Attracting more than 50,000 visitors and students to the Skirball Cultural Center every year, the Skirball announces a new chapter in the Noah’s Ark at the Skirball story, providing visitors with even more discovery, wonder, and hands-on learning aboard an expanded interactive and inclusive, family-friendly destination. 

Inspired by the biblical flood story—and hundreds of flood stories from around the world—Noah’s Ark at the Skirball invites visitors to learn through the story’s universal themes of resilience and second chances that resonate across all generations and communities. 

Having reopened in mid-December, new and returning visitors now experience enhanced gallery spaces, including immersive lighting and brand-new interactive experiences like a giant olive tree, slides to help little ones disembark from the Ark, a planting area, and a watering hole where the Skirball’s whimsical and handcrafted animal puppets can roam.

The story continues as visitors venture outside of Noah’s Ark into the new Bloom Garden. Inspired by the Jewish values of renewal, connection, and caring for the earth, this updated outdoor space invites nature-based play and exploration for all ages with picnic areas, sensory garden paths, a stream to splash in and a rowboat that has run aground on a sandy shore for imaginative play, and much more. 

“Noah’s Ark has always been a place where kids come to play, imagine, and make friends,” said Nina Silver, Director of Noah’s Ark and Family Programs at the Skirball. “By adding new ways to move and play inside Noah’s rainbow gallery, plus our new Bloom Garden where families can explore and enjoy nature together, it feels like the next chapter in our Noah’s Ark story: caring for the earth—a core Jewish value—and getting a fresh start after the flood.”

The Skirball’s own team of museum educators and early childhood specialists will be developing self-guided and educator-led curriculum for school tours and the general public. Additionally, the Skirball collaborated with several creative partners to develop this new chapter in the Noah’s Ark story, including:

• Olson Kundig—Original architects of Noah’s Ark at the Skirball led by Alan Maskin
• Gizmo—Fabricators and installers, bringing Olson Kundig’s concepts to life
• Farmer D—Principal and founder Daron Joffe joined by landscape architect Ali Wilson designing and building the new Bloom Garden
• Shemesh Farms—Local workforce development non-profit, providing ongoing cultivation of a working garden
• Sperber Landscape—Landscape company bringing the vision of the new Bloom Garden to life
• Getty—Providing support through the Getty Global Art & Sustainability Fellowship initiative
• Living Willow—Howard Peller’s sculptural willow trees and branches forming a playful tunnel and hut
• Luminesce Lab—Lighting designers working at the intersection of new materials, installations, and architecture 

Advance reservations to visit Noah's Ark at the Skirball are highly recommended. Walk-up tickets are limited and there is no guarantee of admission. 

About the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. We welcome people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society.

Visiting the Skirball

The Skirball is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday, 12:00–5:00 pm; Saturday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm; closed Mondays and holidays. Reservations are recommended for General Admission and the permanent exhibition Noah's Ark at the Skirball, which requires timed entry and is ticketed separately. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit skirball.org.