Spurlock Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | Spurlock Museum of World Cultures |
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| Established | September 26, 2002 |
| Location | 600 S. Gregory Street Urbana, IL 61801 United States |
| Type | University museum |
| Public transit access |  MTD |
The William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum, usually called the Spurlock Museum, is a cool place to learn about different cultures. It's located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This museum is all about ethnography, which means it studies human cultures and how they live.
The Spurlock Museum has a huge collection of items from all over the world. These items show how people lived long ago and how they live today. Many objects came from other museums and university departments. The museum also gets items donated by people and other places.
With about 51,000 objects, the Spurlock Museum works to collect, keep safe, show, and study cultural treasures. Its main display areas highlight cultures from the ancient Mediterranean region, modern Africa, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, East Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas. It's a great way to see how diverse cultures are across time and the globe!
Contents
Museum History: How It Started
The Spurlock Museum has a long and interesting history. It began way back in 1911. At that time, the university had two separate museums. These were the Museum of Classical Archaeology and Art, and the Museum of European Culture.
Later, in 1917, the Oriental Museum joined them. Over the years, these museums combined and changed names. By 1971, they became one big museum called the World Heritage Museum.
A New Home for the Museum
For many years, the museum was on the fourth floor of Lincoln Hall. But its collections kept growing! In 1995, a very kind donation from William and Clarice Spurlock made a new building possible. This new building would be a special home for the museum.
In June 2000, the World Heritage Museum was renamed the William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum. On September 26, 2002, the museum officially opened its doors to the public.
Moving the Museum's Treasures
Moving thousands of old and valuable objects was a huge job! Before anything was packed, the museum took a full list of everything it owned. This was the first complete list since 1972. They recorded over 150 pieces of information for each item.
It took 35 college students two years to pack more than 30,000 items! They used a lot of packing materials. This included about 10,000 cubic feet of Styrofoam peanuts, 1,822 boxes, and 148 special crates. Many of the boxes and crates were custom-made for the most fragile items. The actual move between the old and new buildings took ten days.
Exploring the Museum's Collection
The Spurlock Museum's collection has about 51,000 objects. These items cover six continents and show one million years of human history. The museum's main goals are to keep artifacts safe and to teach people.
To protect the items, most artifacts are kept in storage. The museum only displays about four to five percent of its collection at any time. Stored artifacts can be used for study by experts or loaned to other museums. They also form the basis for special temporary exhibits. You can also learn about them through information and pictures online.
Chinese and Japanese Wood Carvings
The museum has a collection of over 200 Japanese and Chinese wood carvings. These were given by Mr. Fred A. Freund starting in 1999. The carvings are from the Edo and Meiji periods in Japan. They also include items from the Qing dynasty in China. The carvings show people, animals, everyday objects, and abstract designs.
Arctic Collection from the Crocker Land Expedition
The Crocker Land Expedition Collection has over 200 artifacts. It also includes hundreds of photos. These were gathered between 1913 and 1917 by an Arctic exploration team. The team was led by Donald B. MacMillan, who studied cultures.
The photographs show the Inuit people, Arctic landscapes, and wildlife. The cultural artifacts include tools for hunting and whaling. There are also pieces of clothing and sled equipment.
Ancient Clay Tablets from Mesopotamia
This collection has about 1750 inscribed clay tablets. They come from ancient sites in Mesopotamia, like Umman and Drehem. These tablets are very old, dating from the Third Dynasty of Ur (21st and 20th centuries BCE). Some are also from later periods (around 625-520 BCE).
The texts on these tablets are written in Sumerian and Akkadian languages. The writing system used is called cuneiform. It is the earliest known writing system in the world!
Main Display Areas
The Spurlock Museum has several main display areas, called feature galleries. These galleries are the heart of the museum. They have exhibits on the ancient Mediterranean region, Africa, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the native cultures of the Americas.
- Workman Gallery of Ancient Mediterranean Cultures
- Workman Gallery of Asian Cultures
- Faletti Gallery of African Cultures
- Laubin Gallery of American Indian Cultures
- Leavitt Gallery of Middle Eastern Cultures
- Simonds Pyatt Gallery of European Cultures
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A private letter on papyrus from Oxyrhynchus, written in a Greek hand of the second century CE (Oxyrhynchus papyrus 932, (1914.21.0010)
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Ancient Egyptian statue of the pharaoh Khafre (reproduction)
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Cloth from Indonesia
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A collection of artifacts representing ancient Greek religion
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This barong ket figure is featured during temple festivals on the Island of Bali in Indonesia
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An assortment of household items from Southeast Asia
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Jousting armor from the Gallery of European Cultures
Museum Facilities and Spaces
The Spurlock Museum building has several public areas for visitors to enjoy:
- Five Feature Galleries: These are the main display areas. They cover cultures from Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Europe, the Americas, and the Ancient Mediterranean.
- The Campbell Gallery: This gallery has special exhibits that change twice a year. So there's always something new to see!
- The Knight Auditorium: This is a large room with 215 seats. It's used for talks by experts and for performances. You might see musicians, dancers, actors, storytellers, or singing groups here.
- The Dene W. and Marie C. Zahn Learning Center: This is a space for smaller group activities. It's used for teacher training, craft activities, and chances to touch and explore artifacts.
- The World Heritage Museum Guild Educational Resource Center: This center provides many different educational materials for teachers and students.
