The Galleries and Museums Committee and the Division of Finance and Administration at Mississippi State University are sponsoring an exhibit titled “Treasures from the Vault: Collections of MSU Museums and Galleries” at the Cullis Wade Depot.
Visitors to the exhibit will see specimens of the world’s largest beetles and butterflies, a 500 million-year-old Trilobite fossil, 20th century costumes, artifacts, artwork, clocks and much more.
Lynn Prewitt, chairwoman of the Galleries and Museums Committee, said she is excited about bringing exposure to museums and galleries at MSU.
“We are very excited for the opportunity to bring together for the first time under one roof selected items from nine MSU galleries, museums and collections, which are currently widely scattered across campus,” she said.
Prewitt said she hopes people who visit the exhibit will also be intrigued to visit the other museums and galleries located on campus.
A woodworker’s shop designed and built by students in a College of Forest Resources special topics course will showcase antique woodworking tools that are part of the Cully A. Cobb and Priester Antique Tool Collection at MSU.
Forestry professor Laurie Grace said there have been a lot of donations for the exhibit.
“[The] College of Forest Resources has had at least two large collections of tools donated by various individuals,” Grace said. “At this point, the tools which will be displayed are just a small collection of those that have been donated, and the initial exhibit will focus on the tools that built a nation.”
The exhibition will contain pieces from the Dunn-Seiler Geology Museum, the art department, the Cully A. Cobb and Priester Antique Tool Collection, the Mississippi Entomological Museum, the Lois Dowdle Cobb Museum of Archaeology, the Colvard Student Union Art Gallery, the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection, the Templeton Music Museum and the Cullis & Gladys Wade Clock Museum.
The exhibit will also feature historic, contemporary and local art, as well as a collection of movie posters featuring arthropods and historic clothing from early 20th century Mississippi.
Samantha Musil, assistant director of the Colvard Student Union, said the MSU exhibit is dynamic, having many different artifacts for the public to observe.
“It’s a great sample of what the galleries and museums here at State have to offer,” she said. “Not many places can you see vintage costumes next to antique tools or entomology displays. Everyone on the committee has put a lot of work into making this project a reality.”
“Treasures from the Vault” is supported and funded by the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration.
The exhibit will open Wednesday at the Cullis Wade Depot, and will run through Nov. 20. There is also a reception planned in the fall to coordinate with the LSU football game on Sept. 26. The exhibit is available for viewing Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to the public.