CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois has made a major addition to its collections with a gift of more than 1,000 artifacts from Africa, Asia and Central America.
A basket woven by Mary Juan of the Papago tribe constructed of beargrass, yucca and devil’s claw. Gbekre, mouse oracle or mouse divination vessel, made of wood. Origin: Ghana or Ivory Coast
The artifacts in the new Kieffer-Lopez Collection include a number of textiles and ethnographic pieces, according to Amy Heggemeyer, assistant registrar for acquisitions.
Eight pieces from the collection, including clothing, baskets and dolls, will go on display Dec. 14 in the museum’s new-acquisitions case, Heggemeyer said.
Photos and descriptions for about 300 other pieces can be found on the Spurlock website. Other pieces are still being collected and cataloged.
The collection was donated by Gerard Lopez, who developed it with his wife, anthropologist Margaret Kieffer, who died in 2006, Heggemeyer said. Kieffer’s research in Guatemala sparked an interest in textiles and textile production, and she began collecting indigenous clothing from throughout the country. She and Lopez also collected masks, figurines and other ethnographic objects from West Africa while living in Ivory Coast.
Their interest in learning about the cultures around them led to the development of a collection from around the world, which includes items not only from Africa and Central America, but also from South and Southeast Asia, Heggemeyer said. The collection greatly enhances the Spurlock’s holdings from those areas of the world, she said.
The museum’s holdings now number more than 40,000 items.
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