Anthropology Museum hosting weekly activities
If you have ever wanted to hang out among Egyptian ushabtis and New Guinean Sepik masks while doing arts and crafts, you now have the chance every Tuesday night at the USU Anthropology Museum.
The museum has sponsored activities every Tuesday at 6 p.m. this semester and will continue to do so most of the weeks through December, said Amanda Groth, education curator of the museum.
“I’m a fond believer that learning should be fun, and that’s what we try to do,” Groth said. “It gives an hour you can kill on Tuesdays. For families, this is a great opportunity. This is the only night we stay open past 5 p.m. This is something where the parents can bring the kids and learn with them and have fun at the same time.”
Though no one showed up last Tuesday to participate in an activity related to Tokyo and recycling, Groth said that the low turnout was not typical of previous weeks, especially during the summer, when an average of 20 people showed up each time.
Groth said coming weeks will feature Peruvian bag weaving, Kwanzaa candle making and a mock archeological dig. Next week’s activity will be based on Ozti the Iceman, a 5,000-year-old man who was found by hikers frozen in the mountains of Italy. Researchers initially thought he had frozen to death, but recently discovered an arrowhead embedded in him, which has raised new questions about his death, she said.
The museum, located in the south end of the second floor of Old Main, is unfamiliar to many people on campus, but museum staff hope to change that, Groth said.
“I think everyone needs to see this museum at least once. It’s got some really awesome stuff, and there’s something everyone is going to be interested in,” she said.
The museum features exhibits dealing with people and cultures from all over the world, but also has several which are more specific to the northern Utah area.
“We’ve got stuff that covers just about every topic,” Groth said.
The museum hosts classes on field trips from local schools and also provides “teaching trunks” to teachers at local schools to use in the classroom, Groth said. Each trunk focuses on a different area or culture and includes a week’s worth of lesson plans and ideas for class activities.
The USU Anthropology Museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on Tuesdays, when it stays open until 7 p.m. For more information, call the museum at (435) 797-7545 or visit its Web site at www.usu.edu/anthro/museum.
-dfelix@cc.usu.edu