University Museum has been illustrating history since 1874

A popular exhibit at the University Museum features an array of furniture that has decorated the SIUC campus throughout the years. But just as interesting as the furniture itself, is the pictures of the people who have who have sat in them.

Since the first week that classes began in 1874, the University Museum has given visitors the opportunity to glance back at their history, as well as view their present.

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The museum, which accommodates as many as 500 patrons a week, and roughly 27,500 a year gives students the opportunity to look at life through various aspects of study such as humanities, science and anthropology.

But, according to museum employees, the two most popular exhibits pertain to history. Life Through Time, an exhibit containing fossils and the pioneer diorama, an exhibit made in the 1930s containing reproductions of life in the past.

Through the summer, the most popular exhibit that takes patrons on a journey through time is the Delyte Morris exhibit. Using floor plans and pieces of furniture, the exhibit illustrates how the campus has changed between now and the days that Morris was president.

Aside from the Morris exhibit, there are several other features of the University Museum that contains over 53,000 objects and is constantly changing.

Another popular feature of the museum is the artwork at the North Wing of the museum. The wing is an outlet for graduate art students to showcase their thesis work. Recently, it exhibited the work of African-American artist DeSande R.

Although Lori Huffman, the museum’s curator for the past 25 years, says they have received a fair amount of visitors from both the community and students, she hopes for an increase in the future.

We don’t have a huge budget, Huffman said. But we do we have a great and unique program.

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Huffman believes that even though the number of patrons has increased, there are still aspects of the museum that the public is not aware of.

We’re extending hours in the fall, not to mention the graduate preview and the gift shop, Huffman said. The gift shop has reasonably priced items, and it gives people something to remind them of the museum. People who come to the museum once usually come again. We’re one of the best well-kept secrets.