Media Advisory: Student-curated ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ featured at MOA
Who and What: Wake Forest University’s Museum of Anthropology displays MOA’s Cabinet of Curiosities, a new student-curated exhibit.
For the first time, four student employees of the Museum are in charge of the entire process of running an exhibit, from selecting the pieces to conducting research to installing the pieces. This project rewards the hard work of the students throughout the year as well as builds their curatorial skills.
The collection in the Museum of Anthropology will contain pieces ranging from life-sized brass leopards to Aboriginal dot paintings, from an Egyptian mummy casing to a necklace of human teeth, and from Amazonian arrows to Kachina dolls. It is intended to evoke the aesthetic of an original cabinet of curiosity while also showcasing the diversity of the Museum’s permanent collection.
Cabinets of curiosities, or wunderkammem (wonder rooms), originated as private collections of exotic and extraordinary objects in mid-sixteenth century Europe. Looking for a way to verify their wealth, individuals displayed as many foreign objects as they could in a jam-packed room of their home. The items represented a diverse group of disciplines such as fine art, natural history and anthropology. These displays served as precursors to modern museums.
When and Where: June 16 – Aug. 29, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Museum of Anthropology is located behind WFDD and next to Kentner Stadium on the Reynolda campus. Admission is free.
Why: MOA’s Cabinet of Curiosities puts the control of running an exhibit in the hands of the students and showcases many never-before-seen pieces of the Museum’s collection.
