Current Exhibitions

City on the River

City on the River is the culmination of several years of close partnership and collaboration with the Angel Mounds Exhibition Advisory Council, which includes members of living Indigenous descendant communities ancestrally connected to the site and for whom the site still holds significance. The exhibition tells the story of the People who lived at the Angel Mounds site through material culture from the site, an immersive virtual reality experience, connections to the stories of contemporary culture-bearers, and art from Indigenous descendant communities.

Whispers from the Divide

Arthur Liou’s video installation, Whispers from the Divide, seeks to encapsulate the tangible and intangible barriers between the US-Mexico border. Through a series of pilgrimages to key locations along the border, Liou records a first-person journey and offers an immersive experience that transcends mere observation. The bilingual Spanish and English exhibition features an interactive space where guests and community members can share their personal experiences of the US-Mexico border.

The Journey of Women: Yemeni Jewelry and Social Growth

Featuring silver jewelry and textiles created for and worn by women from various regions of Yemen, The Journey of Women: Yemeni Jewelry and Social Growth showcases the meticulous craftsmanship of skilled silversmiths who passed their techniques down through generations. The exhibition recognizes the social capital of Yemeni women through their material culture and explores how this, in turn, influences their identities and the transition from girlhood to womanhood, all while preserving their cultural heritage.

Locally Based, Globally Relevant

Locally Based, Globally Relevant is 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 are 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.

Star by Star

Flags are objects of memory. They tell stories of identity, growth, and loss. As the United States has grown, so has the flag’s design. This exhibit honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence as well as the lives lost during the building of our nation.

Indiana's First Residents

Indiana’s First Residents discusses the difference between the fields of archaeology and paleontology through the interactions of the earliest known inhabitants of Indiana, the Clovis people, and the megafauna who lived alongside them. This exhibit highlights how fossils and human-made objects, like stone tools, lend insight into the ancient past.

The Short of it... Brief Stories from IUMAA's Records

This exhibit investigates the deeper tales of how museum materials get here, how they’re cared for, and what relationships they have with the world. Topics will change throughout the year.

Current Topic: Indiana Megafauna

Indiana was once home to very large animals, including the American mastodon (Mammut americanum) and giant ground sloth (Megalonyx jeffersonii). These stories of two sets of fossilized bones at Indiana University are more complex when you dive into the records.

Rural Perspectives on Design

Rural Perspectives on Design is a multimedia research exhibit that democratizes access to design research, uplifts rural voices, and increases awareness of the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design, a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Housing Assistance Council. Curated by applied design anthropologist Sierra Mack-Erb, the exhibit combines photography, ethnographic interview quotes, and visual artifacts from the program’s 2023-2024 program cycle to paint a fuller picture of CIRD’s unique community-engaged design process and its relevance to rural communities.