Play and Learn: New STEAM Features Transform Tiguex Park Into an Outdoor Science Experience

ALBUQUERQUE – Developed over years of planning, prototyping, and collaboration, a new set of permanent interactive exhibits designed to promote outdoor play and science learning is now open to the public in Tiguex Park, just east of Old Town. Designed and produced by Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum of Albuquerque (Explora) and Albuquerque Parks & Recreation Department (PRD), these unique installations are designed to make science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) fun for the whole family.

PRD approached the adjacent museums in 2019 with the idea of STEAM exhibits in the park that would also connect the museums to the park. Explora began hosting community discussions in 2019 to gather input about what kinds of experiences were most important to people and which aspects of the park visitors found most valuable. Residents were excited about new opportunities for science learning and hopeful that the project would maintain the park’s open spaces and tree-shaded lawns.

The exhibit design team considered these concerns throughout the process of developing and testing ideas. The nine new exhibits allow visitors to explore topics and concepts ranging from sight and sound to wind, geology, and even the scale of the solar system. Features include wind turbines that move in response to ever-changing breezes, a group of building facades that seem to change shape when viewed from different locations, elevated mirrors that provide new perspectives on local landmarks, and stone and steel instruments that demonstrate acoustic principles and make meditative sounds.

The nine new exhibits:

1. Heavy Tones: A limestone block with carved stone “fingers” forms a litho-xylophone that can be played in different ways, creating soothing, meditative sounds designed to reward experimentation.
2. Parts of a Whole: Decimals and fractions painted on a basketball court illustrate different ways numbers can convey information about proportions and percentages.
3. Pebble Melodies A steel chamber containing metal rods spans a reservoir of small stones which, when dropped into the aperture, create a tinkling, wind chime-like symphony, different with each use.
4. Perspective Illusion: These stylized building facades appear to change shape and orientation as visitors approach and pass, revealing how our eyes and brains make sense of our surroundings.
5. Reflection Tower: Three strategically-sited mirrors on a slim metal pole reflect images of city buildings and geographic features, floating and morphing in the sky as visitors pass.
6. Scale of the Solar System: Durable decals on a park sidewalk illuminate the distances between planets in our solar system, encouraging visitors to use their own steps as measuring tools.
7. Shadow Wall: A poem by former Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy is cut into a strategically placed steel panel. As the sun moves across the sky, the letter openings create an ever-changing mural of light on the ground.
8. Sitting Stones: A group of stones, all quarried from sites in New Mexico, offers a place for visitors to relax and enjoy the park. The boulders’ colors, shapes, and textures evoke the rich and varied landscapes of our region.
9. Wind Turbines: An array of wind-catching turbines mounted in a steel frame illustrates windflow in a visually compelling way, revealing differences in wind speed at different altitudes.

Exhibit locations and materials were selected to harmonize with the park’s peaceful setting; evoke regional colors, textures, and history; and strengthen connections between the park, Explora, and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Explora also developed additional science activities based on the new exhibits, which will be available on the museum’s website.

“It’s been a joy to develop these wonderful interactive exhibits together with our partners, neighbors, and Tiguex Park super-users,” said Explora Co-Executive Director Joe Hastings. “Alongside the beautiful plant life, paths, playgrounds and monuments, we are thrilled to add pieces that bring families together in noticing, wondering, and connecting with each other.”

“These new exhibits are another great example of how Albuquerque is reimagining public spaces,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Tiguex Park has always been a community gathering place; now it’s also a way for people to explore the science that shapes our world.”

“All parks can and should be outdoor classrooms that blend learning with play,”,” said PRD Director Dave Simon. “The new exhibits are fun, engaging, and beautifully integrated into the park – a celebration of science and nature.”

The project was initially funded by a $250,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency that supports educational projects nationwide. PRD matched the grant amount for a total project budget of $500,000. The exhibits were installed between August and November 2025.