The fifth annual Truce Tournament highlighting the remarkable Christmas Truce during the Great War, a pair of programs featuring artists and authors from Italy and an examination of the significance of the 1917 Russian Revolution are among the December events at the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
Art helps us interpret and remember our history. On Saturday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m., Tancredi Artico, Emiliano Montermini and Federica Ceci preview Italian contemporary artist Joshua Cesa’s audio installation, Insight, and discuss its relationship to World War I during the free program Sound in Conversation: Art as Memory. Created to capture the sensory experience of war, this work seeks to connect with the past through modern sounds.
On Sunday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. Tancredi Artico, editor of the newly released book From the Front, and Jonathan Casey, Director, Archives and Edward Jones Research Center at the Museum, host a conversation on the experiences that united—rather than divided—World War I enemy soldiers in a free program. Using letters and diaries, this global book captures the intimacies of war as never seen before.
The year 1917 was monumental in its effects on Russian history and politics. At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, Sean N. Kalic and Gates Brown, co-editors of the recently published The Russian Revolution 1917: The Essential Reference Guide, discuss how social, economic, and political forces transformed Russia in the early 20th century. The free event is the latest in the John J. Pershing Great War Centennial Series, presented in partnership with the Command and General Staff College Foundation.
Sporting Kansas City, The Soccer Lot and the Museum invite the regional soccer community to take part in the fifth annual Truce Tournament commemorating the Christmas Truce in World War I when soldiers put down their weapons and shared moments of peace during a time of war. The event is paired with Kansas City’s largest Boxing Day English Premier League Watch Party inside the Museum as well as an optional all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffet ($25). The 3v3 tournament will be played on Memorial Hill with the Kansas City skyline providing an unmistakable backdrop on Tuesday, Dec. 26 starting at 8 a.m. Registration for soccer teams closes on Dec. 19. More information HERE.
The Museum also hosts a trio of family-friendly events during the month. Every Saturday features the free program Hands-on History in which children and adults of all ages are invited to handle Great War artifacts at 2 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 10, the Museum holds the monthly special program Day in the Life featuring living historians sharing stories about holiday spirit during the war with history coming to life. On Saturday, Dec. 16 at 11 a.m., the Museum features its Story Time program by airing the award-winning short animated film War Game about the Christmas Truce of 1914.
The National World War I Museum and Memorial holds the most comprehensive collection of World War I objects and documents in the world and is the second-oldest public museum dedicated to preserving the objects, history and personal experiences of the war.
December National World War I Museum and Memorial Events
- Every Wednesday: World War Wednesdays (all tickets $8)
- Every Thursday, 2 p.m.: Complimentary Tour (FREE with paid admission)
- Every Saturday, 2 p.m.: Hands-on History (FREE)
- Saturday, Dec. 2, 1 p.m.: Sound in Conversation: Art as Memory (FREE with RSVP)
- Sunday, Dec. 3, 2 p.m.: From the Front (FREE with RSVP)
- Wednesday, Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m.: Pershing Lecture Series: The Russian Revolutions (FREE with RSVP)
- Sunday, Dec. 10, All Day: Day in the Life with Living Historians (FREE)
- Saturday, Dec. 16, 11 a.m.: Story Time – War Game screening (FREE with RSVP)
- Tuesday, Dec. 26, 8 a.m.: Truce Tournament/EPL Watch Party
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