PHILADELPHIA, PA. Please Touch Museum, the Children’s Museum of Philadelphia, is partnering with DesignPhiladelphia on a unique city-wide project bringing together artists, architects, children and their caregivers, designers and students. “Design the Dollhouse of Your Dreams” lets participants unleash their inner Frank Lloyd Wright or Frank Gehry by creating their own version of the ideal dollhouse.

“In true Please Touch Museum spirit, this hands-on project will let children and adults collaborate in a fun, educational way as they build their imaginative and inventive dream dollhouses,” says Lorna Kent, Senior Exhibit Designer at Please Touch Museum. “Just like Frank Lloyd Wright’s imagination was stimulated while he was playing with building blocks at a young age, we hope to spark the imagination of children across the Philadelphia area with this project.”

Please Touch Museum’s “learning through play” philosophy values the creative possibilities and playful minds of its young visitors. The museum will therefore display the work of young visionaries alongside the contribution of professional participants to promote the importance of design and creative thinking in everyone’s lives. Confirmed participants include Philadelphia’s Charter High School for Architecture + Design (CHAD), as well as In-Depth, Inc., a Philadelphia based sculptural exhibit design and fabrication firm.

All selected entries will be on display in Please Touch Museum’s North Foyer gallery during DesignPhiladelphia week, October 7–13, 2009, and will be accepted in the following three categories: (1) renderings or drawings, (2) floor plans, (3) fully constructed 3-D models. Materials used are at the discretion of the designer, but no pre-designed or readymade kits are permitted. There is no entry fee.

Online design proposals must be submitted by August 14, 2009 at http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/proposal_submission/.

Selected entrants will be notified the week of August 17. An opening reception will be held at Please Touch Museum on Wednesday, October 7 to honor all participants and their submissions.