The Kansas City Museum Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, announced today that it has received a second gift from The Sunderland Foundation in the first quarter of 2019 to support Making A Museum KC (#MakingAMuseumKC), an initiative to raise awareness and private funding for the Kansas City Museum’s expansive restoration and renovation project.
The Sunderland Foundation gave their first gift of $250,000 in 2017, making it one of the initial, lead gifts received towards #MakingAMuseumKC for Stage I, the restoration and renovation of Corinthian Hall. The Sunderland Foundation’s second gift of $1 million will support the development of exhibitions at Corinthian Hall and the restoration and renovation of the Carriage House and Caregiver’s House, which comprises Stage II of the project. Kansas City Museum Foundation Board Chair, Dr. Mary Davidson praised The Sunderland Foundation’s generous second gift, stating “The leadership and strong community partnership of The Sunderland Foundation continues to enhance the wonderful amenities of Kansas City, and we are grateful for their continued dedication to the Kansas City Museum.”
Kansas City Museum Executive Director Anna Marie Tutera also announced additional new and continued major gifts in late 2018 and early 2019 for the development of exhibitions at Corinthian Hall. These include continued support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and JE Dunn Construction as well as new support from the Edward F. Swinney Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee and the Carl J. Privitera Trust. To date, the Kansas City Museum Foundation has raised $3.7 million.
As the Kansas City Museum Foundation continues its efforts to raise awareness and funding for the Kansas City Museum in 2019, JE Dunn Construction is at substantial completion for architectural construction at Corinthian Hall. In addition, the Kansas City Museum exhibition design team,including International Architects Atelier (the lead, primary architectural design firm for the project) and their sub-consultants, Gallagher & Associates (the lead museum design firm for the project) and their sub-consultants, and Museum staff are in the exhibition design development phase with the goal of starting Museum construction (exhibitions and interactive digital technologies) in late 2019 to open Corinthian Hall in late 2020.
New to the exhibition design team as a sub-consultant to Gallagher & Associates is Sharon Shahid who is an editor, writer, historian, and museum consultant. Sharon will serve as the script writer for exhibitions at Corinthian Hall. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Sharon resides in Washington D.C. and is a writer, editor, and museum consultant with more than 20 years of exhibit development experience. Most recently, Sharon was the creative force behind many of the Newseum’s top galleries and exhibits and edited many of the inaugural and changing exhibitions at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, as well as the interactive experiences at the Gateway Arch Museum, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, and Arlington House.
With the Kansas City Museum restoration and renovation project well underway, the Kansas City Museum Foundation continues to build its capacity as a nonprofit and develop its Board of Directors. To that end, the Foundation has recently welcomed its newest member, Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin, who is a renowned contemporary fabric artist, fabric designer, author, lecturer, and independent curator. Sonié is the Founder of the African American Artists Collective. Kansas City Museum Foundation Board Members also include Chair Dr. Mary Davidson, Vice Chair Kevin Pistilli, Treasurer Katrina Henke, Secretary Eric L. Wesson, Allen Dillingham, and Shannon Cade.
BACKGROUND
Located at 3218 Gladstone Boulevard in the Historic Northeast community of Kansas City, Missouri, the Kansas City Museum is comprised of five original buildings, including the mansion Corinthian Hall, which was built in 1910 by Robert Alexander Long. The estate became a public museum in 1940. It is owned by the City of Kansas City, Missouri and operated and managed by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department. The Collection contains more than 100,000 artifacts and several thousand more archival materials that interpret Kansas City’s local and regional history.
The Kansas City Museum Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to develop initiatives, convene leaders, and mobilize resources through inclusive partnerships to support the mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities of the Kansas City Museum.
CONTACT
Angela Tangen, t2k_strategies
(612) 710-0160 or atangen@t2kstrategies.com