KU museums show and tell history
William Alix / KANSAN
George Lauppe, Lawrence resident, explores the Museum of Natural History's exhibit with his grandsons from Manhattan, Shane, 7, and Craig. 4.
By Nasrin Yasmin Special to the Kansan
A tour of one of KU's many museums might help bolster the spirits and inform the minds of students who are caught with nothing to do and face a boring weekend.
These museums, with their individual specialties, tell great stories about the history and culture of people and the fascinating animal kingdom, nationally and in Kansas.
KU has a wide array of museums, all located a few blocks from the Kansas Union.
The Museum of Natural History, is located at the corner of 14th Street and Jayhawk Boulevard.
Panorama, an exhibit that recreates a scene from the wild, features an exotic display of flora and fauna from all around the world. According to a recent poll, which was conducted by the museum, this exhibit is the most popular.
"People just love it," said Kathryn Morton, marketing and public relations officer of the museum. "They immediately get carried away by the splendor of the shapes and colors."
Besides the Panorama, the Fossil Exhibit, which lately has been nicknamed "Jurassic Park," is a favorite of children. But adults are equally fascinated with the fossils of dinosaurs and other huge prehistoric animals.
The Spencer Museum of Art is near the north entrance to the KU campus, on Mississippi Street. The museum has a superb collection of sculptures, paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and metal work. These art works come from western
Europe, the United States and East Asia, and date from ancient times to the present.
Among the remarkable works of the museum are the Japanese Standing Amida Buddha from the 15th century and the paintings from the great European artists of the 17th and 18th century, as well as modern arts and crafts.
The Museum of Anthropology, which is just across the street from the Kansas Union has a great story to tell about the cultural diversity and ethnicity of people
around the globe.
The major permanent exhibit has a collection of 300 artifacts from 38 separate societies. Every fall the museum has an exhibition on contemporary Native-American art, which is part of the Lawrence Indian Arts show.
The Wilcox Classical Museum, which resides in a quiet corner of Lippincot Hall, often goes unnoticed. It has modern plaster replicas of original Greek and Roman sculptures.
Museum Hours
Museumhours:
Museum of Natural History
8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday
1 to 5 p.m., Sunday
Spencer Museum of Art 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday
Hours extended to 9 p.m., Thursday evenings
Noon to 5 p.m., Sunday
Museum of Anthropology
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday
1 to 5 p.m., Sunday
Wilcox Classical Museum
9 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
KANSAN
The medieval Greek and Roman heroes, gods and goddesses, all stand together in this two-room museum. Dark-glazed attic potteries with mythical figures painted on them, a Greek and Macedonian coin collection, and multi-colored marble pieces from all around the world make the museum even more intriguing.
Besides these prominent museums, there are a couple of small ones around the campus. These are the Snow Entomological Museum at Snow Hall, the Meredith Lane, RL McGregor Herbarium at West Campus and the Museum of Invertebrate Paleontology at Lindley Hall.
Each museum, whatever its size, has an image of its own and a different story to tell. Each museum tour can unravel the splendors and intricacies of our roots, heritage and culture.
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10. GUIDE TO. GOING OUT • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = February 11, 1994