Kansas Museum of History

Solution: DI partnered with the Kansas Historical Society as lead designer, fabricator and installer to transform roughly 20,000 square feet of exhibit space into an immersive, visionary state museum. Together, DI and the historical society staff stripped the gallery down to a “big black box,” then rebuilt it as a hub-and-spoke experience that lets visitors chart their own path through Kansas history by topic instead of timeline. The new layout showcases nearly 1,000 artifacts within 500 custom-built exhibit elements and 550 graphics panels, blending large-scale set pieces, interactives and integrated AV to create an environment that feels contemporary but remains durable and timeless for decades of future use.

DI and the museum team worked to curate the best artifacts and exhibits to tell people-first stories, rather than placing their entire collection on display. Alongside DI’s partner, Katalyst, the team built  casework that protects artifacts while making them accessible. Some of the museum’s most popular artifacts, including an 1890s cabin and a 1914 Longren biplane, are now positioned at eye level from a new overlook ramp. The anchor pieces are staged as backdrops for personal narratives rather than stand-alone displays. The architecture of the ramp, including an accessible boxcar and dugout, creates layered vantage points, allowing guests to see the same stories from above, within and below, mirroring the multiple perspectives presented in the content.

Large-format banners and a projection-rich entry create an immediate “wow” moment, while a full-scale bison diorama created with partner Blue Rhino Studio welcomes visitors as an unmistakable Kansas icon. 

The galleries balance cohesive visuals within distinct neighborhood-like exhibits. Each gallery features distinctive design choices to fit the theme: typography, color, flooring and lighting. Though each gallery looks and feels unique, a consistent hierarchy unifies the museum so the experience feels varied but never disconnected. 

DI, along with the museum’s historians and writers, translated academic expertise into stories that are honest yet welcoming to families and school groups. The result is a state museum that invites visitors to question what Kansas means to them on arrival and then leave with new empathy for everyday people who fought for their beliefs and changed the state in the process.