By: Lyndi Robins, CHaSS Communications Journalist
In honor of Top of Utah Museum Week, which will take place Sept. 13-18, all USU main campus and USU Eastern museums, as well as the Cache Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP) Museum, will offer free admission and special programming to patrons.
The Utah State University Logan campus is the home of four museums: the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA), USU Museum of Anthropology, USU Geosciences Museum and USU Intermountain Herbarium. The USU Eastern campus features the Prehistoric Museum.
USU museum week highlights the resources and opportunities for learning that campus museums bring to students. A meeting showcasing opportunities for student involvement with Utah State museums will be held Monday, Sept. 13 from 10-2 p.m. on the northeast section of the USU quad.
Each museum will offer unique programs throughout the week. The final event, NEHMA Talks: A Conversation with Jean Lowe, will be held in the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 5-6 p.m.
“Utah State University supports museums from diverse fields of study from geology, art, anthropology, to plant sciences,” said Molly Boeka Cannon, director and curator over the USU Museum of Anthropology.
NEHMA was founded in 1982. Since then, the museum has expanded to feature over 5,500 works from various artists and specializes in art from the Western United States.
“Collections of our fellow museums in Cache Valley and are happy to celebrate them alongside NEHMA’s own collection of over 5,500 objects,” said Katie Lee-Koven, executive director for the NEHMA. “I look forward to more collaborations in the future and seeing how our museums can support one another.”
The Museum of Anthropology, residing in the Old Main building, formally opened in 1984 and currently features exhibits curated by USU students.
The USU Geology Museum, located in the USU Geology Building, features meteorites, rocks, minerals, fossils, vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants with an emphasis on the geology of the northern Utah area.
The USU Intermountain Herbarium, located in the USU Junction building, was founded in 1932 and is intended to educate individuals about plants and fungi.
“We are looking forward to Museum week in hope of bringing more attention to the collections here in Cache County and the resources the public have available to them,” said Kris Valles from the Intermountain Herbarium.
The USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum, established in 1961, features archeological finds from eastern Utah and is the home of a Utahraptor skeleton.
“The Prehistoric Museum is focused on the paleontology and archaeology of Eastern Utah, one of the richest landscapes for these resources in the entire country,” said Timothy Riley, director of the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum. “Come down and explore Native American history, including rock art, houses, and perishable objects, while also learning about the Dinosaurs, Ice-Age Mammals and other animals that roamed this area.”
The Cache DUP Museum was founded in 1928 and is located at 160 Main St., Logan, UT 84321.
“The Cache DUP Museum tells the early history of Cache Valley and invites visitors to explore the stories of those who built their lives in a new land and how we face similar and different challenges today,” said Sharon Johnson, director of the Cache DUP Museum. “Museums give us opportunities to learn.”
USU is not the only place celebrating for Top of Utah Museum Week. Museums across northern Utah will be offering free admission or unique programing to visitors.
“Museum Week is a great opportunity to showcase our collective museum culture and celebrate the unique collections that we each care for, collections made available to our students and faculty for research, teaching and instruction, and just, generally, enjoyment,” Cannon said. “There is something for everyone at USU museums.”
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