
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 28, 1994                   TAG: 9404010009
SECTION: NEWSFUN                    PAGE: NF-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HOW DID 'MINDPLAY' GET HERE?

Sometimes you might wonder why you have to pay to get into the Science Museum of Western Virginia or to see special displays. It costs the museum a lot of money to bring shows from other places.

The exhibit wasn't made here. It was designed and built by The Science Place in Dallas, Texas. The museum here pays The Science Place rent so Roanoke can have it for a few months.

A lot of the special exhibits come from other museums, and, aside from paying rent, the Science Museum pays to ship it here, advertises that it's here so people will come, puts up special lights, sometimes paints walls or builds new ones and makes signs that go with the exhibit.

Judy Hensley, Exhibits director, said prices to rent an exhibit for two or three months start at $15,000-$20,000 and even go up to $100,000. Some local companies and individuals think it's so important to have special shows here that they donate money to the museum to help pay some of the costs. Schools also pay when students visit.

by CNB