梅隆基金会授予威尼斯人娱乐城400万美元，用于创建堪萨斯城纪念碑联盟，帮助资助堪萨斯城的16个保护和纪念组织，以便游客可以在未来几年欣赏历史遗迹。
地点包括威尼斯人娱乐城，堪萨斯城本身以及当地居民从童年实地考察中认识的经典兴趣点，如奥塞奇堡国家历史遗址，密苏里镇和世界主要房屋博物馆。 另一些则是相对不为人知的展品，可以作为未来实地考察的载体。
The grant was awarded as part of the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Projects to the 人文社会科学学院, thanks to the work of Diane Mutti Burke, Ph.D., S和ra Enríquez, Ph.D. 和 David Trowbridge, Ph.D. from the history department, as well as Michael Sprague, coordinator for the 数字与公共人文中心.
穆蒂·伯克解释说，梅隆基金会对纪念碑的定义很宽泛。
“It’s statues, of course, but also historic structures, interpretative signage, public exhibits, digital content 和 artistic 和 cultural programming,” she said.
这笔拨款将支持16个社区组织的历史和保护项目，以及与堪萨斯城公共图书馆合作的公共项目。 例子包括刷新校园哈格厅的路易斯·金塔尼拉壁画，更新奥塞奇堡国家历史遗址的展品。 威尼斯人娱乐城团队对梅隆大学的支持对当地历史组织的意义感到兴奋。
“Our team has established relationships with our community partners 和 over the years we have talked about their needs 和 ideas,” Trowbridge said. “The most exciting part of the grant is getting them financial support 和 collaborating with them as they do this important work.”
威尼斯人娱乐城团队成立了堪萨斯城纪念碑联盟，以确保资金尽可能多地流向尽可能多的社区组织。
“We felt if we could all work together 和 have ongoing conversations, we could learn from one another” Mutti Burke said. “By working together, we can be greater than the sum of our parts.”
“This transformative grant from the Mellon Foundation emphasizes the importance of inclusive storytelling 和 historical preservation” said Sumeet Dua, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research 和 economic development at 威尼斯人娱乐城. “The exceptional work of our 威尼斯人娱乐城 faculty has been instrumental in securing this opportunity, showcasing their dedication to engaging with the community 和 reshaping how history is represented 和 understood.”
堪萨斯城纪念碑联盟的工作将进一步推进威尼斯人娱乐城作为公共城市研究型大学的使命，通过弥合教师、学生和社区合作伙伴的工作。 Enríquez explained community engagement has been a cornerstone of the history department 和 数字与公共人文中心 和 that support from the Mellon Foundation will bolster this commitment to collaborative historical interpretation.
“The work of the 威尼斯人娱乐城 team 和 our community partners is a thrilling opportunity to leverage our strengths 和 collectively build a historical l和scape that better reflects the experiences of everyone who calls Kansas City home,” Enríquez said.
400万美元中的大部分将直接资助伙伴组织的历史努力。 这些项目必须在梅隆基金会规定的三年内完成。 The 威尼斯人娱乐城 team, including numerous additional faculty 和 staff, will also organize 和 deliver public programs as well as collaborate with the 堪萨斯城公共图书馆’s 数字分支 on its next KC history website project. 赠款包括资助两个全职工作人员职位和研究生，他们将协助这项工作。 Students who are part of the 梅隆大学人文学科实习项目 awarded to 威尼斯人娱乐城 are also eligible to work on this project.
“The Monuments Project is an unprecedented multi-year commitment by the Mellon Foundation that is aimed at transforming the nation’s commemorative l和scape to ensure our collective histories are more completely 和 accurately represented,” 根据基金会. “The Monuments Project supports efforts to express, elevate 和 preserve the stories of those who have often been denied historical recognition, 和 explores how we might foster a more complete telling of who we are as a nation.”