Anthropology Museum

History:
In 2000, The Anthropology Museum was established under the umbrella of the Anthropology Department.  While the museum had a magnificent architectural space, it originally had nothing else, and the initial tasks were outfitting it with museum furniture, acquiring collections, and generally building the institution.  In 2002, the first exhibit opened: “Before Cal State,” a twelve-thousand-year treatment of the human use of the locale where CSUSB is now located.

Description:
Exhibits are the most visible activity of a museum, but behind-the-scenes operations like acquiring collections are just as important. In 2005, the museum received its first major donation: the Ellins Collection. Stuart Ellins, long-time professor in CSUSB's Psychology Department and collector of Native American art, donated his collection to The Anthropology Museum. The collection consists of about 160 examples of contemporary art, mostly from the Southwest, including ceramics, basketry, textiles, and other items.
Shortly after the Ellins gift, the museum also was given the Salenger Collection, about 50 items from around the world, mostly masks.  The University generously has provided a secure, climate-controlled storage facility for these and other museum collections, and the task of cataloguing and conserving these collections is ongoing.  The Ellins Collection will be the subject of an exhibit to be mounted in the museum in the near future.

Location and Hours
SB-307
8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M (No admission Fee)
Summer hours are adjusted to the university's summer work schedule. Docent tours are available upon request through the Anthropology Department.

Current Exhibit:
The current exhibit is “Handwriting.”  This exhibit explores writing in all its aspects, from the earliest writing impressed in Mesopotamian clay to the glories of calligraphy in the Arab, Chinese, Victorian, and Japanese traditions, from the obscure Rongorongo script of Easter Island to the Roman alphabet, the most widespread script of all time.

• Collection Setup:
  • One station is basically historical, examining the development and chronology of writing, its technology, and its forms. 
  • Another on forensic handwriting and how forgeries can be detected draws on criminal justice perspectives.
  • A reconstruction of the Al-Hakim mosque leads to a discussion of how writing styles have been used for political ends, and a station on graphology questions how reliable assessments of personality based on handwriting really are.
  • Other stations explore the technology of writing and how it has affected the way scripts have been written, the logic of various systems of writing (including Korean, Aztec, Ogham, and others), the development of shorthands, writing for the blind, and seals and signatures.
  • Throughout are scattered examples of these writing forms and the materials used to produce them, including both ancient items and modern reconstructions.

For any other additional information, Please contact:
Russell Barber
Anthropology Department
rbarber@csusb.edu
909.537.5523