Kauffman Museum’s mission is to preserve the evolving story of central plains Mennonites, exploring their relationship to community, culture and environment.

Revised and adopted by the Kauffman Museum Association Board of Directors, October 17, 2022

This mission is achieved by:

  • providing permanent and special exhibitions that interpret human and natural history
  • collecting artifacts from and stories about Mennonite people to illuminate universal themes of beliefs, identity, adaptation and change
  • organizing educational programs for children, students, adults and intergenerational audiences
  • sharing museum resources with other communities through professional consultations, research, publication, and traveling exhibitions.

Our Core Values

Kauffman Museum pursues its mission from a corporate commitment to:

 

  • Sustainable stewardship
  • Agile creativity
  • Inclusive collaboration
  • Authentic learning and service
    • Multigenerational hospitality
    • Taking delight in God’s creation and accepting our responsibility to cherish and preserve what God and humans have created

    Adopted by the Kauffman Museum Association Board of Directors, April 17, 2012

    This Land

    We recognize that Kauffman Museum stands on the prairie where many original peoples hunted and farmed before the arrival of European and American settlers, particularly the:

    Kitikiti’sh (Wichita)
    Kansa (Kaw)
    Wazhazhe/Ni-U-Kon-Ska (Osage)

    As you visit Kauffman Museum’s exhibitions and outdoor spaces, we ask that you honor the contributions Native Americans have made to our nation’s heritage, and commit to respecting their descendants and learning about their rich cultural traditions.

    Our Logo

    Kauffman Museum’s logo represents the K and M of its name, in shapes that suggest the organic forms of the prairie and the linear designs of human life. Kenneth Hiebert created the logo in 1984, when professor of graphic design at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Hiebert discusses its use as logotype animation in his book, Graphic Design Processes: Universal to Unique (1992, pp. 187-201).

    Our logo colors represent the topics of our permanent exhibition Of Land and People:

    • Orange represents the original people
    • Green represents the prairie
    • Purple represents European immigration

    Learn more about the meaning of the logo in the design process video.

     

    VISIT US

    27th and North Main St.
    North Newton, KS 67117
    Across from the main campus of
    Bethel College

    CONTACT US

    (316) 283-1612
    kauffman@bethelks.edu
    Mailing address:
    300 E. 27th Street
    North Newton, KS, 67117-1716

    HOURS

    Tue-Fri  9:30am-4:30pm
    Sat-Sun 1:30pm-4:30pm
    Closed Mondays and
    Major Holidays