Photos by Bob Elbert.
A stuffed tapir from the anthropology department.
Unique items collected from around campus are part of an exhibit opening Aug. 20 at the Christian Petersen Art Museum in 003 Morrill Hall. The "Cabinet of Curiosities" exhibit features objects from Iowa State's history, including original pieces from a natural history museum housed on the third floor of Morrill in the 1890s.
Jen Munoz, a graduate student in interior design and a summer intern at University Museums, pursued the project by calling campus departments for relics that may be on hand or buried in storage. She procured more than 100 artifacts from about 30 different departments and programs. Some objects, such as napkins from Adolph Hitler's estate, are from University Museums' collections.
Some objects were selected from University Museums' own collection.
Not surprisingly, the collection sports a wide range of objects. A full gorilla skeleton greets visitors at the entrance. A mammoth's tooth, preserved plant and animal specimens, and teaching artifacts are among the items in the cabinet displays. Munoz is partial to the stone tools and arrowheads native to Iowa's first inhabitants.
The exhibit runs through Dec. 14. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays during the semester, excluding holidays. The cost of admission to the Christian Petersen Art Museum is free, but visitors are asked to consider a donation of $3.
