The Anthropology Museumat Northern Illinois University
2012 - 2013 Annual Report
Welcome to the New Anthropology Museum,
This year, the Anthropology Museum celebrates its 49th year at NIU. Founded in 1964 as part of the new Department of Anthropology, the Museum was founded to engage students and faculty with rich ethnographic and archaeological collections. Revitalized with new staff and new facilities, the Museum is now stronger than ever and excited to inspire new generations to the adventure of anthropology.
In the words of NIU President John Peters, the new Museum and Cole Hall now honor our heritage, serve as a tribute to the NIU Huskie spirit and demonstrate how technology can enrich the classroom experience.
Designed by the architectural firm Cordogan, Clark and Associates, the new Museum features a welcoming façade of glass object cases that provide a glimpse of the exhibits within. The interior space is dynamic, easily changing to accommodate each exhibition. State-of-the-art lighting, security systems, and HVAC systems ensure a stable climate for the preservation of museum objects.
The Museum has been a whirlwind of activity this year. The Museum’s collection of more than 12,000 objects was moved out of temporary storage and into the renovated Collections area in the basement of Cole Hall. Students were hired to assist in every aspect of packing, tracking, moving and unpacking the collection objects. Dozens of NIU classes scheduled specialized tours with Museum staff to augment their curriculum. Thousands of visitors came to experience anthropology through Museum exhibits and programs, including the Governor of Illinois!
We have exciting plans underway for next year and look forward to sharing them with you at the Museum.
Visitors = 1889
125% increase over average museum attendance at Stevens Building
Student Engagement
Graduate Assistants, Ashlee Craig and Kweku Williams, acquired extensive
career experience in museum work, especially collections moving,
management, and exhibition development. They worked as a team with
museum staff in regular operations and made major contributions to
production of exhibitions.
Undergraduate students packed, moved and unpacked over 10,000 museum
objects from Stevens to Cole Hall: Cassie Colon (anthropology),
Rachel Rudolph (theater), Claire Mrzlak (history), Tom Passas (theater),
Karissa Kessen (anthropology), Nicole Bodenstein (anthropology),
Olivia Sandstrom (fine arts), and Francesca Zombowski (anthropology).
Anthropology graduate students were trained as supervisors for the collections move:
Adam Kutryb, Molly Fitzpatrick, Anna Kordek, and Dustin Hume.
Undergraduate Research Assistants:
Michael Janas, Anthropology major, Fall semester 2012;
research for Beyond Machu Picchu exhibition
Claire Mrzlak, History major with Anthropology minor, Spring 2013;
collections research and curatorial assistant
Undergraduate internship: Paige Drauden, Anthropology major, Spring 2013;
coordinated logistics for 41st Annual Conference of the Midwest Andean
Archaeologists at NIU in February 2013 and created a unique database of over
150 university museums with anthropology collections in the U.S.
2012 - 2013 Annual Report
Visitors = 1889
125% increase over average museum attendance at Stevens Building
Student Engagement
Graduate Assistants, Ashlee Craig and Kweku Williams, acquired extensive
career experience in museum work, especially collections moving,
management, and exhibition development. They worked as a team with
museum staff in regular operations and made major contributions to
production of exhibitions.
Undergraduate students packed, moved and unpacked over 10,000 museum
objects from Stevens to Cole Hall: Cassie Colon (anthropology),
Rachel Rudolph (theater), Claire Mrzlak (history), Tom Passas (theater),
Karissa Kessen (anthropology), Nicole Bodenstein (anthropology),
Olivia Sandstrom (fine arts), and Francesca Zombowski (anthropology).
Anthropology graduate students were trained as supervisors for the collections move:
Adam Kutryb, Molly Fitzpatrick, Anna Kordek, and Dustin Hume.
Undergraduate Research Assistants:
Michael Janas, Anthropology major, Fall semester 2012;
research for Beyond Machu Picchu exhibition
Claire Mrzlak, History major with Anthropology minor, Spring 2013;
collections research and curatorial assistant
Undergraduate internship: Paige Drauden, Anthropology major, Spring 2013;
coordinated logistics for 41st Annual Conference of the Midwest Andean
Archaeologists at NIU in February 2013 and created a unique database of over
150 university museums with anthropology collections in the U.S.
