Imagine the Future . . .
Each visit to the World Kite Museumwill be a journey into the future and into thepast. Visitors will not only discover the cultural significance and history of kiting, which beganmore than 2,000 years ago in China, they’llalso experience a changing panorama of historic and contemporary kites from aroundthe world: gigantic fighter kites from Japan,fantastic shapes & colors of Indonesian animals and bold contemporary designs using the latest technology.
Children and adults will also meet the Heroesof Kiting—Benjamin Franklin, AlexanderGraham Bell, Orville and Wilbur Wright,Francis Rogallo and Charlie Brown—in theMuseum’s Hall of Fame. Kites haveplayed a key role in the history of flight. Fromthe Wright Brothers’ building of the first flyingmachine to Rogallo’s invention of the flexiblewing kite for NASA, which led to the landingon the Moon, kites and science have figuredprominently in our nation’s history.
. . . The Future is Now
Anticipation is growing for the Lewis & ClarkBicentennial Celebration, which will bring aninflux of first-time visitors to the region in 2005and 2006.
In its new home, the Museum will develop new programs to augment this special event, while introducing thousands of visitors to a uniqueart form. The two-story building offers onsite park-ing and is handicap-accessible with an elevator. Most important, the new World Kite Museumwill meet the future needs of the community by providing:
Easy access for visitors to all major kitingevents held at the beach.
6,000 square feet of exhibition space to display the Museum’s world-class collection of 1500+ kites (currently, 95% of the collection is in storage at any one time).
Stimulating, interactive kite-making workshops and classes for children and adults at theMuseum (currently held offsite due to the lackof space in its current home).
A community meeting room and cateringkitchen for Museum events and public gatherings, a gift shop, exhibit design andplanning area, and administrative offices.
Public access to the Museum’s researchlibrary and a temperature-controlled storagearea for its valuable collection of kites, books,magazines, photographs and other ephemera(presently, not accessible).
