Mathers Museum earns grant for cosmic exhibit

A new exhibit exploring humanity’s cosmic, terrestrial, biological and cultural origins will open in Bloomington in fall 2010, thanks in part to a $149,000 grant recently awarded to the Mathers Museum of World Cultures.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the grant in support of “From the Big Bang to the World Wide Web: The Origins of Everything.” The exhibit is currently being developed by the Mathers Museum along with the Stone Age Institute, a research center dedicated to the archaeological study of human origins and technological development, and IU’s Center for Research into the Anthropological Foundations of Technology, which investigates archaeological origins and evolution of human technology during the past 3 million years.

“We’re delighted to have received this award and are especially pleased to move forward on this exhibit,” Mathers Museum Director Geoffrey Conrad said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the participation in the project by our University colleagues and for the ongoing support on the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.”