Mirador Interactive Museum
Introduction
The Mirador Interactive Museum (MIM) is a museum of arts, sciences and nature dedicated to childhood and inaugurated in 2000 in the city of Santiago, Chile. It is part of the Interactive Knowledge Center, which also incubates the Interactive Museum of Astronomy), the Adriana Hoffmann Forest, the Food Laboratory, among other initiatives that promote training, research, dissemination and conservation based on interdisciplinary practices.[1].
It is located in the commune of La Granja "La Granja (Chile)"), and expands its programs through roaming to various cities in Chile. The museum is one of the main projects of the Tiempos Nuevos Foundation"), an institution that was born under the sociocultural coordination of the Presidency, in charge of the then first lady. In 2022, after an institutional transformation process led by Irina Karamanos, the museum and the Center became dependent on the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage "Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage (Chile)"). Since March 2022, its executive director has been the curator and audiovisual director Enrique Rivera Gallardo.[2].
Its seven thousand square meter building in brutalist style, combines steel, concrete, mañío wood, glass and copper in its structure, and is located in the Parque República de Brasil "Parque Brasil (Santiago de Chile)") in the commune of La Granja right on the border of the latter with the communes of La Florida "La Florida (Chile)") and San Joaquín "San Joaquín (Chile)"), forming a particularly attractive complex suitable for family expansion.
History
In 1995, the then first lady Marta Larraechea created the Tiempos Nuevos Foundation, aimed at the development, research and dissemination of artistic and cultural manifestations within which the first interactive museum to approach the country's scientific culture was created. This mission was entrusted to the manager and intellectual María Luisa Pérez, who conceptualized its first objectives, in which the scientist Luis Huerta, the designers Alberto Dittborn and Bernardita Brancolli, among other professionals, participated.
It was inaugurated on March 4, 2000, during the mandate of President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, becoming a benchmark for museums of scientific culture in Latin America.