Director's Note
Summer has arrived, and Missouri’s signature heat and humidity are here! After a busy spring semester filled with intern training and student research at the Museum Support Center, we’re excited for a summer of installing new exhibits for our visitors.
Sport and Play: Traditions of Skill and Strategy, exploring the cultural significance of sports and games around the world opened June 15th; perfect timing as many of us are watching the World Cup matches. Be sure to see the 114-pound flight bow crafted by world renown bowyer, Harry Drake, in 1975. Using this bow, Bruce Odle broke the world record set by Sultan Selim III in 1798, surpassing the distance of 1,000 gez (972 yards) with a shot of 1,020 yards. Following that, we will feature a Missouri archaeology photograph exhibit. It highlights historic fieldwork from MU projects across the state over the past 90 years. This work plays a vital role in documenting and preserving Missouri’s cultural heritage. Today we are committed to the co-production of knowledge for exhibits and research with Tribal communities, bringing together early archaeological work and Tribal knowledge. This summer, we are also pleased to offer low-sensory hours on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 10-11 am. During this time, exhibit lighting will be softened, and sensory kits will be available at the guest services desk. These kits were developed through staff training in partnership with the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment as part of our renewed Autism Friendly Business certification.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we partnered with Four Directions, an MU student organization, to host a table at the For the People Powwow at the Northeast Events Center (formerly Boone County Fairgrounds). We spoke with visitors about artifacts connected to the 26 Native American Tribes that lived in and moved through Missouri. Four Directions also shared their zine on food sovereignty, which included cultural food knowledge and even a recipe for fudgy black bean brownies.
We look forward to welcoming you to the museum this summer! - Dr. Candace Sall
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Nora Shih shows research associate John Cunning her work using virtual reality.
Research and Internship Updates
by Jessica Boldt
The Museum Support Center was a busy hub of activity this past spring! We were thrilled to offer our first ever immersive, hands-on museum studies course for graduate level students (Anthro 7990). Cameron Lee and Savannah Harris, both anthropology majors, and Caroline Rogers, a geology major, all spent the semester learning museum policies and procedures with real-world examples and hands-on activities. Each spent half of the semester working on an in-depth project of their choice using the Museum of Anthropology collections. Cameron focused on a large historic site in St. Louis County, creating a StoryMap layering 19th century maps with recent excavation finds. Savannah began creating an Early to Middle Woodland ceramic identification guide using examples within the American Archaeology Division collections. Caroline worked on creating condition reports and database entries for a recent donation while creating a Standard Operating Procedure for accessioning incoming museum donations.
The Anthropology Stone Artifact Analysis course also brought several graduate and undergraduate students to the Museum Support Center to access and studying lithic assemblages. Five students spent several weeks doing a range of research on chipped stone and groundstone artifacts from both the American Archaeology Division collections and the MoA collections.
Nora Shih, a graduate student in the Department of Architectural Studies, has been doing independent research at the Museum of Anthropology for several semesters. Her studies focus on the intersection of virtual reality and material culture. The MoA staff were delighted to try out one of her latest creations, a prototype virtual reality environment using 3D scans of items in the collection integrated with 360-degree videos to provide contextual background. Nora has also been working on a machine learning crack detection project (using damaged ceramic items from the MoA collections) that was recently accepted as a conference paper at the International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications (ICCSA)!
A leather ball from Morocco and gaming pieces from the MoA's archaeological collection are objects featured in the exhibit.
Education and Outreach
by Amanda Staley Harrison
Summer group tours and visits to regional library programs are keeping the educational outreach of the MoA in full swing after another fantastic spring filled with tours for Columbia Public Schools and groups from all corners of Missouri. Even though midsummer has past, there are still plenty of days to schedule group tours before the fall. New experiences at the MoA include the installation of the new exhibit Sport and Play (up through December 2026) and “Low Sensory Mornings” every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month. “Low Sensory Mornings” is a pilot program that we hope will welcome in both families and individuals that feel more supported in environments with low stimuli. Sensory bags are available to check out at the Guest Services Desk for those wanting extra support during their visit.
Mark your calendars for August 17th to visit our table at the Missouri State Fair, and August 21st to see us at the MU Undergraduate Research Fair, held especially for students wanting to know more about the research opportunities at MU (and with the MoA!).
Low Sensory Mornings at the MoA
On the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month this summer, the MoA will have a special low sensory hour for our friends in the community to enjoy a morning at the museum with dimmed lighting. Visitors are also welcome to check out one of our sensory bags provided by the Thompson Center if desired (available at the Guest Services desk).
Time: 10 am - 11 am
Dates: June 2, 16; July 7, 21; August 4, 18
Missouri State Fair
Visit us at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia in August. We will be in the Mizzou Building talking about the Museum and sharing some objects from our education collection.
Time: 9 am - 4 pm
Date: August 17
Undergraduate Research Fair
Come visit the Museum of Anthropology's table at the Undergraduate Research Fair. Students have the opportunity to talk to staff about research at the museum, current projects, and how museum collections are used in research across the university in multiple departments and schools.
Time: 10 am - 12 pm
Date: August 21
