Maxwell Museum of Anthropology
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The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology is an anthropology museum located on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The museum was founded in 1932 as the Museum of Anthropology of the University of New Mexico, becoming the first public museum in Albuquerque. In 1972 it was renamed the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology in honor of philanthropists Dorothy and Gilbert Maxwell.
The museum features changing exhibits and two permanent exhibits: the Ancestors Exhibit, an exhibit on human evolution, and the People of the Southwest Exhibit, which highlights 11,000 years of cultural heritage of the American Southwest and features a reconstruction of a room at Chaco Canyon.
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[edit] History
The museum was established by Edgar Lee Hewett, the "founding father" of New Mexico anthropology, as the Museum of Anthropology of the University of New Mexico in 1932. The earliest exhibits were gathered from field schools of archaeological research associated with the newly formed UNM Anthropology Department, the School of American Research and the Museum of New Mexico. Frank Hibben was the first director of the museum and expanded its holdings by collecting archaeological materials from around the world and in trade with other museums. Exhibits were first situated in Rodey Hall (demolished in 1971). The museum moved to Scholes Hall in 1935. In 1972 a major construction project expanded museum facilities, which was funded by the philanthropists Dorothy and Gilbert Maxwell. The museum was renamed in their honor and since then has grown and prospered. Since the early 1970's, it has been recognized as an important regional museum and a nationally known research center.
[edit] Features
Originally conceived as a "teaching museum," the Maxwell developed a mission that promotes anthropological research and student and public education. The museum has four exhibit areas that host permanent and changing exhibits which express the human cultural experience. The Ancestors Hall permanent exhibit traces human origins back four million years. The People of the Southwest permanent exhibit depicts eleven thousand years of the cultural heritage of the Southwest. The museum's north gallery hosts exhibits from the extensive museum collection as well as traveling exhibits. The newly named Bawden Gallery (after Garth Bawden, museum director 1985-2005), examines contemporary themes. Public programs and educational outreach accompany all exhibits, including lectures, exhibit tours, demonstrations and family activities, many of which, like the museum, are free of charge.
[edit] Mission
The stated mission of the museum ...is to increase knowledge and understanding of the human cultural experience across space and time. The museum serves this mission by collecting, maintaining, researching, and interpreting anthropological materials.
This mission statement is based on recognition that material objects, as manifestations of the practical and symbolic lives of human groups, represent a tangible and irreplaceable source of information for the study of human behavior. The museum supports and complements the university's functions of education and research, and, in addition, provides educational opportunities to the public outside of the university community.
