Hannah Marie Wormington and Cynthia Irwin-Williams grew up in a time when women were banned from some anthropology classrooms, yet they forged successful careers and set examples as supportive and inspiring leaders.
Curating as CaretakingThis episode of the SAPIENS podcast takes listeners behind the scenes in museums to explore how Black and Indigenous curators are re-imagining what their collections and exhibitions can do to change minds and transform hearts.
The Blockbuster Exhibit That Shouldn’t Have BeenMuseum curators have occasionally embellished archaeological finds with compelling but questionable stories. Consider the Field Museum’s “Magdalenian Girl.”
Confronting the Colonial Legacies of Museum CollectionsThe Humboldt Forum, a new exhibition venue in Berlin, has raised questions about museum restitution and the importance of researching objects’ provenance.
What Would Leonardo da Vinci Think of the Future?On the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death, an archaeologist and curator imagines the inventor and artist teleported to our time.
Does Art Have a Homeland?An anthropologist reflects on contemporary repatriation demands for African art taken during the colonial period.
The Skeletons in the Museum ClosetCan natural history museums justify their collections of human remains?
Were Peace Medals the Price of Loyalty?Among gifts, the peace medal is one of the most coveted—and complex.
The Many Hands Shirt: Reuniting a Family and an HeirloomSometimes objects in museum collections lead to a lot of conflict. In the best cases, though, they give rise to mutual respect and gratitude.
The Birth of the “Neanderthals”Library archives reveal the Gibraltar skull’s role in the discovery of our sister species.