Kentucky Museum

As a SHOP: Discover unique gifts…

Want to show your support for the Kentucky Museum and get cool swag? Consider purchasing apparel from our online store, or taking advantage of special gifts featuring our collections.

Support the Kentucky Museum …by simply purchasing your specialty merchandise here:
https://www.wku.edu/kentuckymuseum/shop.php

Be a DONOR: Show that you care…

In 1928, the College Heights Foundation sent dime banks to schools across Kentucky. With the slogan, “A Dime Makes a Stock Holder,” the Kentucky Building – now home to the Kentucky Museum – was established as a place for “Kentuckians to know Kentucky.” You can help continue this legacy. While the Kentucky Museum receives financial support from Western Kentucky University for its maintenance and staffing needs, all of our exhibits and programs are funded by people like you.

Membership:

When you join the Kentucky Museum Friends, you join a community who love and support our community’s arts, history, and culture. For as little as $5 per year, you empower our mission and provide flexible funding to meet our greatest needs. Memberships at specified levels are offered: * Inaugural Circle * Spirit Circle * Century Circle * Director’s Circle, and * President’s Circle.

Donations:

The Kentucky Museum relies on donors like you to support our exhibits, programs, and collections care. We have several ways you can make a gift, all of which are tax-deductible.

• Sponsor Exhibits and Programs: Did you know that most of our exhibits are produced by WKU faculty and students? Our Teaching and Spotlight galleries are dedicated to WKU faculty and student-produced exhibitions. As part of coursework, capstones, theses, or internships, WKU students have the amazing opportunity to turn their research into professional museum exhibits. Along the way, they learn best practices in object and historical research, writing interpretations for the public, gallery design, and artifact handling – all while pursuing their passions. Additionally, we present programs in partnership with WKU departments and community groups, from Hammer-In and Christmas in Kentucky to workshops, guest speakers, and film series. These exhibits and events are funded by people like you. Through individual and collaborative giving, your support helps WKU faculty, students, and our community be part of the Kentucky Museum as creators, visionaries, and guests. Will you help them create exhibits and programs with us?
• Museum for All Fund: Museums should be free for all. Thanks to a three-year pilot grant, the Kentucky Museum has seen this point in action: in the first year, our visitation grew by 45% and continues to grow. Each day, we welcome more diverse visitors – across all demographics, both at the museum and in our virtual offerings – and this has emphasized the need for us to remain free in perpetuity. To address this need, the Kentucky Museum has established the Museum for All Fund. This program will provide revenue traditionally gathered through paid admission, which supports initiatives such as diversifying our collections, offering paid internships and graduate assistantships to students, ensuring equitable honorariums for guest curators and speakers, and ensure participation in our programs and events for underrepresented audiences.
• Object Donation: We Are Collecting! The Kentucky Museum is especially interested in acquiring: * historic clothing & textiles, especially * quilts * political memorabilia * toys & games, and fine * folk & decorative arts. The Kentucky Museum Collections Committee reviews potential donations to see if they meet our criteria for acceptance.
• Planned Giving: You can choose a variety of ways to make a planned gift to Western Kentucky University and make a significant impact upon the University’s goals of teaching, research and public service while allowing the personal satisfaction of supporting WKU. It is important to find the method that best meets your needs while also accomplishing your wishes. We hope this information provides assistance in structuring the most appropriate planned gift for your individual situation.
  • Gifts of Retirement Plans/Individual Retirement Accounts
  • Gifts of Life Insurance
  • Gifts Through Bequests
  • Charitable Gift Annuities
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts
  • Charitable Lead Trust

Support the Kentucky Museum …by simply joining, giving, and volunteering here:
https://www.wku.edu/kentuckymuseum/donate.php