Museum Organization List

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History Reimagined at 21c Kansas City Feed, nourish, and refresh your soul at 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City. Let contemporary art surround you in this museum, boutique hotel, and chef-driven restaurant, nestled between the Power & Light district and River Market in downtown Kansas City. MUSEUM Contemporary art is the core of 21c. As North America’s only multi-venue museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting art of the 21st century, 21c Museum brings a new cultural resource to the city’s vibrant art scene. From rotating, curated exhibitions, to site-specific installations and cultural programming, 21c Museum offers the local and traveling community unprecedented access to the work of some of today’s emerging artists. Free and open to the public 365 days/year. Always. Guided museum tours offered every WED + FRI at 5pm.

American Jazz Museum

ArtsKC Supported ; Education ; Museum ; Music ; Non-Profit

The American Jazz Museum is the only museum of its kind in the world. With a permanent exhibit, a changing art gallery, and hundreds of concerts and events every year, the AJM is devoted to preserving and exhibiting the American art form of jazz music and culture. Located in the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, MO, the American Jazz Museum showcases the sights and sounds of jazz through interactive exhibits and films, the Changing Gallery exhibit space, Horace M. Peterson III Visitors Center, Blue Room jazz club and Gem Theater.

Ben Ferrel Platte County Museum

Art ; Education ; Family ; Museum ; Non-Profit

The Ben Ferrel Platte County Museum is part of the Platte County Historical Society (PCHS). This historic house museum is a restored mini mansion built in 1882 – 1883 by Frederick Krause. Krause was inspired by the Governor’s mansion in Jefferson City. The museum’s (Krause mini mansion) exterior is brick with heavy limestone corner quoins, a mansard, slate roof, ornate grill work; the interior is restored and furnished to the period. Special exhibits and displays often are featured. A Christmas open house coincides each year with Platte City’s lighting ceremony.

Hallmark Visitors Center

Art ; Education ; Family ; Museum

Discover how a teenager from Nebraska tucked two shoeboxes of postcards under his arms and set out to create an iconic company in Kansas City. More than 100 years later, our billion-dollar brand contains a diverse portfolio of six businesses. Combined with one of the world’s largest creative communities, Hallmark helps to foster a more emotionally connected world. From our timeline walking visitors through Hallmark’s humble beginnings, to famous collaborations with U.S. presidents, world leaders, and famous artists, to samples of our current products customers have grown to love, come visit us and be immersed in the world of Hallmark at our Visitors Center.

Harry S. Truman Library and Museum

Museum ; Non-Profit

The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum is one of fourteen Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. The exhibits in the Library’s museum emphasize the Life and Times of Harry S. Truman and the Truman Presidency. Among the permanent exhibits are a mural painting in the entrance lobby, “Independence and the Opening of the West,” by Missouri artist Thomas Hart Benton; a reproduction of the Oval Office as it was during the Truman administration; and the office which Truman used in his retirement years. At present the Library has about 16,000,000 pages of manuscript materials in its custody. Approximately 6,500,000 are the White House files. In addition to its manuscript collections, the Library also has an audiovisual collection consisting of about 112,000 still pictures, 1,000 hours of audio disc and tape recordings, 400 motion pictures and 75 hours of video tape recordings. The Library’s collection of printed materials includes more than 30,000 books, 10,000 serials and 1,400 microfilm copies of printed materials. In adding to the book collection, the Library attempts to purchase any new books on the history of the Truman administration or relating to the career of Harry S. Truman.

Jackson County Historical Society

Museum ; Non-Profit

Who are we? The Jackson County Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the written, oral, and physical legacy of this county. We do this by maintaining physical collections and promoting the study, appreciation, and interpretation of local and regional history. The History of Celebrating History Our roots can be traced to 1909 when a group of citizens interested in history first started meeting. In 1940 the group formally organized and in 1958 officially incorporated as The Jackson County Historical Society to celebrate our rich, unique story. Their first order of business was to save the 1859 Jail in Independence. More Than a “Society” Our physical archives, research library, and bookstore are located in the Truman Courthouse on the historic Independence Square. The Jackson County Historical Society also maintains the 1859 Jail and Marshal’s Home Museum where Frank James and William Clarke Quantrill were incarcerated.

Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center

Art ; Dance ; Education ; Family ; Gallery ; Government ; Museum ; Music ; Theatre

The Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, managed by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District, is home to Theatre in the Park, the Johnson County Museum, and Fine & Performing Arts programs, exhibitions, and special events.