2012 - 2013 Annual Report
Faculty Engagement Fall 2012HIST 370 with Dr. Natalie Joy: hands-on lab provided so students could experience
historic Native American objects first hand
ILAS 225 with Dr. Patricia Henry: loaned Indonesian shadow puppets to show to
class; provided tour of Rarely Seen Southeast Asia exhibit
ART 565 with Jo Burke: provided special tour to Intro to Museum Studies class
-Dr. Andrea Molnar: extra credit was given to students who visited the museum
2012 - 2013 Annual Report
Winter 2013ART 294 with Dr. Catherine Raymond: tour of museum and collections area
HIST 295 with Dr. Natalie Joy: 2 separate days of tours, one class period spent in
collections storage and one class period in exhibitions area
HIST 592 with Dr. Stanley Arnold: special program in which both Director and
Curator discussed special issues in exhibition development and design
ART 565 with Dr. Sinclair Bell: provided special tour to Intro to Museum Studies class
ANTH 120 with Dr. Judith Calleja: tour of exhibitions area
ANTH 220 with Dr. Susan Russell: graduate assistants Kweku Williams and Ashlee
Craig gave a tour of their exhibition in Holmes Student Center
ANTH 491/591 with Dr. Kerry Sagebiel: provided complete ceramic vessels for
ceramic analysis in class
Exhibitions
Weavings from Asia
Let’s Play: Toys and Games from around the world
Fast Food Nation 10,000BC Student curated exhibit
Mending Our Unraveled Tapestry Student curated exhibit
Rarely Seen Southeast Asia
Saving Endangered Species Travelling exhibit from Bell Museum
Water for Life
Touch the Sky Travelling photography exhibit by Jim Brandenburg
Dancing with Spirit: Korean Masks Exhibit on loan from Kathy Foley
2012 - 2013 Annual Report
Student Spotlight
NIU undergraduate student Claire Mrzlak began
working at the Anthropology Museum at the beginning of her senior
year. Hired as a one semester Collections Move Assistant, Claire’s
interest in anthropology led her to be hired for the remainder of the
academic year as a Collections Assistant. From inventorying ancient
mastodon bones to modern African beadwork, her work in the
museum’s collections is always fascinating. “My favorite thing about
working at the Anthropology Museum is that every day is different,”
Claire says. “Every time I come into work I never know what I’m going
to unwrap or discover from people’s past lives.”
Her work at the Anthropology Museum, as well as previous
archaeological dig experience in Ireland, has encouraged Claire to
pursue a graduate degree from the National University of Ireland
at Galway next year. “My work here has given me the push to
pursue further education in pursuit of a Masters in Landscape
Archaeology so that I can better understand cultural diversity.”
Congratulations, Claire!
Staff Spotlight
Laura McDowell Hopper is a museum
professional focused on collections management and
the development of engaging, community driven
exhibits. Prior to joining the Anthropology Museum as
Curator, she worked at the Mitchell Museum of
the American Indian in the role of Exhibit and
Collections Manager.
Laura earned a master’s degree in Public History from
Loyola University Chicago and a bachelor’s in History
and Museum Studies from Michigan State University.
She has worked in museums since 2005 and has
previous experience at the Michigan State University
Museum, Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education
Center, Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies, Newberry
Library, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
Museum. In 2010 she received the New Professional
Award from the National Council on Public History
and was the recipient of the 2012 Malkovich Award
for a Young Museum Professional from the Illinois
State Historical Society. Since 2012, she has served on
committees for the Association of Registrars and
Collections Specialists.
diversity.” Congratulations, Claire!
2012 - 2013 Annual Report
2012 - 2013 Annual Report
Publicity
Article in Northern Now, the NIU Alumni magazine, winter 2012
Article in the DeKalb County Historical Society newsletter, fall 2012
Article in the Northern Star, fall 2012
Commercial finalized and launched fall 2012
Semesterly articles in NIU Today
International coverage for Peru exhibition and programming
Social media attention up 35% since July 2012
Events
Grand Opening February 2012
Exhibit opening for Rarely Seen Southeast Asia in October 2012
Extended hours and reception for the 41st Annual meeting of the
Midwest Andean Archaeologists in February 2013
Visit by the Governor on February 14, 2013
Acquisitions
12 West African objects from the Gaples collection at the Logan Museum
at Beloit College
Fundraising
Grant awarded for $5000 from the Illinois Humanities Council to support
Beyond Machu Picchu: Culture and Identity in the Andes
Direct mail campaign in February 2013 to over one thousand alumni
of NIU Anthropology program