural festivals BCM hosts annually that highlight various traditions while providing informal learning opportunities. Edwards said these festivals are co-created with local artists, fostering collaboration and honoring the borough’s evolving communities.
Marielle Argueza photos
Brooklyn is made child-sized at World Village, which features real-life borough businesses in miniature, such as L&B Spumoni Gardens Pizzeria and Restaurant 
Toad stays warm on a rock, one of BCM’s live-animal exhibits 
Just as at a real construction site, Yeju Choi (left) and Chat Traviesoda (right) revise and restructure their exhibit, “In the Works”
Approximately one-third of visitors attend for free, thanks to programs like Cool Culture, SNAP discounts, grants supporting Title I schools, or schools receiving extra federal funding due to socioeconomic need. This past October, the museum received a $100,000 grant to support free field trips.
Its “Museum on the Go,” which launched more than five years ago, delivers curated kits to classrooms, ensuring that even schools unable to organize field trips can bring the museum experience to their students.
The pandemic underscored the BCM’s importance as a community resource. Despite closing temporarily during COVID-19, the museum was one of the first children’s institutions on the East Coast to reopen. Edwards noted that families were searching for safe, familiar places where their children could play and find a sense of normalcy. The BCM provided that refuge, solidifying its role as an essential “third space” — a place where children could enjoy unstructured time to explore, imagine, and connect with peers.
“We’ve always seen ourselves as a community institution,” Edwards said, pointing to the BCM’s longstanding commitment to Crown Heights and beyond. This vision drives the museum’s focus on inclusivity, education, and innovation. Recent highlights include the annual Art Rink, which commissions artists to decorate the BCM’s version of an ice rink, and “In the Works,” a STEM Maker space exploring construction themes through what is essentially a child-safe scaffold.
Built by Yeju Choi and Chat Traviesoda, New York-based artists known for their community-based public art projects, “In the Works” brings a common sight in the city inside: scaffolding. “It’s kind of like embracing what’s already part of the built environment,” said Choi.
Like all exhibits in the museum, there aren’t many rules to “In the Works.” What looks like a slide can be a steep ramp. What looks like the green wood construction barriers can be a canvas. What is usually frowned upon in the outside world — like graffiti — is OK and even encouraged. “We decided to put walls here so that kids can start personalizing it and drawing and doodling, putting their graffiti on it, just like on the street,” said Traviesoda.
As BCM celebrates its 125th anniversary, the museum continues to honor its legacy while looking toward the future. Reflecting on the museum’s intergenerational impact, Edwards recalled families who visited as children now bringing their own kids, and even grandchildren, to experience the museum. With new programs and initiatives underway, the BCM aims to inspire the next generation while remaining a cornerstone of Brooklyn’s cultural and educational landscape.
The BCM will close out the year with exciting events celebrating its 125th anniversary. On Dec. 21–22, the museum will offer free admission and invite families to participate in an array of intergenerational activities. Highlights include hands-on art workshops, live performances, and immersive exhibits that honor Brooklyn’s cultural diversity. These festivities aim to bring together visitors of all ages, reflecting BCM’s mission to provide accessible and engaging experiences for the community. For more info, visit www.brooklynkids.org.