Locations include UMKC, the city of Kansas City itself plus classic points-of-interest local residents will recognize from childhood field trips such as Fort Osage National Historic Site, Missouri Town and the Wornall-Majors House Museums. Others are relatively unknown exhibits that can host the field trips of tomorrow.
The grant was awarded as part of the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Projects to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, thanks to the work of Diane Mutti Burke, Ph.D., Sandra Enríquez, Ph.D. and David Trowbridge, Ph.D. from the history department, as well as Michael Sprague, coordinator for the Center for Digital and Public Humanities.
Mutti Burke explained the Mellon Foundation is expansive in how it defines monuments.
“It’s statues, of course, but also historic structures, interpretative signage, public exhibits, digital content and artistic and cultural programming,” she said.
The grant will support the historical and preservation projects of the 16 community organizations as well as public programming in partnership with the Kansas City Public Library. Examples include refreshing the Luis Quintanilla mural in Haag Hall on campus out to updates on exhibits at the Fort Osage National Historic Site. The UMKC team is excited about what support from Mellon will mean for local historical organizations.
