Curator's Choice, selections from the UH museum consortium

September 6, 2011-December 16, 2011
Location: Bridge Gallery

The University of Hawai'i Museum Consortium [UHMC] consists of units in the UH system, which house living and non-living collections or are engaged in exhibition programs. Formed in 2008, the UHMC was created to promote the significance of the collections by showcasing them in exhibits, advocating for their needs, and consolidating resources.

The Collections are valuable resources for the University. They provide opportunities for people to learn about the extraordinary variety of objects created by different societies and how they are made, used, and valued. Viewing and sometimes handling collections allow students and visitors to appreciate both the object itself (material composition, design, size) and its cultural significance (function, meaning, value).

Research done by curators on the cultural, economic, historical, political, religious, and regional importance of an object, and by collections managers on the material composition and care of objects is crucial to the development of cultural knowledge and the preservation of the object for future generations. Natural history collections provide enormous economic and scientific benefits to society and are irreplaceable resources that must be preserved for future generations.

The UH Virtual Museum [UHVM] enables students, educators, researchers, and the public to explore a variety of University of Hawai'i collections through a single, web-accessible portal. It reduces the cost and redundancy of publicizing electronic information individually, while integrating online presentations. Through the UHVM, the UH Museum Consortium hopes to improve public understanding and recognition of UH collections. The UHVM utilizes the internet to bring Hawai'i's diverse heritage collections to a global audience. Greater accessibility to the collections will provide new research opportunities for users and lead to the sharing of ideas across disciplines, campuses, and geographic regions.

The UHMC is currently led by Dr. Karen K. Kosasa, Director of the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate Program and Associate Professor in American Studies, and Michael B. Thomas, Collections Manager of the Joseph F. Rock Herbarium. For a listing of members of the UHMC, visit: http://www.museum.hawaii.edu.