Kauffman Museum’s new exhibit looks at a historic year for Mennonite immigration – 1874 – while considering the broader topic at the forefront of today’s news and conversation.
The museum on the campus of Bethel College will open a new special exhibition, “Unlocking the Past: Immigrant Artifacts and the Stories They Tell,” Sept. 29, to run through May 25, 2025.
The lead-off lecture, by Bethel Professor of History Mark Jantzen, will take place on the opening afternoon, following a brief business meeting at 3 p.m., in the museum auditorium.
The “Unlocking the Past” exhibition and programs were sparked by the 150th anniversary of the 1874 mass migration of Mennonites from South Russia and Prussia to the central plains of North America, including south-central Kansas.
The new exhibition will explore the diversity of migration experiences.
Exhibit developer David Kreider explained, “Artifacts in the Kauffman Museum collections reveal stories beyond the 1874 migration: forced removal of First Kansans, journeys of European Mennonites east and west, and war refugees.”
The immigration theme concludes with stories of people on the move today, a reminder that the Anabaptist movement that emerged in 1525, from which Mennonites descended, is now a global community.
Kauffman Museum will host monthly programs related to the immigration theme. Jantzen’s presentation will be part of the Sunday-Afternoon-at-the-Museum series, and his topic is “Brief Imperial Russian Sojourn: Lasting Mennonite Memories.”
The museum opens at 1:30. A short business meeting of the Kauffman Museum Association will take place at 3 p.m., and include recognition of incoming board members Elizabeth Eells, Lauren Friesen, John Good, Jantzen and Ron Moyo, with Jantzen’s lecture immediately following.
Sunday-Afternoon-at-the-Museum programs are free to the public, and admission to special exhibitions is waived the day of the programs.
For more information on the exhibition and public programs, visit www.kauffmanmuseum.org, Kauffman Museum’s Facebook page, or contact Kauffman Museum, kauffman@bethelks.edu or 316-283-1612.
Regular Kauffman Museum hours are Tues.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 1:30-4:30 p.m., closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-16, and free to Kauffman Museum members and children under 6.
