The new Museum of Anthropology at Wayne State held its grand opening Oct. 4.

“The anthropology museum highlights the collections which have been donated to the college from the late 1980s,” said Susan Ellis professor of anthropology.

The museum has exhibits on a wide range of human artifacts, including pottery, Navajo rugs, lithic points and drills used for stone working, clothing and adornment.

“The purpose of the museum is to curate the collections which have been donated and to present them in a manner which will educate our students and the people of northeast Nebraska about cultures other than their own,” Ellis said.

She said the museum will identify what the different cultures are and continue to educate more and more.

“The museum was a long-time dream of mine and was celebrated by a ribbon cutting at the grand opening,” Ellis said.

Students, faculty and Marysz Rames, WSC president, were in attendance.

“The dean gave welcoming comments, and I thanked all those who contributed to the museum, not only the donors of objects but those who were instrumental in construction, wiring, painting and cleaning,” Ellis said.

She said that all those who contributed made the grand opening an exceptional event.

“The primary purpose of the museum is to expose our students and
any visitors in the area,” said Tammy Evetovich, dean of the School of
Natural and Social Sciences. The museum does that by featuring exhibits related to the coursework in the social sciences at WSC.

“This particular museum holds objects from the southwest United States, Bulgaria, South America, Africa, Egypt and Jordan, which covers four continents,” Ellis said. “The museum is useful to anyone who is interested in the various cultures of the world.”

The museum illustrates the place of humans in the world and the accomplishments of the human mind. The oldest tools in the museum are some stone blades from Kharana, Jordan, which were made 25,000 years ago.

“The museum also includes exhibits on clothing and ornamentation, human writing and musical instruments,” Ellis said.

The WSC Museum of Anthropology is located in Connell Hall. The hours of the museum are Monday and Wednesday from 1:00 to 3:00 or by appointment.