Johnson County Museum

Family ; Museum ; Non-Profit

The Museum offers innovative, engaging, and challenging programs that will inspire all learners to discover a sense of place and spark excitement about history: the history museum in Overland Park and the Lanesfield Historic Site in Edgerton, Kansas. The Museum offers long-term and changing exhibits, children’s history exhibitions, online resources, school, youth and Scout programming, lectures and walking tours, and special events. The historic collections include more than one million photographs, 18,000 3-D artifacts, and 300 cubic feet of archival material. The museum serves 40,000 visitors onsite and nearly 100,000 people through online resources available at www.JoCoHistory.org.

Kansas City Museum

Museum ; Non-Profit

Mission: The Kansas City Museum preserves, interprets, and celebrates Kansas City through collections, exhibitions, and bold programs that reflect the City’s evolution and spirit, and engage visitors in unfolding stories about Kansas City’s vibrant history, cultural heritage, and pride. Vision: The Kansas City Museum is a hub of learning, creativity, and collaboration where individuals and communities innovate and inspire engagement and civic unity. The Kansas City Museum is closed temporarily for regular weekly hours because Corinthian Hall (the mansion) is being prepared for construction. The extensive renovation project will create a leading-edge, 21st century museum of Kansas City’s history and cultural heritage. While the Kansas City Museum will not be open to the public for regular weekly hours, the Museum will continue to host special off-site exhibitions in the community as well as on-site programs and events using the Museum’s grounds. The Kansas City Museum also operates and manages the Historic Garment District Museum of Kansas City, located in the heart of the old Garment District, in DST’s Poindexter building at 801 Broadway Blvd. between 6th and 11th streets and Washington and Wyandotte streets. Admission to the Historic Garment District Museum is FREE. Street parking is available. Historic Garment District Museum Hours Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Art ; ArtsKC Supported ; Education ; Family ; Museum ; Non-Profit

Kansas City’s acclaimed, FREE contemporary art museum, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 and draws nearly 100,000 visitors each year. Presenting a dozen exhibitions each year featuring works by well-known, mid-career, and emerging artists, Kemper Museum boasts a rapidly growing Permanent Collection of modern and contemporary works of artists from around the world. Throughout the year, Kemper Museum hosts lectures, performances, film series, workshops, and other creative programs, free for all ages. The popular and acclaimed Café Sebastienne can be found within Kemper Museum, along with the Museum Shop where works by local artists are readily available. One block from the Museum’s signature location is the museum’s second location, Kemper East. Located at the corner of 44th and Warwick, with galleries on its first floor, this location presents exhibitions drawn from the Museum’s Permanent Collection. Admission is always free of charge and open to the general public. Free parking is also available, and donations to the Museum are welcome.

Museum at Prairiefire

Education ; Family ; Museum ; Non-Profit

Through a unique collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, as well as with other cultural and educational institutions in the nation, the Museum at Prairiefire is a place that provides access for all to understand and celebrate natural history and science in our region and around the world. The Museum engages visitors and students with world-class exhibitions, important programming, and significant educational and STEM opportunities. The Museum at Prairiefire was founded in 2008 and opened in 2014 through a unique partnership with the world renowned American Museum of Natural History. Until now, the American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869 in New York, has not collaborated to this degree with another museum in the world. Because of this unprecedented association, The Museum at Prairiefire has premiere access to the American Museum of Natural History’s timely and scientifically accurate exhibitions, curated by its research scientists. Each year, the American Museum of Natural History develops new exhibitions that explore wide-ranging topics such as the powerful link between humans and horses; fireflies and medicine; and the biggest, smallest, and most amazing species of all time. Complementing the physical exhibitions, offerings include additional programming, artifacts from national and regional collections, and educational support from the American Museum of Natural History. The Museum at Prairiefire (MAP) is the first venue outside of New York to continually host these exhibitions.

National WWI Museum and Memorial

Museum ; Non-Profit

The National WWI Museum and Memorial is America’s leading institution dedicated to remembering, interpreting and understanding the Great War and its enduring impact on the global community. The Museum and Memorial holds the most comprehensive collection of World War I objects and documents in the world and is the second-oldest public museum dedicated to preserving the objects, history and experiences of the war. The Museum and Memorial takes visitors of all ages on an epic journey through a transformative period and shares deeply personal stories of courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice. Designated by Congress as America’s official World War I Museum and Memorial and located in downtown Kansas City, Mo., the National WWI Museum and Memorial inspires thought, dialogue and learning to make the experiences of the Great War era meaningful and relevant for present and future generations. To learn more, visit theworldwar.org.

Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art

Art ; ArtsKC Supported ; Education ; Family ; Gallery ; Museum ; Non-Profit

The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art (NMOCA) has one of the top internationally acclaimed collections of emerging and established artists today. Public Art Review magazine named JCCC/NMOCA as one of the top 10 university/college campuses for public art in America, citing the sculptures, paintings, ceramics, photography and works on paper installed throughout the campus. The museum presents many of the region’s most important exhibitions of leading-edge contemporary art, as well as dynamic and diverse educational programming.

