Seattle Universal Math Museum grand opening March 14 at Kent Station

Published 12:45 pm Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Math is taking on a new meaning with the grand opening of the Seattle Universal Math Museum at the Kent Station shopping center.

The grand opening and Pi Day Celebration will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 14 at 437 Ramsay Way, Suite 102, next door to Just Poké and Games Workshop and across from the AMC theater.

“We want people to experience math as something playful, creative and social,” said Tracy Drinkwater, founder and board president of the Seattle Universal Math Museum, in an email. “Opening this space in Kent allows families to explore math together in a completely different way.”

This is the first public-facing space for the Seattle Universal Math Museum. The free festival will offer hands-on math activities, interactive puzzles, games, a bake sale and raffle and participation from local community partners.

The Seattle Universal Math Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 with the mission of sparking each and every person to love math. The organization has been serving communities through outreach programming for several years.

So why locate at Kent Station?

From the beginning, the nonprofit has focused on serving South Seattle and South King County communities, where many families have historically had fewer opportunities to experience informal STEM learning, according to a Seattle University Math Museum email. Over the past several years it has conducted community surveys, run programs throughout the region, and built strong partnerships with local schools — including extensive collaboration with Kent School District through its Mathterschool programs.

Kent is one of the most diverse cities in Washington and one of the fastest-growing communities in South King County. Kent School District alone serves more than 25,000 students, making the area an especially important place to expand access to joyful, hands-on math learning, according to the email.

Kent Station also presented a unique opportunity to bring this work to the public through a partnership that allows the nonprofit to use an empty storefront for a year at a greatly reduced cost. This museum is a living prototype — allowing us to learn how families use the space and what experiences resonate most as we prepare for the future, which includes a capital campaign and the next iteration of the group’s museum.

The nonprofit has been steadily expanding its outreach programming across the region. In 2021 it hosted 14 events engaging 49 learners. By 2025 that had grown to 374 events reaching more than 23,215 learners through programs in schools, libraries and community spaces.

Seattle Universal Math Museum is supported through a combination of grants, donations and earned revenue:

• Approximately 60% from grants, primarily private foundations and public support including 4Culture

• About 30% from individual donations, matching gifts and fundraising events

• About 10% from paid programming, sales and related earned revenue

It currently operates through a combination of outreach programming throughout the region, school and community partnerships, workshops and studio classes, and open public hours at the Kent Station space.

Hours

The Kent Station space is open:

• Friday, 6 to 8 p.m.

• Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There is no admission thanks to support from 4Culture, MathHappens and the City of Kent Arts Commission. While admission is free, donations are appreciated and directly support the nonprofit’s programs and educators. The group recommends a donation of $5 per person.

Each Saturday and Sunday, the organization offers the Seattle Universal Math Museum Studio from 3 to 4:30 p.m., an add on experience where its educators facilitate a guided activity.

For more information, go to seattlemathmuseum.org.