Containing more than 100,000 objects, the historical artifacts and archives of the Kansas City Museum collection offer a rich sampling of Kansas City’s local and regional history while representing the daily lives of past generations, from the mundane to the extravagant. The Museum and its collection are irreplaceable civic assets.
The objects in the Museum’s collection are cultural heritage materials representing the tangible and intangible. They are used for educational and research purposes, and for the enjoyment and enrichment of visitors. The Museum aims to be a responsible steward of materials it collects, manages, stores, cares for, curates, displays, and preserves.
One of the collection priorities for the Kansas City Museum is the repatriation of American Indian materials. The Kansas City Museum recognizes repatriation as a human rights issue; therefore, the Kansas City Museum regards the repatriation of human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patronage to their lineal descendants and/or communities of origin as a high priority, regardless of geography or socio-political borders. The Kansas City Museum is in the process of repatriating American Indian materials in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and in accordance with the requests and determinations of American Indian tribes, nations, and villages who are part of the repatriation process.
To learn more about NAGPRA, click here.
For additional information, please contact:
Lisa Shockley
Curator of Collections
lshockley@kansascitymuseum.org
Museum collections need to be stored in spaces that are conditioned with the proper temperature and humidity control as well as security to ensure the protection and longevity of the collection materials. Often, collections are not stored on the same property as the main museum location were exhibits and programs take place. It is important that the public understands that the Kansas City Museum collection is properly stored in compliance with museum industry standards and practices.
Click on image below to watch a video showing how materials from the collection are stored.
Encyclopedic in nature, the collection is organized into several core groups. Click here for a list of the collection groups.