There’s no place like Holland — especially if you’re a Wizard of Oz fan.
L. Frank Baum, the author who dreamed up Dorothy, Toto and the magical land of Oz, vacationed in the Macatawa area in 1899, where he is believed to have worked on the story that would become The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. More than a century later, that local connection is getting one last turn in the spotlight at the Holland Museum.
The museum will say farewell to Spark!Lab Smithsonian on Sept. 15, ending a seven-year partnership with the Smithsonian and the Lemelson Foundation. Visitors have through Sept. 14 to follow the yellow brick road through Spark!Lab’s current theme, “There’s No Place Like Spark!Lab: A Wizard of Oz Adventure.”
Originally planned as a two-year exhibition, Spark!Lab became a much-loved part of the Holland Museum’s educational offerings and remained in place through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, the hands-on STEAM space gave families a place to experiment, create and learn together.
“We are so grateful to Spark!Lab Smithsonian and the Lemelson Foundation for working with the Holland Museum for the past seven years,” said Michelle Stempien, executive director of the Holland Museum. “What began as a two-year exhibition became an important part of our museum community. We have loved watching families learn, experiment, create, and discover together through Spark!Lab.”
But while Spark!Lab is heading off down the yellow brick road, the museum isn’t moving away from hands-on learning. It’s building on what worked.
A new chapter for the Wichers Gallery
When Spark!Lab closes, the space will get a new name — and a new purpose.
The gallery will be renovated and reintroduced as the Wichers Gallery, honoring Willard Wichers, founder of the Holland Museum.
Renovations are being funded through a grant from the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council and generous support from private donors. The investment will give the museum a more flexible space for lectures, talks, programs and special events, while also creating room for larger, more in-depth exhibitions drawn from the museum’s collections.
The Wichers Gallery will also be able to accommodate traveling exhibitions that aren’t feasible in the museum’s current Focus Gallery.
The gallery will close for renovations from mid-September through mid-November and is expected to reopen in time for the museum’s 2026 Winter Break Takeover: A Galaxy Far Away.
More room for families
Spark!Lab may be leaving, but the museum is doubling down on family learning.
The Holland Museum plans to transform its current Focus Gallery into a dedicated Family Gallery, with interactive activities exploring Holland’s history for young children and their families, particularly those ages 2 to 9.
The museum is also re-envisioning another education space to better support school and family programming. The updated space will accommodate curriculum-based classroom visits during the week and offer family-focused STEAM and history activities on weekends.
Together, the projects will create two new family-focused education spaces, with completion expected in spring 2027.
“Our goal is to make the museum a place where families can learn and explore together while also giving schools meaningful ways to connect their classroom curriculum to Holland’s history,” Stempien said. “We are excited to build on what we learned through Spark!Lab and create new opportunities for hands-on learning that are rooted in our own community and collections.”
One last trip to Spark!Lab
Before the tools are packed away and the gallery closes for renovations, visitors have through Sept. 14 to experience There’s No Place Like Spark!Lab: A Wizard of Oz Adventure.
Museum hours through Sept. 14:
- Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Saturdays: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Sundays: noon-4 p.m.
The museum will also be open for Free Second Monday on Sept. 14 from 4-7 p.m., thanks to the Meijer Foundation.
After seven years, Spark!Lab is taking its final bow. But the Holland Museum is taking what it learned from the experience and using it to create more space for kids, families and curious minds to explore Holland’s history — no ruby slippers required.
And for those who aren’t ready to say goodbye to Oz just yet, the Holland Oz Sculpture Garden remains a year-round reminder of the area’s connection to L. Frank Baum and his famous tale.
