Kiewit Luminarium to open its doors Saturday

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Omaha’s Kiewit Luminarium opens its doors this weekend.

It’s a chance for the community to learn more about science, art, and human perception -- and there’s truly something for everyone. The Luminarium is all about hands-on experience, being able to touch and play your way through this interactive museum.

“You’re not having someone tell you what something is, you’re actually having a direct experience, which is a different kind of learning,” said Silva Raker, the museum’s CEO. “Hopefully, by doing that it kind of changes your learning disposition. You always want to be a little curious, maybe a little skeptical.”

All ages are welcome here. You can learn about personal finance, and how the water cycle works and even take some time for introspection to learn about yourself and the world around you.

“But the other thing is having a place where we can actually interact with other humans and build those social skills, which are also part of being part of a strong team. It means knowing how to work and play well together, it means knowing how to change your hat. Sometimes you’re the leader, sometimes you’re the contributor,” Raker said.

The concepts behind science, technology, engineering, and math are palpable. You can learn how water flows within a river and watch actual sound waves as you tinker with guitar strings.

“There are some spaces here that are pretty different, you can’t find anything like them elsewhere. That kind of juxtaposition of the social science, with what people think of as the hard sciences, that weave is something I really love.”

Purchasing tickets ahead of time is strongly encouraged for opening weekend. Time-entry ticketing will take place due to high demand. Remarks will be made by Mayor Jean Stothert before doors open at 11 a.m. The Luminarium will be open until 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 15.

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