Frequenly Asked Questions
What is The Leonardo?
The Leonardo is a science, technology and art center for young people and adults.
Where is The Leonardo?
The Leonardo is being developed in the old main library in downtown Salt Lake City. The building is located on the south end of Library Square at 200 East and 500 South.
When will The Leonardo open?
The Leonardo is scheduled to open permanently in Spring 2011.
What will visitors do at The Leonardo?
Young people and adults from throughout Utah and the region will have a variety of choices when visiting The Leonardo. We will host field trips for students, night-time events for adults, workshops for young people, weekend activities for families, residencies and internships for artists, researchers and college students, and training programs for teachers.
The Leonardo won’t duplicate the great job other local museums are doing engaging children. Instead, The Leonardo will be a “next step” destination, offering experiences that young people and adults find interesting. For example, at The Leonardo, you can: See BODY WORLDS, and then dissect a real pig heart. Build a mini-bot that really works. Observe, touch and walk through life-size art installations. Even create and air your own stop-motion animated short by uploading it to your own, and The Leonardo’s YouTube channel.
How is The Leonardo different from other museums?
The Leonardo is the first and only center in the country with a ground-up mission of fusing science, art and technology to inspire creativity and innovation.
We will do this by taking current topics—from the cutting edge to the sublime—and giving visitors opportunities to examine and interact with them through the lenses of science, technology and art.
What has The Leonardo done in the past?
The Leonardo has already hosted two temporary exhibitions. A photography exhibit titled "Exodus,” by Sebastiao Salgado, ran October through December 2005. The Leonardo also hosted BODY WORLDS 3 September 2008 through January 2009. BODY WORLDS 3 attracted more than 290,000 visitors during that time, making it the most successful traveling exhibition in the city’s history. We have also operated a science outreach program for junior high and middle schools for the past five years.
What’s The Leonardo up to now?
In addition to doing all of the things it takes to open a major cultural and educational attraction, The Leonardo is operating an educational outreach program called The Leo on Wheels, which visits over 12,000 middle and junior high school students each year. In partnership with USTAR, The Leonardo also hosts a quarterly event called Lunch with The Leo, which brings together super-smart researchers, cool companies, students and the general public to discuss the amazing technologies, products and discoveries happening right here in our state.
How can I get involved with The Leonardo?
There are plenty of opportunities to get and stay involved with The Leonardo beginning right now. You can subscribe to our e-newsletter (via the form in the sidebar to the right), become a fan on Facebook, read our blog, or follow us on Twitter. By staying connected, you can keep up-to-date on new events, volunteer opportunities and milestones. Of course, we’re also looking for corporate, public and private organizations, to support our efforts as donors, sponsors and advisors. If you are interested in these opportunities, please contact Director of Development Katie Smith.
