Spurlock Museum

The foundations of the modern Spurlock Museum can be traced back to 1911, when the University established the Museum of Classical Archaeology and Art and the Museum of European Culture. These were joined in 1917 by the Oriental Museum, which merged with Classical Archaeology and Art in 1929. In 1954 the Museum of European Culture joined with the merged Classical and Oriental Museum to form a single museum, which was renamed the World Heritage Museum in 1971.

From its beginnings in 1911, the museum in its various forms had operated out of a space on the fourth floor of Lincoln Hall. In 1995 a donation by William and Clarice Spurlock made it possible for a new building to be constructed to house the museum and its growing collections. In June 2000, the World Heritage Museum was renamed the William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum, and on September 26, 2002, the Museum opened to the public.

The size and age of the Museum's collections made moving them from Lincoln Hall to the new Spurlock building a formidable task. The first complete inventory of the Museum's holdings since 1972 was conducted before any of the objects were packed. More than 150 fields of information were recorded on each item. To pack the more than 30,000 items took thirty-five undergraduate students two years. The packing job took approximately 10,000 cubic feet (280 m³) of bagged Styrofoam peanuts, 1,822 boxes, and 148 crates. Many of the boxes and crates for the most fragile artifacts were custom-made. The actual move between buildings took ten days.[1]

[2]

The Spurlock Museum’s artifact collection contains approximately 51,000 objects, covering six continents and one million years of human cultural history. A few of the significant collections include Parthenon frieze casts, Merovingian bronzes, Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets, and Amazonian bark cloth. Artifact preservation and public education are the main jobs of Spurlock Museum. Preservation is achieved by keeping the majority of artifacts in storage; following professional standards, the Museum only displays four to five percent of its holdings at any one time. Stored artifacts can be made available for scholarly study or loans to other institutions, as well as serve as a core for temporary exhibitions. They may also be used through the information and images provided on the internet. Note: Not all of the artifacts mentioned below are displayed currently in the Museum.

The feature galleries make up the core structure of the Spurlock Museum. The galleries feature exhibits on the ancient Mediterranean, Africa, East and Southeast Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the indigenous cultures of the Americas.

• Workman Gallery of Ancient Mediterranean Cultures
• Workman Gallery of Asian Cultures
• Faletti Gallery of African Cultures
• Laubin Gallery of American Indian Cultures
• Leavitt Gallery of Middle Eastern Cultures
• Simonds Pyatt Gallery of European Cultures

• 
  A private letter on papyrus from Oxyrhynchus, written in a Greek hand of the second century CE (Oxyrhynchus papyrus 932, (1914.21.0010)
• 
  Ancient Egyptian statue of the pharaoh Khafre (reproduction)
• 
  Cloth from Indonesia
• 
  A collection of artifacts representing ancient Greek religion
• 
  This barong ket figure is featured during temple festivals on the Island of Bali in Indonesia
• 
  An assortment of household items from Southeast Asia
• 
  Jousting armor from the Gallery of European Cultures

Tours and programs are available to groups of ten or more on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm. Most are free of charge, but do have maximum group sizes. Fees and group size limitations are listed with the tour and program descriptions found on the Museum's website. Reservations for tours, guided or self-guided, are required to ensure that all groups have full and equal Museum access and must be made at least three weeks prior to the visit date.

Admission

Free, suggested donation is $3.

Location

600 S. Gregory Street

Urbana, IL 61801

On the campus of the University of Illinois, just to the east of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

The Spurlock Museum building offers the following public areas and facilities:

• Five feature galleries covering Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, Europe, The Americas, and The Ancient Mediterranean.
• The Campbell Gallery, featuring exhibits that change twice a year.
• The 215-seat Knight Auditorium, site of lectures by local and visiting scholars as well as performances by musicians, dancers, actors, storytellers, and choral groups.
• The Dene W. and Marie C. Zahn Learning Center, a space for small-group activities, including teacher training workshops, craft activities, and hands-on artifact opportunities.
• The World Heritage Museum Guild Educational Resource Center, the source of a wide assortment of educational materials for instructors.

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 12-5

Wed, Thurs, Fri: 9-5

Saturday: 10-4

Sunday: 12-4

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spurlock Museum.

• Official website