Aiding the Mind, Spirit and Body at Museum

By Wickham Boyle

Andrew Ackerman is the director of a place that inspires wonder and whimsy. But under Ackerman, who nearly everyone calls Andy, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan has also assumed a gravitas not normally associated with a kid’s project.

He has undertaken a series of programs on children’s health, which led to him to prepare a 12-minute presentation for the White House and the National Health Initiative.

At the tail end of a long day, Ackerman was as fresh and chatty during a telephone interview as if it was the first call of the day.

His energy told of his love—no, adoration of the museum he has shepherded for 21 years. But how does someone come to be the head of a children’s museum? When I first encountered Ackerman, as he reminded me, he was in the Arts in Education Department of the New York State Council for the Arts.

“I was born and raised in Bronx, went to public schools K through college—Lehman—and lived at home,” he said. “But go figure, for some bizarre reason I wanted to be an archeologist and my parents supported me to do exactly that at the University of Michigan.”

Ackerman, 57, got an advanced degree and came back home in 1979 to work at the Jewish Museum in its education department.

“Museum education was a new field and so it was easy to become well known,” he said. “I was on a museum panel at [the state arts council] and they needed a director for their program on governmental policy. I did that for four years.

“What a fantastic learning experience. I never thought about a children’s museum, but I was asked to have lunch with a board member, Laurie Tisch, and by the end of the lunch I had fallen in love with the entire idea—and I still am enthralled. Laurie is a great friend and a dear philanthropist. I feel as if I am the custodian of her vision and ethos to provide access for all children to inspired museums events,” he continued.

The museum on West 83rd Street runs an after-school program with the Mickey Mantle School, which focuses on children on the autism spectrum.

Shula Warren, chief of staff to City Council Member Gale Brewer, said, “Andrew and the Children’s Museum of Manhattan staff produce innovative and quality programming to inspire creativity, inquiry, learning and fun—especially noteworthy is their partnership with the Mickey Mantle School and the anticipated November launch of the ‘Eat Sleep Play: Building Health Every Day’ initiative.”

Although a museum isn’t where one might normally think health education should be taught, Ackerman said it’s a natural fit.

“We have an obesity program, which, by next month, will be nationally opened,” he said. “It is integrating arts, health and education, which are the critical things in a child’s life.”