We aspire to curate the best understood and most ethically held anthropology collection in North America.
This ambitious, if not audacious, goal entails a long-term commitment to understanding every part of the Department of Anthropology’s collections, working towards securing its long-term preservation and access, and negotiating with myriad stakeholders the care, use, and future of the objects we hold in public trust.
The Anthropology Collections Synthesis Project is the banner under which these activities will be pursued. Immediate efforts are focusing on the inventory, re-housing, and critical evaluation of the collections with an eye towards the Museum’s mission and the evolving ethics of museum anthropology. The department is actively seeking grants and other funding opportunities in order to prepare for better storage and preservation in anticipation of the move to the new curation facility.