Ainsley Ham, 2, didn't stay in the lines of her picture of a catfish, but that didn't matter.
In about a decade and a half she'll likely walk through the Mississippi Children's Museum and see a tile of her earlier artwork.
Ainsley and about 80 other children gathered Thursday at Cottonlandia Museum to color and personalize a drawing for the proposed museum in an event called Museum Mania.
Each of the children paid $25 to participate. That money will go toward building the 43,000-square-foot structure planned for construction at LeFleur's Bluff State Park in Jackson near the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.
"The children's museum is just one piece of the education puzzle," said Missy Wyatt, a member of the Junior League of Jackson, which has undertaken the project.
The Junior League believes children will discover their potential through tapping into their creativity at the museum, which will include programs and hands-on learning experiences that focus on literacy, the arts, science, health and nutrition.
The finer points of the museum seemed lost on the kids, who enjoyed cookies and lemonade provided by Robin Person, executive director of Cottonlandia.
They focused on creating art by coloring the designs selected to reflect the Delta region: a bale of cotton, a tractor and a stylized drawing of Mississippi.
All of these will be transferred to 4-inch squares that will line museum walls.
Later, at an invitation-only information party for adults at Dr. Bruce and Linda Newell's house on River Road Extended, representatives of the Junior League of Jackson explained to about 40 Greenwood residents the importance of their contribution to the museum.
The project's goal is $20 million. The Junior League of Jackson has raised $8 million. The group's efforts hit a roadblock in late August when Hurricane Katrina blew through the state. They picked up the fund-raising efforts again in November.
"It's not just for the city of Jackson," said Heather Montgomery, a member of the Junior League of Jackson. "It's for the whole state."
