Tucker Shea sat in the new Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention building with a construction hat perched on his head.
Surrounded by a crowd of people, the 12-year-old displayed his invention — a hat with a light bulb connected to the top that would illuminate with the press of a button. Tucker 3-D printed parts of the invention himself. Whenever he got an idea, his hat would glow and the crowd would erupt in a chorus of oohs and aahs.
The pre-teen was one of 200 guests who gathered Thursday at the Cade Museum, located at 904 S. Main St., to celebrate the third annual Inventivity Bash and see the newly unveiled building, said Leslie Ladendorf, the museum operations director.
“We’re very excited and thrilled to have this building here in Depot Park to be a partner with the community,” she said.
With the light bulb hat perched on Tucker’s head, his father, John Shea, said his son’s interest in 3-D printing, innovation and creativity were all nurtured by the Cade Museum.
“It definitely has given him a lot of opportunities to express himself, to learn new tools and to be creative in designing things,” he said.
Ladendorf said this year’s Inventivity Bash Tickets included a scavenger hunt, hands-on demonstrations and science exhibits. Tickets for the event, an annual fundraiser for the Cade Museum, began at $200. For the past eight years, the museum has also presented the Cade Prize to a Florida-based startup company, Ladendorf said. Cellvana Biotechnology, a company that developed a way to effectively and rapidly culture cells, walked away with the $50,000 prize this year.
The two-story building was designed and constructed using the Fibonacci sequence, Ladendorf said. The dome in the middle of the building rises 60 feet. Inside, the museum will highlight the story of Gatorade, Florida technology and incorporate travelling interactive exhibits. It’s expected to open to the public in April 2018, she said.
In the past, the Cade Museum has been viewed as a children’s museum, but now they’ll offer programming and exhibits for all ages, Ladendorf said.
John Shea is grateful for the experiences the Cade Museum has given his son, Tucker.
“I’m glad (Cade has) the building now,” he said. “Without the physical presence where people see it there, I think some people just don’t know the opportunities there.”
He believes the new building will help rejuvenate the community that surrounds it and foster exploration like he’s seen in his son.
“The museum here is sort of an anchor of creativity and innovation,” he said. “I think it’s awesome.”
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