This page records past exhibitions at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Exhibitions are ordered by the date of their deinstallation.
For an archive of exhibitions from our predecessor institutions, click here.
Locally Based, Globally Relevant was an interactive exhibition acknowledging the contributions and global impact of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities on land management practices, environmental governance, and ecological conservation and restoration internationally. Six case studies were used in the exhibition to illustrate the impact of Indigenous knowledge and understanding, offering alternative ways of thinking about the relationship between nature and humanity that are locally based in community and have an impact that resonates globally.
Arthur Liou’s video installation, Whispers from the Divide, sought to encapsulate the tangible and intangible barriers between the US-Mexico border. Through a series of pilgrimages to key locations along the border, Liou recorded a first-person journey and offered an immersive experience that transcended mere observation. The bilingual Spanish and English exhibition featured an interactive space where guests and community members shared their personal experiences of the US-Mexico border.
This ongoing, rotating exhibit investigates the deeper tales of how museum materials get here, how they’re cared for, and what relationships they have with the world. This page records past exhibit topics.
Curator’s Corner features objects from IUMAA’s collections that come from various regions globally and are directly related to peoples from diverse cultures internationally. The first iteration of Curator’s Corner highlights objects from Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico. This Indigenous community is known for its elaborate garments known as the traje bordado with bold geometric designs, floral patterns, and prints.
To craft is to make, and making, when done with purpose and passion, can be part of creating change in the world around us. The Persisterhood Workshop (TPW) is a craftivism collective in Bloomington. Together they craft to sell, and the proceeds of those sales fund local causes. This photography exhibit shared the TPW’s work and celebrated those who do it.
Curated by fashion scholar Dr. Heather Akou, Associate Professor at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, Divine Adornment: Community Stories of Belonging uses pieces from the Museum’s collection to explore fashion from an Islamic perspective. The exhibit focuses on what fashion means to people from source communities and how they inspire contemporary makers of textiles, clothing, and jewelry. Themes of slow fashion, contemporary inspiration, making and belonging are explored in this exhibition presented in both Arabic and English.
Through Our Eyes: A Reclamation featured three Indigenous guest-curators, Debra Yepa-Pappan (Jemez Pueblo/Korean), Molina Two Bulls (Oglala Lakota/Northern Cheyenne), and Yatika Starr Fields (Osage/Muscogee Creek/Cherokee), as they created works of art that that reinterpreted the Edward S. Curtis and Joseph K. Dixon photography collections, held at the Library of Congress and Indiana University, and sound recordings from the Archives of Traditional Music held by IU Libraries. Recognizing that the Curtis and Dixon image and sound collections were originally produced through extractive and colonialist means, this project sought to redress colonial harm by prioritizing the guest-curators’ visions, recentering Indigenous perspectives, and uplifting source community voices.
Originally entitled "On the Run", Finding Home was a powerful collaborative project led by Deborah Haber, Executive Director of DEEP Arts Rochester, in partnership with students, many of whom are recent migrants and refugees to Austria. The artworks on display reflected the lived experiences of forcibly displaced individuals, each piece a testament to resilience and the strength of the human spirit.
Woven Through Time and Place featured beautiful textiles stewarded by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The fall and spring semesters each featured a different selection of textiles, giving visitors the opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of the collection. A wide variety of techniques can be used to create patterns and designs on fabrics—techniques may be widespread or tied to a certain geographic region, culture, clan, artist, culture bearer, or family. The textiles in this exhibition showed various such techniques and designs from diverse origins.
The Reading Room and Archives features rotating selections from the Museum’s libraries and archival collections. The first exhibition focused on maps of the Midwest. Mapping the Midwest demonstrated and provided insight into the priorities and assumptions of mapmakers and revealed the various lenses through which they viewed the land.
Illusions of Identity: The Colonial Gaze displayed two photographers whose work shaped and spread powerful myths and stereotypes about Indigenous Peoples. Joseph K. Dixon (U.S) and Alfred Martin Duggan-Cronin (South Africa) each staged what they deemed “traditional” scenes for their photos. They insisted on Indigenous regalia and props not used in everyday life. Both photographers manipulated the visuals in the photos to fit colonial expectations of Indigenous life.
The eleven photographs displayed in the exhibition bore witness to these “illusions of identity,” by revealing how the colonial gaze at the time defined Indigenous identity and distorted perceptions.
Using skateboard decks, acrylics, and other materials Lincoln Street Boys and Girls Club members explored their ideas about identity and creativity. A graffiti demo at the Switchyard Park by Mike “Brisk” Burchfield helped kick off the project, leading campers to think about how various styles of art help show different sides of themselves. More than a dozen distinctive skateboards in a variety of styles revealed what these young artists want to share with the world.
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