At the Cultural Crossroads

FEATURED EVENT: Wake Forest Museum of Anthropology: Storytelling with Totem Poles - Virtual June 16 at 11 a.m.

Join the Museum of Anthropology as we read the book “Sharing Our World” by Native Northwest and learn how important animals are to the cultures of the Northwest Coast Natives. Pick up your craft kit at the Reynolda Manor location by June 15 to create your own totem poles. For children ages 5-11. Registration is limited. Please email Priscilla at spencepr@ forsyth.cc or call 336-703-2960 to register.

LIBRARY DIRECTOR BRIAN HART TALKS WITH SARA CROMWELL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY’S MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY

Museum Educator Tina Smith’s programs are a perennial favorite with participants in the library’s Summer Reading program.

Since being renamed the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) in 1987, the collection has grown to nearly 30,000 objects.

Tell us how the Museum of Anthropology got

started and how its mission has evolved.

The faculty of the Wake Forest University department of anthropology established the Museum of Man in 1963, to broaden the learning opportunities available to their students and to provide a space to conserve cultural objects they collected during their work in the field. Over the years, the collection grew, and the museum opened to the public in 1975, with educational programming and exhibits that highlighted global cultures, human history and local communities.

Since being renamed the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) in 1987, the collection has grown to nearly 30,000 objects. Our educational role has expanded beyond campus boundaries into the community, with a mission to create awareness of global cultures and provide opportunities for intercultural learning. During the pandemic, we’ve been able to broaden our reach even more by offering virtual programs, exhibits and activities that are available to anyone in the world.

(left) Day of the Dead papier-mache sculptures made by Felipe Linares Mendoza, depicting artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. (right) Painted child’s Comanche robe from the mid-19th century.

What types of people does the museum appeal to and why?

As North Carolina’s only anthropology museum, we hope that the MOA appeals to anyone who is curious about global cultures, wants to understand more about anthropology or is just interested in seeing some really fascinating objects. Once we are able to reopen, admission to the museum will be free. We have parking available in front of the museum, and the campus is accessible by public transit as well.

What types of artifacts do you collect?

The museum’s collections contain nearly 30,000 archaeological artifacts and ethnographic objects from more than 90 counties and 350 cultures. We have particularly strong collections of local Native American archaeological artifacts, Chinese ceramics from the Tang Dynasty and cultural objects from West Africa, Central Africa and Papua, New Guinea. While we are closed, people can explore the collection through our online artifact database and the artifact-of-the-month feature on our website.

What are some of your most popular artifacts?

One of the features that we try to keep on display all the time because of its popularity is our projectile point timeline that shows spear points and arrowheads from the North Carolina Piedmont dating back to 12,000 years ago. Local visitors enjoy being able to date projectile points that they’ve found, by matching them against the timeline. One of our most impressive Native American pieces from outside of North Carolina is a painted Comanche child’s hide robe from the mid-19th century. There are very few such robes in existence. Objects from our Day of the Dead collection are also quite popular with visitors. As the holiday has become more widely celebrated in the United States and Day of the Dead imagery has become more prevalent, our annual exhibit has grown in popularity as well.

Are there specific programs or partnerships that the MOA is particularly proud of?

The museum is particularly proud of fulfilling our educational mission through community engagement. We’ve cultivated a strong partnership with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. In a typical (non-COVID) year, our museum educator, Tina Smith, teaches curriculum-based programs for nearly 6,000 school children in grades K through 12, the majority of whom are in our local school system.

How did you first get involved with the library’s annual Summer Reading program? What keeps you coming back?

The museum has been involved with the library’s Summer Reading program for more than 15 years. Since arriving in 2006, Museum Educator, Tina Smith, has actively cultivated relationships with the youth librarians at each branch. Now, she provides programs throughout the year as well as during the summer, showcasing museum objects that relate to cultural themes the branches are focusing on. The one-on-one relationships with the librarians and the opportunity to promote understanding of global cultures to children throughout the county keeps us coming back year after year.

Are there any little-known facts about the MOA that you wish community members were more aware of?

We actually have some exciting news to share. Last year, the museum moved to a new location on campus in Palmer Hall. Our new home gives us more flexible exhibit galleries, more room for programming and more storage so that we can continue to grow our collections. Due to the pandemic, we haven’t yet been able to welcome the public to the new building, but we hope to be able to do so in the fall. I| S

OTHER MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY EVENTS

WFU Museum of Anthropology – Australia, Animals, and Dots - Virtual, Teens June 24 at 2 p.m.

The Aboriginal people of Australia use animals as a main theme in their art. Using objects from MOA’s collections, teens will learn why animals and dots are so important in Aboriginal culture and create their own dot painting. Ages 12-17.