Curiosity is a fundamental, innate drive that allows humans to learn, innovate and adapt to the world. You can satisfy yours from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 13, at the University Museum in Kent Hall at New Mexico State University. Don't miss the grand opening of the new exhibit "Death of Curiosity? From Cabinets of Curiosity to University Museums."
The event is free and open to the public.
Cabinets of curiosities were popular during the Renaissance and served as private, encyclopedic collections of various natural, man-made and rare foreign items acting as precursors to modern museums by blending education with elite prestige.
This exhibit is a modern reinterpretation of the 17th century "cabinets of curiosity," in which private collectors showed off their interesting things. Anthropology graduate student Alejandra Maese-Mora is a guest curator of this exhibit.
"This exhibit re-creates the appearance of old cabinets of curiosity using objects in our museum's collection," said Maese-Mora. "Beyond appearances, university museums, like those early cabinets, maintain collections that span many fields of study. This is different from other kinds of modern museums, which are more focused in their missions."
"It tells a really interesting story about cabinets of curiosity, and about the history of museums and especially museums affiliated with universities," said Heather Para, University Museum curator. "Plus, it gives us an opportunity to showcase fun or unusual objects in our collection that you wouldn't get to see otherwise."
The "Death of Curiosity" exhibit will open Friday, March 13, but visitors may also tour this new exhibit after the university's spring break (March 16-20), during the museum's public visiting hours: noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The University Museum is located inside Kent Hall on the Las Cruces campus at 1280 E. University Ave. (across the intersection of Solano Drive and University Avenue).
The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-s-university-museum-hosts--cabinet-of-curiosity--exhibit-march-13/s/b233a31a-744f-47d7-b897-8bb7f96d929c
