Johnson Smith joined the science and nature museum in 2022, after the EcoTarium experienced a 90% drop in visitation during COVID and had to lay off 67% of staff. Johnson Smith led the rebound, and in 2024 the museum welcomed 137,000 visitors, most traveling from within a 60-mile radius of Worcester.
The museum has raised $10 million in private contributions toward its $12.5-million campaign to fund an 8,300-square-foot expansion, its first since 2000. The new space will include a 6,400-square-foot exhibition hall to include an installation called “The Secret World of Elephants” by 2026. After construction is complete on the exhibit gallery, the EcoTarium will establish an Early Childhood Science Learning Center (currently in the design phase), offering interactive exhibits to teach young children preschool science projects. Last year, the EcoTarium launched an accessibility app to better allow people with disabilities to enjoy its exhibits.
The EcoTarium was founded as the Worcester Lyceum for Natural History in 1825, making it one of the oldest museums in the U.S. More than 2,500 Worcester Public Schools students take field trips to the EcoTarium each year, as do 16,000 kids from outside the city.
Laura Finaldi is a former WBJ reporter and current freelance writer.
