Lots of Possibilities: Davis Museum / Anthropology Collaboration, Fall 2009

This past week I met with Jim Olson @ the Davis Museum and we brainstormed several ways we can all get involved in the Davis Museum. This would be a great way to branch out and get other students (and the administration) interested in the work we do.

1. PODCAST SERIES: Anthropology majors / anthrophiliacs who want to participate can select a cultural artifact owned by the museum, and we can do a running podcast series on "Is it art?".

For example, there is a carved tusk used in a cultural ritual on the top floor of the museum. If it is not designed to be art, does it belong in a museum? What are the legal processes involved?

The research can be short and fun, or can comprise a 350 research project in the spring or fall. Perhaps students and professors could work together to put together these mini-research projects as side research projects?  Bonus - students can write on your resume that you are a published podcaster! Awesome!


2. CELL TANGO: Here's how this art exhibit works (and my simple description doesn't do this justice, so bear with me):  

Wellesley students and their friends and family can submit pictures they take to a Flickr page. These people tag the picture with a few words - example: a picture of a dog could be tagged with "happy, friendly, dog, smile, pet". Then, an artist in residence this fall will use these pictures in a computer-generated piece of art, which constantly takes these pictures and links them on a large LCD screen by how they are similarly tagged. The result is a beautiful web of pictures that shows how humans categorize the world around them. In the end, it's anthropological computer art.

Incoming Wellesley first-years are being encouraged to participate on their MyWellesley portal, and we can get involved, too. Jim Olson will forward the links to the FLICKR page to me when the artist is ready to start comprising the project mid summer - i'll forward that when I get it. He is excited for anthropology students to include really interesting photos from home, abroad, or wherever, and wants to work with students.

- A student could do a 350 or 360 research project, working with the data the artist collects
- Students could participate by adding to the online picture bank
- A student could do a podcast discussing their take on the art

3. EVENTS AT THE MUSEUM, HOSTED BY ANTHROPHILIA / THE ANTHRO DEPARTMENT!
The curators at the museum are really interested in putting together lectures about the art in the museum and how it intersects with culture. Also, we are welcome to have our Anthrophilia club meetings in the museum, have class lectures in the museum when curriculum and the museum collection goes together, etc.  


That's my update! Email me ASAP (esaras@wellesley.edu) if you want to get involved on any of these projects, or if you have other ideas.  I'm really excited to get things going - here is a productive way to branch out, despite funding issues and our department's small size.  

Comment on these ideas!  What do you want to do?  Have any other suggestions?

Also, check out http://www.davismuseum.wellesley.edu/

- Posted By Emily Saras, '10

Way to finish off the year!

Thanks to Professor Adam Van Arsdale for putting together the end of the year 
ANTHROPOLOGY DEPARTMENT picnic!

May 15: 3:30-5:30 - Slater International House
This event is intended to give students, faculty and staff associated with the department the chance to relax, celebrate the events of the year, and talk about any exciting plans for the summer. Light food and beverages will be provided. Weather providing we will (in part) be outside - weather prohibiting, indoor facilities will be available. Please join us!

- Posted By Emily Saras, '10

Professor Greg Ruf's Lecture on Water in China

- Posted By Emily Saras, '10

Woes Of the Underfunded Anthropology Department

Anthrophiliacs and faithful followers:

Were you aware that the economy is awful?  Were you aware that the administration at Wellesley College has little to no love for the Anthropology department? (Despite its "love of multiculturalism"...)

I kid, but check out the amount of money our club has to its name.  Lizzi Merrill '09 (Resident James Bond) has created a spreadsheet of our Bake Sale earnings.  Lo and behold - $40 we can call our own.  

But what can we do with that?  How can we get our name out there?  How can we put together lectures, film series, and other events?  What can we do to show the administration that the students in the Anthropology department mean business?

I'm not pessimistic, I think we can do great things next semester.  

Comment back on this post:  Let's get together and think of ideas for our next semester!  Email us at anthrophilia@gmail.com.

- Posted By Emily Saras, '10

From Professor Kohl's Faculty Lecture Presentaiton

Professor Kohl stood by his favorite piece of advice during the faculty lecture:

"Find a project with legs, that you can run with!"  

In his presentation Forays in the Field over Forty Years:Reconstructing the Past, Critiquing the Present (already commented on by Connie, Top Chef, in our blog below) Professor Kohl showed several slides, a few I wanted to share with you... check out the following few slides.  

- Posted By Emily Saras, '10

Echoes of the Pleistocene: Defining what it means to be human.

Our department's resident Physical Anthropologist gave a wonderful lecture this past spring about his research and experience in anthropology.  Thanks, Anthrophiliacs, for helping to put this together!

From Professor Adam Van Arsdale's abstract:

"As a biological anthropologist, my interests are in exploring the pattern of and explanation for human biological variability. My own research focuses on examining how evolution has shaped the fossil, archaeological and genetic record of humans over the past two million years. Exploring our evolutionary past, however, also requires us to further examination our present. What do the biological processes in contemporary human society tell us about our evolutionary past? How can we use humans and other living species to develop models for interpreting the fossil record?

In this presentation, I will outline some of my own ongoing research, paying special attention to the ways in which understanding our evolutionary past impacts our understanding of what it means to be human today. In my research I argue that while we stopped being an ape about 5 million years ago (when our lineage diverged from our last common ancestor with chimpanzees and bonobos), in many ways we only started becoming human during the Pleistocene, a period stretching from about 1.8 million years ago until about 20,000 years ago. The evolutionary processes from that time period remain as vibrant echoes today both in how biological variation is patterned and in how we understand biological variation in humans."

- Posted By Emily Saras, '10

Professor Kohl's Archaeology Lecture

So we started April off with our Professor lecture series, and so far we've had some great turn-out and enthusiasm! Our first lecture was from Professor Foxtree on the sexual life of Native American Barbie. It was definitely an intriguing way to start things off. This week we heard Professor Van Arsdale talk about how his research and experience with hominids has shaped theories on human origins. And this coming week, Professor Kohl, the head of the Anthropology Department himself, is going to be talking about his experience as an Archeologist- the real Indiana Jones lifestyle! It's sure to be interesting, and, as in all of our lectures so far, delicious homebaked foodstuffs will be served.
I will be contributing homemade flatbreads, sprinkled with Za'atar- a middle-eastern spice mix that originated from the Assyrians. Flatbread is something very simple and universal, but the Za'atar itself is unique only to North African and middle-eastern cultures.
Also, snickerdoodles, the popular item from this weeks lecture will also make an appearance.

Everyone is invited to the third Professor lecture in this years anthropology faculty lecture series, and I hope to see you there for the fun, the intellectual stimulation and the brain food!

- Posted ByConstance Ohlinger, '12