September 2008
The past year has seen some important changes at the Spurlock Museum. After eleven years of service as Director of the Museum, Douglas Brewer took an offer to move into a new position in the University administration in January 2008. In February, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Sarah Mangelsdorf, appointed me as Douglas’ successor. Douglas is a hard act to follow! He has turned over to me a museum in exceptionally good shape. We have a staff that is second to none; we are supported by the University administration with enormous enthusiasm; we have an active and committed Board and Guild. Our donors have allowed us to continue to grow in terms of exhibits, education, artifacts and programs. All of us wish Douglas the best in his new position and thank him for his extraordinary dedication to and work for the Museum.
I feel very fortunate to be in a position to lead the Museum into a new era. This fall promises to see the inauguration of two important new aspects of our work that will heighten awareness of our institution as a vital presence both in the community and beyond. (1) This summer we have seen the establishment of the Spurlock Museum’s Artifact Imaging Center, which holds two highly specialized cameras that allow us to provide extraordinary digital images of numerous types of small artifacts, including seals and seal impressions, coins, clay tablets, and carved wood and ivory objects. In addition to documenting our collections, we plan to make this center and its unique capabilities available to other museums around the country and the world. (2) As I write this in September, we await the final decision of the American Association of Museums on our application for accreditation. In March, we completed the final step of the application process with a two-day site visit from an AAM representative. The Accreditation Committee of the AAM expects to consider our case in November. If successful, we will become only the twenty-fifth accredited museum in the state of Illinois.
This month (September), we will present Children Just Like Me, a very large and fascinating exhibit specifically designed for a family audience. It will be the starting point for a museum-wide focus on young people across the world that will continue throughout the academic year. A number of special events have been scheduled to supplement and enhance the exhibit. Look for the events schedule elsewhere on this website.
I have been involved with the Museum in one capacity or another for the twenty-five years I have taught at the University of Illinois. I have loved it since I first walked into the World Heritage Museum on the fourth floor of Lincoln Hall in 1983. I am enormously honored to share in the work of shaping and extending its mission of education and preservation.