Spurlock Museum facts for kids
 |
|
| Former name | Spurlock Museum of World Cultures |
|---|---|
| Established | September 26, 2002 |
| Location | 600 S. Gregory Street Urbana, IL 61801 United States |
| Type | University museum |
| Public transit access |  MTD |
The Spurlock Museum is a super cool place at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It's a museum that shows off amazing things from cultures all around the world! It has a huge collection of items, some from other museums and some given by people who wanted to share their treasures. You can see everything from ancient tools to old clothes!
With about 51,000 objects, the Spurlock Museum collects, protects, studies, and displays items from different cultures. Its main galleries take you on a journey through time and across the globe. You can explore ancient Mediterranean lands, modern Africa, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, East Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas. It's a fantastic way to learn about how diverse and interesting human cultures are!
Contents
Journey Through Time: The Museum's Story
The idea for the Spurlock Museum started way back in 1911. That's when the university created two smaller museums. One was for ancient Archaeology and art, and the other for European culture. Later, an Oriental Museum joined them. Over the years, these museums combined and changed names. In 1971, they became the World Heritage Museum.
For many years, the museum was on the fourth floor of a building called Lincoln Hall. But the collections kept growing! In 1995, a generous gift from William and Clarice Spurlock made it possible to build a brand new home for the museum. In June 2000, the museum was renamed the William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum, or just the Spurlock Museum for short. It officially opened its doors to the public on September 26, 2002.
Moving all those artifacts from the old building to the new one was a huge job! Before anything was packed, every single item was carefully checked and recorded. Over 30,000 items needed to be moved. It took 35 college students two years to pack everything! They used tons of packing peanuts, over 1,800 boxes, and 148 special crates. Many fragile items even got custom-made boxes. The actual move only took ten days!
Amazing Artifacts: What's Inside?
The Spurlock Museum's collection has about 51,000 objects. These items come from six continents and cover a million years of human history! Some really special things include casts of the Parthenon frieze (ancient Greek sculptures), old bronzes from the Merovingian period, Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets (some of the earliest writing!), and bark cloth from the Amazon Basin.
The museum's main goals are to protect these artifacts and teach people about them. To keep the items safe, most of them are kept in storage. The museum only displays about four to five percent of its collection at any one time. But don't worry, the stored items can still be studied by experts or loaned to other museums. You can also often find information and pictures of them online!
Chinese and Japanese Wood Carvings
The museum has over 200 beautiful Japanese and Chinese wood carvings. These were given by Mr. Fred A. Freund starting in 1999. The carvings are from the Edo period and Meiji period in Japan, and the Qing dynasty in China. They show all sorts of things, like people, animals, everyday objects, and cool abstract designs.
Arctic Treasures: The Crocker Land Expedition
This collection has over 200 artifacts and hundreds of photos. They were gathered between 1913 and 1917 during an Arctic exploration. The team was led by Donald B. MacMillan. The photos show the Inuit people, amazing landscapes, and wildlife. The artifacts include tools for hunting and whaling, clothing, and sled equipment.
Ancient Writing: Sumerian and Babylonian Clay Tablets
Imagine writing on clay! This collection has about 1,750 inscribed clay tablets. They come from ancient sites in Mesopotamia. These tablets are super old, dating from the 21st and 20th centuries BCE, all the way to later periods around 625-520 BCE. They are written in Sumerian and Akkadian. The writing system used is called cuneiform, which is the earliest known writing system in the world!
Explore the World: Feature Galleries
The Spurlock Museum has several main galleries that let you explore different parts of the world. Each gallery is like a window into a unique culture!
- 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
-
An ancient letter on papyrus from Oxyrhynchus, written in Greek around the second century CE.
-
A reproduction of an ancient Egyptian statue of the pharaoh Khafre.
-
Beautiful cloth from Indonesia.
-
A collection of artifacts showing ancient Greek religion.
-
This Barong Ket figure is used in temple festivals on the island of Bali in Indonesia.
-
Everyday household items from Southeast Asia.
-
Jousting armor from the Gallery of European Cultures.
More to See: Public Areas
The Spurlock Museum building has more than just galleries!
- The Campbell Gallery: This gallery features special exhibits that change twice a year. There's always something new to discover!
- The Knight Auditorium: A large room with 215 seats. It hosts talks by experts, and performances by musicians, dancers, actors, and storytellers.
- The Dene W. and Marie C. Zahn Learning Center: A great space for smaller groups. Here you can find workshops for teachers, craft activities, and even get to touch some artifacts!
- The World Heritage Museum Guild Educational Resource Center: This center has lots of educational materials for teachers and students.
See also
