Step Inside Saya Woolfalk’s Whimsical World at The New Children’s Museum

The New Children’s Museum is about to open something really special.

Woodswoman: Earthseed is a large-scale immersive installation by New York-based multidisciplinary artist Saya Woolfalk, and it’s the kind of experience that works on kids and adults equally – pulling everyone into an oversized, plant-inspired world built around curiosity, movement, and sensory discovery.

Saya Woolfalk installation new children's museum

If you’ve got little ones, this one is going straight to the top of the summer list.

A World Worth Getting Lost In

As you move through the space, plant-inspired projections, responsive sound, and sculptural forms create an environment that shifts and reacts around you.

The concept casts visitors as California butterflies navigating a world full of playful surprises, and three giant acorns scattered through the installation house hands-on activities rooted in California native plants and science. It’s open-ended by design, so kids can engage on their own terms and keep finding new things on every visit.

This is also part of the museum’s Science Fiction Creates the Future thematic arc – a multi-year series exploring how science fiction can inspire young people to imagine more hopeful and connected futures through art and play. Woolfalk’s world-building fits that vision beautifully.

Kick Things Off at the Opening Celebration

Before the exhibition opens to the public, there’s a free opening celebration featuring a conversation between Saya Woolfalk and Ayana Jamieson, PhD, founder of the Octavia E. Butler Legacy Network – followed by a first look at the installation and a community reception with light refreshments. All ages are welcome, and RSVP is required.