Rhode Island Hall, home of the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology, was built with exhibits in mind. The building includes display areas on all floors and the Institute is proud to host a constantly changing variety of exhibits.
Current exhibits in Rhode Island Hall include:
First Floor:
Second Floor:
Lower Level:
Building-Wide:
The Joukowsky Institute also possesses a Permanent Collection of artifacts acquired by various means over the course of the three decades of existence of the Center for Old World Archaeology and Art, which the Institute replaced. This collection includes approximately 10,000 ancient coins and more than 2,000 other objects, ranging in date from the Neolithic to the modern day, and generally Mediterranean in origin. These artifacts are an important resource for hands-on teaching and have been incorporated into coursework, both undergraduate and graduate student projects and exhibits, and outreach activities. The JIAAW collection is housed in secure storage in Rhode Island Hall and can be accessed by appointment, but the full JIAAW Collection Catalog can be browsed online. Many of the artifacts are also rotated in and out of the various exhibits showcased throughout Rhode Island Hall and in other locations around campus.
In addition to physical exhibits, we have started producing more virtual content. These digital exhibits complement and expand on our substantial collection of multimedia projects and slideshow galleries (see a list of projects and galleries here).
Our Virtual Vault series is at the intersection of our physical and virtual exhibits, as our faculty, students, and staff present special items from the collection of the Joukowsky Institute. As the majority of our objects are in storage, hidden from public view, the features are a rare peek into our Vault of ancient objects, led by knowledgeable researchers and curators.
Sherds! is a virtual exhibit curated by Jinette Jimenez ’21 for the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World. This exhibit looks at archaeologists’ experiences with sherds and what these seemingly insignificant pieces of pottery can tell us about the past. It includes educational resources on types of sherds and pottery reconstruction, interviews with Joukowsky Institute archaeologists about excavations, and a walkthrough of a virtual exhibit about Monte Testaccio (“A Mountain of Sherds“).
Exhibits related to archaeology can also be found in other places around campus.
The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, located just a few doors down from the Joukowsky Institute, also has a robust exhibition schedule (visit their Exhibitions page here). Two recent Haffenreffer exhibits were curated by Joukowsky Institute faculty and students:
- Transient Matter: Assemblages of Migration in the Mediterranean
- Uncovering Ancient Egypt: Ancient Crafts, Modern Technologies
The Brown University Library has also featured objects from the Joukowsky Institute collection in the student curated exhibit Transcultural by Design: Iranian Ceramics from the Minassian Collection.