In 2010, a couple from Potomac, MD, donated the bus in memory of their late daughter, Sarah Malawista. Donating the bus to the Bronx Children’s Museum was a way of honoring Sarah, who suffered from bipolar disorder and committed suicide in 2006 at the age of 18. "My husband and I thought, what a perfect way to continue her dream," said Sarah's mother, Kerry Malawista. Her parents said it was Sarah who first had the idea of creating an “art bus,” which would expose inner-city kids to arts, mainly because budget cuts have led many inner-city schools to cut their creative arts programs.

 

From 2010-2013, the bus hosted our very first traveling exhibit titled “River On the Go: Where is Justin the Beaver?” visited by more than 13,000 people at schools, festivals, parks, parades and shelters. In September 2013, we unveiled our second interactive exhibit on the Museum on the Go Bus called "Rivers On the Go!: Exploring the Bronx and Harlem Rivers,” and 2017 saw the unveiling of the exhibit, "Waters On the Go!" which features a diorama exploring the Bronx River, Orchard Beach, and the Native Americans who used to inhabit those areas four hundred years ago.

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See an interview with our own Natalie Wood. The Museum on the Go Bus was featured on New 4 New York - The Debrief with David Ushery.

 

Watch the video here!