Puppetry Arts Institute

ArtsKC Supported ; Family ; Museum ; Non-Profit ; Theatre

The mission of the Puppetry Arts Institute is to preserve and promote puppetry through education and entertainment for all ages. Puppet making workshops are available for children, families, school groups, and adults, using materials from the Hazelle Rollins Puppet Factory. Local, national, or international puppeteers perform monthly using marionettes, hand puppets, shadow puppets, rod puppets and other unique forms of puppetry.

The Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City

ArtsKC Supported ; Education ; Museum ; Non-Profit

The mission of the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City, Inc. is to collect, preserve and make available to the public materials documenting the social, economic, political and cultural histories of persons of African American descent in the central United States, with particular emphasis in the Kansas City, Missouri region. Black Archives of Mid-America is an educational resource and provides access to its collections for research, exhibition and publication to honor our community heritage and to catalyze public awareness.

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures

Museum ; Non-Profit

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures educates, inspires, and delights adults and children through the museum’s collection and preservation of toys and miniatures. The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures opened in 1982 as the Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City featuring the collections of Mary Harris Francis and Barbara Marshall. Operating in a building on the corner of 52nd and Oak on the University of Missouri – Kansas City campus, the 7,000-square-foot museum had two full-time staff members. Over the next thirty years with expansions in 1985 and 2004, the museum grew to 33,000 square feet. During that same period, the collection increased to over 72,000 objects. In 2012, the museum embarked on its first public capital campaign to support building and exhibit improvements. On August 1, 2015, the museum reopened as The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures with the world’s largest fine-scale miniature collection and one of the nation’s largest antique toy collections on public display.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Art ; ArtsKC Supported ; Education ; Gallery ; Museum ; Non-Profit

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art arose from the instincts and ambitions of two private individuals who shared the dream of providing a public art museum for Kansas City and the surrounding region. William Rockhill Nelson, founder of The Kansas City Star, was convinced that for a city to be truly civilized, art and culture were necessities. When he died in 1915, the bulk of his estate was used to establish the William Rockhill Nelson Trust for the purchase of works of art “which will contribute to the delectation and enjoyment of the public generally.” Kansas City school teacher Mary McAfee Atkins had similar aspirations for her city. Although relatively unknown, she provided the city with approximately one-third of her million-dollar estate to purchase the land for a public art museum. The Nelson estate was combined with Mary Atkins’ legacy to build an art museum for the people of Kansas City. The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and the Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts opened to the public on Dec. 11, 1933. On June 9, 2007, the Nelson-Atkins unveiled the Bloch Building, an addition designed by Steven Holl Architects, which increased gallery and storage space for the growing collection. Today, the Nelson-Atkins maintains collections of more than 35,000 works of art and welcomes 500,000 visitors a year.

Union Station Kansas City

Education ; Family ; Gallery ; Museum ; Non-Profit ; Theatre

Originally constructed in 1914 as a massive railroad terminal, Union Station quickly became a centering point for commerce, culture and community. Today, over 100 years later, Union Station Kansas City — a 501(c)3 non-profit organization – has reclaimed those monikers and added more. Today, this historic self-sustaining landmark located in the heart of downtown Kansas City is where our citizens connect, create, discover and celebrate. We incubate young businesses. We teach young students. We deliver world-class exhibitions. And, of course, we celebrate and inspire an entire Greater Kansas City community. In 2017 alone, the community and region generously recognized the Station and Science City with awards for “Attraction of the Year,” “Favorite Family-Friendly Attraction” and “Favorite Historic Attraction.”

Wonderscope Children's Museum of Kansas City

ArtsKC Supported ; Education ; Family ; Museum ; Non-Profit

Our mission is to spark a lifelong love of learning through the power of play. We provide fun, dynamic exhibits and programs that integrate the arts, sciences and literature for children eight and under, their parents and teachers from across the Kansas City area. Our members and visitors today enjoy our exhibits and programs in our museum facility in Shawnee, Kansas. Our mission, LEARN*PLAY*GROW, communicates our belief that children learn best through play and that through fun, imaginative hands-on learning, they can grow to their fullest potential. Interactive learning experiences with family and friends engage children’s natural motivation to learn and discover their world. Wonderscopes informal learning environment is filled with engaging play experiences in literacy, the arts and the sciences and social-emotional development. This rich environment naturally inspires curiosity, and ultimately, a love of learning in young children. We seek to provide a friendly, convenient and accessible environment for young children.

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