New exhibit ‘Encounters,’ refreshed main gallery, Memorial Day and more at the National WWI Museum and Memorial
The National WWI Museum and Memorial announces after three years of construction ‘Encounters’ will be complete and open to the public on May 23. Also, Memorial Day events planned.
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The National WWI Museum and Memorial announces the final phase of the three years of construction will be complete and open to the public on Friday, May 23. The new Main Gallery exhibit “Encounters” uses cutting-edge visual storytelling to tell the person narratives of WWI. Visitors will encounter 16 individuals and their intimate first-person accounts crafted from diaries, letters and photos, including:
- Allied and Central Power combat soldiers living through the hell of the Western Front and patrolling the seas in submarines;
- British colonial Indian soldiers contemplating death and rebelling against the futility of war;
- women working in munitions factories to support the war effort;
- and dissenters arrested and tried for protesting involvement in the war.
The completion of Encounters culminates a three-year journey reinvigorating the Museum and Memorial, including the new Lower Level and Open Storage Center and updates to the Main Gallery, including 14 new interactive screens, three new films, new lighting and special effects, updated trenches, an authentic replica field hospital and much more.
More information about “Encounters” and media previews will follow.
This Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26, the Museum and Memorial will once again offer free admission for active-duty and veterans (including spouses and dependents with ID) and half-price admission for the public. There will be a full schedule of ceremonies and events including yoga and a film screening. More information will follow in the coming weeks.
Also happening in May, the popular Tolkien Trivia returns on May 8. Teams and solo players are welcome. The Pershing Lecture Series and Lawrence Lecture Series also return with special programming available onsite and online.
May National WWI Museum and Memorial events
- Saturdays | 11 a.m.:Hands-on History
- Sunday, May 4, 2025 | 2 p.m.: Lawrence Lecture Series: Seeing Arabia
- Thursday, May 8, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.: Trivia Night: Tolkien Edition
- Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 5:30 p.m.: Modernist Social Hour
- Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.: Military Medicine and the Hidden Costs of War
- Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.: Pershing Lecture Series: Pétain and the Making of Modern Generalship
- Friday, May 23 - Monday, May 26, 2025: Memorial Day Weekend
- Saturday, May 31, 2025 | 2:30-4:30 p.m.: ASL Guided Tour
About the National WWI Museum and Memorial
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.
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