(Devan Ridgway/WTIU News)
IU recently reopened the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology with six exhibits and interactive experiences.
The museum, which opened on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, tells the stories of indigenous cultures in the American Midwest — with an inventory of over five million objects of cultural heritage.
Read more: IU’s Archaeology Museum reopens
The museum previously consisted of separate museums known as the Mathers Museum of World Cultures and the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology.
“Whispers from the Divide,” an exhibit presented since the museum’s reopening, tells the story of the U.S-Mexican border through a series of interactive videos.
A new attraction is the Virtual Reality Dome, where curators and artists will feature exhibits. “City on the River” will be the first exhibit in the dome in 2025.
The museum currently has these exhibits: “Divine Adornment: Community Stories of Belonging”; “Through Our Eyes: A Reclamation”; “Locally Based”; “Globally Relevant”; “Woven Through Time and Place”; and “Mapping the Midwest.”
This week on Noon Edition we’ll talk with curators and the director of the museum to learn more about the exhibits and the process of merging the museums.
You can follow us on X @WFIUWTIUNews or join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org. You can also record your questions and send them in through email.
Guests
Brandie Macdonald, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Jean-Luc Howell, Director of Curatorial Affairs
Kaila Cogdill, Curator of Collections Impact