Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science

What Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science does

The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution founded in 1904 and headquartered at 411 Riverside Drive along the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana. It serves the Tri-State region (Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois) through a unified multi-disciplinary programming model that spans fine art, decorative arts, history, anthropology, and science. Its core asset is a permanent collection of more than 30,000 objects, anchored by the Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium — a 40-foot dome venue equipped with Digistar® full-dome projection technology from Evans and Sutherland, two cinema-grade projectors delivering 11 million combined pixels, stadium-style seating, and a 10,000-watt digital surround sound system. A secondary anchor is the EMTRAC (Evansville Museum Transportation Center) featuring a model railroad vignette and historic train consist (1908 steam engine, 1926 club car, circa 1900 caboose).

Revenue mechanics are multi-stream and characteristic of a mid-sized regional museum: per-visitor admission (with free First Friday days), tiered membership subscriptions, per-show theater tickets sold via the GateMaster platform, per-student field trip fees ($3–$7), $2/person outreach programming, donations processed through DonorPerfect, and venue rental for private events. Go-to-market mixes direct walk-in visitation, online ticketing, K–12 school outreach (notably a discounted EVSC partnership), corporate-sponsored initiatives such as the Toyota-funded TIME Project virtual field trip, and bundled tourism through the Explore Evansville Attraction Pass. Operating under a Board of Trustees, the museum completed a major building expansion in 2014 and is currently led by Executive Director Jennifer Evans, who succeeded Mary McNamee Bower on June 25, 2024 following Bower's 45-year tenure. The marketing organization is led by Director of Marketing Chelsie Walker, with curatorial depth anchored by Chief Curator & Curator of History Thomas R. Lonnberg and Director of Science Experiences Jaigan Allport.

Name

Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science

Legal name

Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science

Website

https://emuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1904 in Evansville, Indiana, operating a 30,000-object permanent collection and a Digistar-equipped Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium to serve the Indiana-Kentucky-Illinois Tri-State region with art, history, and science programming for the general public, K–12 schools, and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ)

Keywords

• Museum education programs
• Permanent art collection
• Planetarium shows
• Historical exhibitions
• Science center programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Evansville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Entry fees charged to visitors for general museum access. Free admission offered on first Friday of every month.
2. Membership Program: Multi-tiered membership program offering benefits matched to interests and household size with various payment options.
3. Theater Tickets: Revenue from Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium showings and films. Gaming parties also available for private events.
4. Educational Programs: Field trip packages (Movie Package $4/student, Program Package $3/student, Movie+Program Package $6/student, Half-Day Experience $7/student), outreach programs ($2/person), and virtual field trips.
5. Donations: Charitable contributions from members and supporters to support museum operations and educational mission.
6. Venue Rental: Facility available for private events and rentals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science operates as a combined arts, history, and science museum serving the Tri-State region of Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. It maintains a permanent collection of more than 30,000 objects spanning art, history, and science, operates the Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium with Digistar full-dome projection, presents rotating special exhibitions, and delivers K-12 educational programming including the TIME Project virtual field trips, outreach programs, and outdoor classroom kits.

Product overview

The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a multidisciplinary museum offering a unified experience across three core domains: art, history, and science. The primary products include general museum admission with a permanent collection of over 30,000 objects, the Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium featuring Digistar full-dome projection technology, and rotating exhibitions spanning fine art to science displays. Educational add-on offerings include field trip programs with docent-led tours, planetarium theater programs, outreach programs for schools, the TIME Project virtual field trip initiative, and free Alcoa Foundation Outdoor Classroom education kits. Additional services include museum membership, special events, gaming parties in the theater, and a digital content library of articles and videos.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium: A 40-foot dome immersive theater featuring Digistar projection technology with stadium-style seating and 10,000-watt digital surround sound for planetarium shows and full-dome cinema experiences.
• EMTRAC

