Thoughts, Things, and Theories...What Is Culture?
The meaning of culture and cultural traditions is explored in a new exhibit at the Mathers
Museum of World Cultures. Thoughts, Things, and Theories...What Is Culture? uses objects
from around the world to show the way culture permeates all human lives.
Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the exhibit
focuses on two main themes:
universal needs and life stages. Universal needs (food, clothing, and shelter, for example) are
demonstrated in replicas of two households-one a Bloomington ranch house from 1967, the other a
multi-generational family compound from northern Nigeria in the same year.
Visitors can then move into an area of the exhibit with artifacts illustrating life stages (from birth and
infancy to death and the afterlife), with a Lakota cradleboard, Japanese wedding kimono, and numerous other
artifacts from around the globe. The exhibit also features a hands-on activity station, computer kiosks
with interactive programs, and a reading area.
The Mathers Museum of World Cultures is located at 416 North Indiana Avenue, Bloomington. Its exhibit
hall and Museum Store are open Tuesdays through Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays,
from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the Museum is free.
Metered and IU Permit parking is available at the McCalla School parking lot on the corner of Ninth Street
and Indiana Avenue. Parking is available on surrounding streets during the weekend.
An access ramp is located at the corner of Ninth Street and Fess Avenue, at the entrance to the Glenn
Black Laboratory of Archaeology adjoining the Mathers Museum. Reserved parking spaces are available on Ninth
Street, between Fess Avenue and Indiana Avenue. If you have a disability and need assistance, special
arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Please call 812-855-1696 for assistance.
For more information, or to schedule a guided group tour, please call 812-855-6873 or e-mail
mathers@indiana.edu.
