Mission
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures educates, inspires, and delights adults and children through the museum’s collection and preservation of toys and miniatures.
Black Lives Matter
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures stands with Black people everywhere in the fight against structural racism, discrimination, and police brutality. We grieve the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and Rayshard Brooks, and countless others.
We support Black Lives Matter. We are speaking out to acknowledge our accountability and to amplify our dedication to listen, learn, and create dialogue around social change.
Acknowledgment is T/m’s first step in committing to the work toward racial equity. We pledge to invest intentional efforts and resources for greater diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion for our community.
HISTORY
T/m was established in 1982 as the Toy and Miniature Museum of Kansas City, featuring the collections of Mary Harris Francis and Barbara Hall Marshall. Operating in the historic Tureman Mansion on the corner of 52nd and Oak on the University of Missouri – Kansas City campus, the 7,500-square-foot museum had two full-time staff members.
Over the next 30 years with expansions in 1989 and 2004, the museum grew to 33,000 square feet. During the same period, the collection increased to over 72,000 objects. In 2012, the museum embarked on its first public capital campaign to raise $10.2 million to support building and exhibit improvements. The campaign raised $10.73 million, and the museum began a 19-month renovation in 2014.
The museum reopened as The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures on August 1, 2015, with the world’s largest fine-scale miniature collection and one of the nation’s largest historic toy collections on public display. T/m’s collection currently numbers more than 86,000 objects.
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1982
T/m was established as the Miniature Museum of Kansas City
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1989
Museum expansion
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2004
The museum grew to 33,000 square feet during another expansion. With this expansion, the museum was able to increase its collection to feature over 72,000 objects
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2005
Mary Harris Francis (co-founder) passes away
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2010
Barbara Hall Marshall (founder) retires
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2012
The museum embarked on its first public capital campaign to raise $10.2 million to support building and exhibit improvements
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2014
Raising $10.73 million, the museum began a 19-month renovation
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2015
The museum reopened as The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, with the world's largest fine-scale miniature collection and one of the nation's largest historic toy collections on public display
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2016
Toys from the Attic exhibit receives Leadership in History Merit Award from the American Association of State and Local History
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2018
Playing for Keeps: The VFW Marble Tournaments, 1947-1962, exhibit receives Leadership in History Merit Award from the American Association of State and Local History
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2021
Barbara Hall Marshall (co-founder) passes away
our staff
ADMINISTRATION
DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING
INTERPRETATION & EDUCATION
VISITOR SERVICES
board of directors
T/M FOUNDERS Mary Harris Francis, Barbara Hall Marshall
OFFICERS Lori Beam (Chair), Corey Ziegler (Vice Chair), Kimali West (Past Chair), William A. Hall (Treasurer), Rachel Sterbenz (Secretary), Petra Kralickova (Executive Director)
BOARD Karen Christiansen, J. Scott Francis, Teresa Martinez, Margaret Silva, Robert Simmons, Susan Stanton, Jean-Paul Wong
HONORARY DIRECTOR David Francis, Emeritus
Careers
Thank you for your interest in working at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. T/m is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining a highly qualified workforce and offers a variety of career opportunities. At T/m, employment is much more than just work. Employees enrich and develop their love of museums, history, and art while contributing their specific skills and talents to the museum mission. The museum is an equal opportunity employer. For more information on our diversity mission, visit the Office of Diversity and Inclusion website. Join the T/m team today!
Part-Time Visitor Services Representative
The purpose of this role is to support T/m’s mission, strategic, and DEAI goals by providing exceptional hospitality and visitor experiences to all individuals and groups visiting the museum. The Visitor Services Representative sells admissions and Museum Store merchandise, answers questions, and provides visitor access to amenities. The ideal candidate will possess an optimistic, welcoming attitude as well as strong attention to detail, communication, multi-tasking, problem-solving skills, and ability to work collaboratively with other museum staff.
Apply Here!Volunteer and Visitor Experience Coordinator
The purpose of this role is to support T/m’s mission, strategic, and DEAI goals by providing exceptional hospitality and visitor experiences to all individuals and groups visiting the museum. The Volunteer and Visitor Experience Coordinator will administer the volunteer program, schedule group visits, and sell admission tickets and Museum Store merchandise. This role will also serve as the manager at the museum on Saturdays. The ideal candidate with have excellent customer service skills and the ability to multi-task. Must be an energetic self-starter with high standards and exemplary problem-solving skills, must be able to work collaboratively with other museum staff. Museum experience and knowledge of foreign language skills are a plus, but not required.
Apply Here!Marketing & Communications Coordinator
The purpose of this role is to support T/m’s mission, strategic, and DEAI goals to reach new and returning audiences through marketing and communications initiatives. The Marketing & Communications Coordinator is responsible for creating and distributing print and digital marketing efforts and is the first point of contact with the media. The ideal candidate will have experience across multiple marketing platforms and social media channels/groups, have exceptional writing and editing skills, and strong ability to work with variety of internal and external partners. This position will work closely with other staff members to plan and develop messaging and strategies to promote attendance, program and event participation, and social media engagement.
Apply Here!
press
For further information or to schedule a press visit, please contact Senior Manager of Development and Marketing Brenna Duffy at Brenna@toyandminiaturemuseum.org or 816-235-8006.
PRESS KITS
Museum Fact Sheet 2021
PHOTOGRAPHY
For hi-res images of the museum and collection, please contact info@toyandminiaturemuseum.org or 816-235-8006.
Please review the museum’s photography rights and permissions.
ANNUAL REPORTS & FINANCIALS
2018 Audit
2018 990
2019 Audit
2019 990
2020 Audit
2020 990
