Jackson Hole Children’s Museum lands $50K Boost to Finish Tribal-Backed “Hole Story” Exhibit

The original story by Jasmine Hall for the Jackson Hole News&Guide.

The Jackson Hole Children’s Museum just scored a $50,000 shot in the arm to help finish an early-childhood exhibit built hand-in-hand with Eastern Shoshone and Shoshone-Bannock cultural educators.

The money – a Catalyst Grant from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole – will be used to finish exhibit design and construction, train staff, and add interpretive pieces so the display stays accurate, respectful and, importantly, sustainable. The museum says the grant is matched by private donors.

“The project represents a meaningful shift in how we design exhibits and tell local stories,” museum executive director Ethan Lobdell said in a statement. “By collaborating directly with Eastern Shoshone and Shoshone-Bannock cultural educators, we are building practices rooted in relationship and respect…and creating early learning experiences that reflect the culture of Jackson Hole.”

The exhibit, called The Hole Story, is a nature-based space inspired by sagebrush ecosystems, seasonal change and animal perspectives that are culturally significant to both tribes. It will be one of the centerpieces in the museum’s new home, a 5,200-square-foot building at 105 Mercill Ave that the museum leased from Teton County in 2023 for 30 years. About 4,100 square feet will be devoted to exhibits, play and learning areas, with another 1,100 square feet set aside as an “Idea Box” for after-school and summer programs.

Museum staff have been chipping away at fundraising for the move for years. In November they reported they still needed about $1.5 million of a $6 million campaign; as of Friday, Miki O’Connell, director of advancement and operations, said that shortfall had fallen to $300,000. If construction stays on track, the plan is to start playtesting exhibits this winter; school and group programs continue in the meantime.

The museum’s tribal partners helped make the exhibit more than a token nod. Cultural educators Nolan Brown and Bailey Dann from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ Office of Original Territories and Historical Research at Fort Hall, and Robin Rofkar from the Eastern Shoshone Tribal Cultural Center at Fort Washakie, worked with museum staff on content. Organizers also want to create portable versions of the exhibit that could travel to Fort Hall and Fort Washakie in the future.

Beyond the build, the museum is promising real access: it plans to offer subsidized admission for two years for members of the Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.

In short: the $50K isn’t just tile and plywood – it’s seed money for a museum that’s trying to tell local stories the right way and make sure kids in the valley (and tribal communities nearby) actually get to experience them.