Discovery World hosts its annual gala on July 18 and the event is called, "Ensuring a Future of Discovery." Nothing better illustrates the spirit of that title that the lakefront museum's latest installation.
"The City of Freshwater," which has been open for a few weeks now, "is our reflection of the world's new relationship with water," says Executive Director Paul Krajniak.
"It puts into high focus what living on the largest body of freshwater in the world means in this century, including how we use water, how we reclaim it by cleaning it and how we need water to start new businesses. As part of this City of Freshwater, the Badger Meter Liquid House reflects that in our daily lives, everything begins with fresh water ... (it) teaches us how each person can impact the use of water."
The sleek, modern exhibit is both visually exciting and engaging, especially for -- but not only for -- young people, who can immediately see the effects of their behavior, from flushing a toilet to taking a shower to doing a load of laundry.
Add in exhibits that explain how the deep tunnel works, how rainwater and runoff return to the lake, how the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District treats wastewater, how Growing Power recycles water and in doing so raises fish and organic vegetables, and "The City of Freshwater" is one of the most information and immediate exhibits at the museum.
The exhibit, which is appropriately located on the second floor of the building that juts out into Lake Michigan, has been in the works since the museum was ideated, according to Discovery World CEO Joel Brennan.
"The concept was planned," he says. "The biggest sponsor we got for it was MMSD and that helped tailor exactly how we were going to do it. But (the space) was always set up for something like this.
During a recent visit, kids could be seen eagerly exploring most every station of the exhibit and one especially interested youngster asked Brennan about one facet of the installation and soon was barraging him for more and more information.
That's a measure of the success of the design and creation of "The City of Freshwater," which has the potential to really affect how Milwaukeeans see their own role in preserving our waterways and being more responsible users of fresh water resources. Not only is it educational, but it's fun and it's intertwined with our daily lives.
"It takes the mystery out of what happens and it kind of empowers people to have an influence on that big, sustainable resource that out there," says Brennan. "And they can get their hands wet. There's a rubber floor underneath and people can splash around and slosh around all they want.
"But it's really I think from an educational standpoint and from where Milwaukee is going, this is one of the richest opportunities we have to really help people and make this part of the fabric of education in Milwaukee."
Although parts of the exhibit are not yet complete, Brennan says that even when they are, people can expect "The City of Freshwater" to keep morphing.
"With everything we do it's an experiment and it will keep evolving and keep changing. The exhibit will never be finished entirely. It will always be an evolution."
In the meantime, black-tie gala director Lisa Cudahy believes that encouraging event guests to check out "The City of Freshwater" is a perfect way to let them see how their support of Discovery World is physically manifested.
"Connecting the gala with our new water exhibits is a great thing to do," she says. "Partners and donors will be able to experience first-hand how their contributions enlighten people about the value of water."
The gala, Saturday, July 18, from 6 p.m. to midnight, includes a cocktail hour, silent auction and a gourmet dinner prepared by Bartolotta Executive Chef Carlos DeLeon and his team.
Ticket details and other information on the gala can be found on the Discovery World Web site. ( http://www.discoveryworld.org)