The Colgate University Longyear Museum of Anthropology, located on the second floor of Alumni Hall, reopened after renovation with its first new exhibition, “Entangled Intimacies: Tradition, Motion and Memory,” debuting on Tuesday, Sept. 10. The museum houses collections of cultural materials from around the world and educates visitors on the heritage of indigenous peoples year-round.
The Longyear Museum closed in September 2023 after announcing that it planned to focus on repatriation projects. After reopening in the spring with a new collection featuring indigenous artists, the space closed again over the summer for renovation.
Scott Lewis, preparator for the Picker Art Gallery and the Longyear Museum of Anthropology described the condition of the museum pre-renovation.
“The gallery hadn’t had any attention in quite a while,” Lewis said. “The existing cases were beginning to look dated, and their functionality was becoming diminished. The doors were starting to fit poorly, the lighting was outdated and non-adjustable and the layout restricted our curator’s creative options.”
Longyear staff submitted a Repair & Renovation (R&R) request in the fall of 2023. The Colgate Facilities Department manages the R&R program and completed the Longyear request.
Vice Provost for Administration and Planning Trish St. Leger helped move the request along.
“The proposed changes aim to create more space for larger Colgate classes to visit the gallery and provide more flexible display options,” St. Leger said. “The Provost and Dean of the Faculty Office fully supported this request and recommended its approval.”
Lewis went into detail about the physical changes to the museum.
“The project consisted of removing the old cases and temporary walls, installing new sheetrock with half-inch plywood backing and installing a completely new lighting system,” Lewis said. “The fixtures are individually dimmable LEDs. There are different lighting options available depending on our specific needs for a given exhibition, from floodlights that wash the walls to spotlights that can be focused. The LEDs are also much safer for our sensitive collections. Finally, the gallery received a full coat of new paint.”
Rebecca Mendelsohn, co-director of University Museums and curator of the Longyear Museum of Anthropology explained how the renovation enriches museum principles of preservation, interpretation and education.
“The removal of the stationary glass cabinets is an important step toward decolonizing our museum practices,” Mendelsohn said. “The style of the cases and their static position sometimes gave the impression that anything displayed within them was ancient and in the past. When it comes to contemporary artworks and belongings and the individuals who create them, that type of distance can feel very ‘othering.’”
The renovation not only revamps old equipment and makes room for larger collections but also better esteems the legacies and cultural heritage of indigenous peoples.
“This renovation creates a very different look and feel in the museum space, one that is much more consistent with evolving museum practices,” Mendelsohn said. “We are excited about the possibilities a more open display space will create for us and for our relationships with the artists, makers and communities.”
Lewis also added why he thought the new design will be more beneficial.
“Using framing, pedestals, temporary walls and other fixtures, we can better design exhibitions that tell the stories of our collections and the people who created them,” Lewis said.
Furthermore, the renovation expands the realm of what is possible for collections.
“The new gallery layout creates a clean ‘white cube’ type space that can be configured in any way imaginable,” Lewis said.
Mendelsohn also expressed excitement over the future of the museum.
“The world is now our oyster,” Mendelsohn said. “If we can dream it, [Lewis] and his team of Preparators can help make it. I encourage people to come back and visit again in the spring semester to see how the space is being used in different ways.”
St. Leger previewed what is to come as the first exhibition in the renovated Longyear opened on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
“We are thrilled about the opening of the first exhibition […]. Some elements of this exhibition would not have been possible without the renovation,” St. Leger said.
Lewis made sure to recognize all of the people behind the operation.
“Andy Vasquaz, Matt Hill, Rob Bachman, Brian Marks and their teams were all instrumental in making the design a reality,” Lewis said. “The support of [Mendelsohn] and [St. Leger] made it all happen.”
