Press Release

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced its newest exhibition, The Beautiful Game, opening Thursday, April 2. As Kansas City welcomes the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, football (soccer) fans from every corner of the globe will discover The Beautiful Game, an extraordinary exhibition revealing the profound connections between the world’s most beloved sport and the Great War.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial today announced that President and CEO Matthew Naylor will conclude his tenure in 2027 after 14 years of leadership, relocating to his native Australia to be closer to family. The Museum's Board of Trustees has initiated a search for the institution's next leader, with the goal of welcoming a new President and CEO by early 2027. Naylor has committed to guiding the Museum and Memorial through its 2026 centennial and remaining through June 2027 to ensure a smooth and thorough transition.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced advance tickets for the Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation traveling exhibition. The Freedom Plane National Tour brings original founding-era documents from the National Archives and Records Administration to eight American cities throughout 2026 in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The tour’s first stop is at the Museum and Memorial from Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 22.

The National Archives and Records Administration announced the Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation traveling exhibition, with the nation’s first stop at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, MO. The Freedom Plane National Tour brings original founding-era documents to eight American cities throughout 2026 in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary. It will be on display at the Museum and Memorial from Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 22.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced its newest exhibition, Paris at War. Opening Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, Paris at War examines the city’s dramatic shift from the flourishing days of the French empire to the uncertainty and hardship brought on by World War I.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced a new art installation from its Artist-in-Residence program. In L ving Memory opens to the public on Thursday, Nov. 6 and features Indigenous Worimi artist Dean Cross. The 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence program is a partnership between the Australian Government’s Consulate of Chicago and the National WWI Museum and Memorial that examines indigenous art and WWI.

In commemoration of Veterans Day, the National WWI Museum and Memorial serves as a fitting place to honor those who have served — and continue to serve — our country. Free admission for veterans and active-duty military Friday, Nov. 7 – Tuesday, Nov. 11 and half-price general admission for the Public.

On Friday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 4, the National WWI Museum and Memorial will be open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is offering a special all-access discount admission rate of $10.

From June 1 - Sept. 1, 2025, local residents in the six counties surrounding Kansas City can save on admission with a special $10 ticket and discover everything that's changed at the Museum and Memorial

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced the new exhibit Encounters, which opens to the public on Friday, May 23. Through cutting-edge visual storytelling, visitors to Encounters will meet 16 individuals and hear their intimate first-person accounts crafted from diaries, letters and photos

Admission to the Museum and Memorial is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel, while general admission for the public is half-price all weekend (Friday-Monday, May 23-26).

In the aftermath of World War I, the fields of northeastern France became the site of a dangerous legacy: the Iron Harvest. This Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, 2025, the National WWI Museum and Memorial unveils its newest exhibition examining war’s toll on the earth and its lasting environmental impact.

In commemoration of Veterans Day, the National WWI Museum and Memorial serves as a fitting place to honor those who have served — and continue to serve — our country. To recognize these men and women, admission to the Museum and Memorial is free for veterans and active duty military personnel from Friday, Nov. 8 through Monday, Nov. 11. General admission for the public is half-price.

National WWI Museum and Memorial exhibition War Toys: Ukraine, will run from Oct. 2, 2024 through Jan. 5, 2025. The exhibition is hosted in tandem with Featured Exhibition The Little War, which explores the lives of children swept up by WWI.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial announced its newest exhibition, Sacred Service. Open on Thursday, May 23, 2024, Sacred Service highlights the chaplains from many faiths and fighting nations in WWI whose service provided friendship, compassion and spiritual guidance.