Products and services

• Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium Immersive dome theater and planetarium using Digistar full-dome projection technology to present astronomy shows and immersive film experiences for the general public and school groups.
• Museum Permanent Collection Access General admission access to the museum's permanent collection of 30,000+ objects covering art, history, and science.
• Rotating Special Exhibitions Themed temporary exhibitions presented on a rotating schedule, supplementing the permanent collection.
• EMTRAC Transportation Center Permanent exhibit presenting the history of transportation in the Tri-State region.
• School Field Trip Programs Structured educational visits for K-12 classes, with tiered curriculum-aligned programming and per-student pricing.
• Theater Programs (Planetarium Shows) Scheduled planetarium films and immersive theater shows offered as standalone admissions to museum visitors and groups.
• Outreach Programs Off-site educational programming delivered to schools and community organizations in the Tri-State region.
• TIME Project Virtual Field Trips Digital classroom content delivering virtual museum field trips to K-12 classrooms remotely.
• Outdoor Classroom Education Kits Hands-on learning kits distributed to teachers for outdoor classroom instruction aligned with museum content.
• Museum Membership Annual membership program providing repeat visitation benefits, with tiered pricing structures.
• Venue Rental / Private Events Rental of museum facilities for private events, corporate functions, and special occasions.
• Gaming Parties Private gaming-themed events hosted at the museum for group bookings and celebrations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 450+ attendees at major community events like Maker Super Saturday
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ivy Tech Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner in the TIME Project, collaborating with the museum to develop virtual field trip content accessible to students and educators.
• Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary educational partner in the TIME Project. EVSC students receive a $1/student discount on field trip packages. School groups are major customer segment for educational programs.
• Southern Indiana Career and Technical CentersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer and technical education partner in the TIME Project for virtual field trip content development.
• Explore EvansvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial tourism marketing agency for Evansville that partnered with the museum to include it in the Evansville Attraction Pass alongside six other regional attractions.
• cMoe (Koch Family Children's Museum of Evansville)supportingOthersOne of seven attractions included in the Evansville Attraction Pass, bundled together with the Evansville Museum for tourism marketing.
• Evansville African American MuseumsupportingOthersOne of seven attractions included in the Evansville Attraction Pass, bundled together with the Evansville Museum for tourism marketing.
• Evansville Wartime MuseumsupportingOthersOne of seven attractions included in the Evansville Attraction Pass, bundled together with the Evansville Museum for tourism marketing.
• Mesker Park Zoo & Botanical GardenssupportingOthersOne of seven attractions included in the Evansville Attraction Pass, bundled together with the Evansville Museum for tourism marketing.
• USS LST-325supportingOthersOne of seven attractions included in the Evansville Attraction Pass, bundled together with the Evansville Museum for tourism marketing.
• Wesselman Woods Nature PreservesupportingOthersOne of seven attractions included in the Evansville Attraction Pass, bundled together with the Evansville Museum for tourism marketing.
• Evans and SutherlandsupportingTechnology or IntegrationManufacturers of the Digistar® computer graphics display system used in the Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium, containing database of astronomical objects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cincinnati Museum Center: A larger regional museum complex encompassing history, science, and children's museums under one umbrella. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary regional destination but operates at substantially greater scale and budget than the Evansville Museum.
• St. Louis Science Center: A major regional science center with a large planetarium, immersive theater, and extensive K-12 educational programming. Comparable programming mix but significantly larger scale and operating budget than the Evansville Museum.
• Indiana State Museum: Indiana's flagship state museum covering art, history, and science with statewide reach and significant educational programming. Overlaps in mission and exhibits but operates at a much larger institutional scale.
• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: The largest children's museum in the world and a major Indiana-based cultural institution with extensive educational programming and rotating exhibits. Competes for the same regional family and school audiences but at a vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology: An Indiana-based combined science, health, and technology museum offering hands-on exhibits and educational programs for school groups and families. Comparable in scope as a small-to-mid-sized combined-discipline regional museum serving Indiana communities.
• Rochester Museum & Science Center: A regional combined science and culture museum featuring a planetarium, educational programs, and community exhibits in upstate New York. Comparable as a mid-sized combined-discipline regional museum with strong educational programming.
• Springfield Science Museum: A regional combined science museum with planetarium programming, educational offerings, and rotating exhibits serving Western Massachusetts. Closely comparable in scale, multi-disciplinary focus, and educational outreach model.
• Louisville Science Center: A regional combined science museum and planetarium in nearby Louisville, Kentucky serving a comparable Tri-State-area audience with immersive theater, educational programming, and family exhibits. Operates at a similar mid-sized regional scale with a strong K-12 field trip focus.
• Carnegie Science Center: A multi-disciplinary science and technology center featuring a planetarium, immersive theater, and educational programming for schools and families. Comparable in combining science, technology, and educational outreach under a single regional brand.

Regional players

• Mesker Park Zoo & Botanical Gardens: A regional attraction in Evansville that participates in the same Explore Evansville Attraction Pass as the museum. Not a museum, but a directly comparable regional tourism and educational destination competing for the same family visitation dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/evvmuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/evansvillemuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/evansvillemuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evansville-museum-of-arts-and-science
• Instagraminstagram.com/evansvillemuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science