What is an Interpretive Plan?
An Interpretive Plan is an interdisciplinary guide that informs integrated, site-wide implementation of public program goals. It focuses on visitor needs and addresses professional issues of museum operation. The Kansas City Museum Interpretative Plan comprises a building-by-building site-use projection detailing expected visitor experiences and the environments where “interpretation” takes place.
Vision The Kansas City Museum envisions that its visitors will experience a meaningful personal connection to the city’s histories and be inspired toward thoughtful citizenship.
Mission The mission of the Kansas City Museum is to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Kansas City, Missouri.
The Kansas City Museum Interpretive Master Plan results from more than 5 years’ collaborative planning by the Kansas City Museum Advisory Board, Union Station Kansas City / Kansas City Museum and numerous community constituents and professional peers. Inspired by this Vision and informed by this Mission, the Museum will interpret the development of the Kansas City area via multiple methods and perspectives.
In 2005 the City embarked on an ambitious program of restoration and rehabilitation at the 3-acre, six-building estate. The City is investing significantly in this process and the Museum’s managers, Union Station Kansas City are collaborating with City colleagues to complete plans for rehabilitation and restoration at the site, and subsequent design and installation of all-new exhibits and complementary programs.
The KCM Interpretative Plan is not a build-ready set of designs or blueprints – but will lend to this in future work phases – rather it will answer “who, what, when and where.” The Plan will anticipate programs that allow visitors to answer the “why” and, increasingly, the “so-what”.
The KCM Interpretative Plan will also address staff size, visitor flow and optimal visitor group size, as well as auxiliary Museum operations such as food service and retail, in order to guarantee mission-specificity in these areas.
Illustrations and conceptual drawings will be included in the KCM Plan, detailing select period restoration and other rehabilitation of the historic buildings and grounds, much of which is already under way.
Click here to review the entire Interpretive Plan
Click here for Interpretive Plan as pdf
