CWU Museum Set to Open Doors: First Time in Nearly Two Decades

September 22, 2009

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — It’s been nearly 20 years since Central Washington University opened the doors to its Museum of Culture and Environment. On Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, the public is invited to a reception to celebrate the inaugural exhibit at the museum, which is on the first floor of Dean Hall, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The exhibit, “River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia,” will be on display throughout fall quarter.

“I am both proud and excited to see the Museum of Culture and Environment opening its doors,” says Kirk Johnson, dean of the College of the Sciences. “This wonderful facility constitutes the fulfillment of the hopes and dreams of many current and past faculty and staff members from the College of the Sciences.”

The Museum of Culture and Environment, established in 1970 and first known as the Museum of Man, was originally located in CWU’s Barge Hall. For nearly 40 years the museum opened and closed its doors a few times, went through several name changes and moved locations. Despite the challenges, over the years the museum still acquired more than 9,000 objects from cultures across the globe.

Along with the creation of the museum, Central established a museum studies program in 1972, which helped give students an opportunity to receive hands-on training in the field.

“The Museum of Culture and Environment is poised to play a pivotal role at CWU,” explains Bill Wood, interim director of the museum. “It will play an important role in the continued success and growth of one of CWU’s most unique programs (the museum studies program), be an important venue for communicating the results of student and faculty research to a diverse public audience, and it will be a welcoming place on campus for the community.”

Work to establish a new museum with a permanent home in the recently renovated Dean Hall began in fall 2006. Dean Hall opened its doors to students in winter 2009. Nine months later, the museum is set to open. Work is currently underway to establish a foundation for the museum to help bridge the gap between the campus and the community.

“The Museum of Culture and Environment is designed and organized to support the mission of CWU in the traditional way, as a venue for outreach to the community, but it is also set up to support what one might call community ‘in reach’ into the university,” Johnson states. “That is, this museum is a place where community voice and perspective will also be heard.”

“River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia,” — organized by Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center with major funding from MJ Murdock Charitable Trust and the Icicle Fund — is designed to create a visual memory through an artful blending of views, maps, poetry, music, text and over 100 silk fish created by regional artists. The exhibit features more than 60 stunning historical photographs gathered from 30 collections that show the unobstructed Columbia flowing from its source in the mountains of Canada to the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

As Kathleen Barlow, museum advisory council chair explains, “‘River of Memory’ is an excellent way to introduce the new Museum of Culture and Environment to the campus and the community. We hope it will create dialog and collaborations about humans in the environment from many different perspectives and in many modes of presentation.”

CWU President Jim L. Gaudino adds, “The importance of the Columbia River to our history cannot be overstated. In addition to being one the defining features of the region's environment, it has shaped our individual and collective cultures. Our choice of ‘River of Memory’ as the inaugural exhibit for the Museum of Culture and Environment is a reflection of the central role of this river, and water more generally, in all our lives.”

Celebrate the amazing voyage of the Columbia River and the journey of the Museum of Culture and Environment on Sept. 25 and enjoy live music, stunning photographs, refreshments and a presentation and book signing by the author of “River of Memory,” William D. Layman.

The exhibit will run from Sept. 26 through Dec. 17. Museum hours are Wednesday-Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parking is free to the public after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. For more information about the Museum of Culture and Environment, to get a list of upcoming events or to schedule group visits, contact Angie Koch at 509-963-2313, or visit www.cwu.edu/~museum.

Photo by: D.C. Herrin, 1894, courtesy of the Collection of William Layman

Media Contact: Angi Koch, Museum of Culture and Environment, 509-963-2313, kochan@cwu.edu

Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, 509-963-1416, olint@cwu.edu

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of placebound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.