Wesleyan Archaeology and Collections Public Open House 2024
March 2, 2024
2:00 – 4:00 pm
Exley Science Center – 265 Church St, Middletown, CT 06459
Pre-Open House Events
Don’t miss these events leading up to the open house (starting at 1pm)
1-1:45 pm Woodhead Lounge (Exley 184): The Science Romp: hands-on science and music for kids with education specialist and children’s musician Emmy Brockman. Sing along and learn about what bones can tell us about ourselves and other creatures.
1-1:45 pm (Exley 121): The Wangunk in History, Archaeology, and Art, hosted by the Middlesex County Historical Society. Come learn about an exciting, public art project in Middletown and how it is drawing on Wesleyan’s Archaeology Collections to honor and share Wangunk history. The Indigenous people in this area, the Wangunk have been the caretakers of the land around Middletown for over ten thousand years.
Open House Events
Exley Science Center Patio & Lobby
Welcome Table
Check-in here to pick up your program.
Flint Knapping Demonstration
Watch Wesleyan students create stone tools using traditional techniques known as flint knapping.
Paleoanthropology and Human Origins
Observe the differences and similarities between the fossils of modern humans and our ancient cousins.
Exley Lobby Exhibits
View exhibits of fossils and other collections from the Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History and George Brown Goode Biological Collections on display in many parts of the Exley lobby. Don’t miss Shelly the glyptodon at the entrance of the Science Library!
Exley Science Center 3rd Floor
Animal Bones in the Environmental Archaeology Lab (Exley 351)
Learn how archaeologists identify animal bones. Try to identify mystery bones, touch replica scat (yuck!), or put together a complete animal skeleton.
Paleoethnobotany (Exley 351)
Learn how archaeologists study plant remains.
Archaeology & Anthropology Collections–Middletown Historic Artifacts (Exley 309)
Explore archaeological artifacts excavated by Wesleyan faculty and students from historic sites in Middletown such as the Beman Triangle.
African Material Cultures @ Wesleyan Initiative (Exley 309)
View African objects from Wesleyan’s collections.
Historic Coin Collections (Exley 309)
View coins from around the world in Wesleyan’s collections.
Exley Science Center 4th Floor
Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History
Come on student and faculty-led tours of the museum to see our exhibits of fossils, rocks, minerals, and more! Also don’t miss our displays of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, the ‘dinosaurs of the oceans’.
3D Scanning Demonstration (Exley 405)
Learn how Wesleyan students and faculty create digital models of objects in our collections for 3D printing, virtual accessibility, and exhibition.
Archaeology & Anthropology Collections–Local Native American Stone Tools (Exley 405)
Learn about local Native American stone tool types, like projectile points and stone axes, and see how they are being implemented in public art projects in Middletown.
Institute for American Indian Studies (Exley 405)
Explore “hands on history” activities with the IAIS.
Friends of the Office of State Archaeology (Exley 405)
Explore public outreach materials related to Connecticut archaeology with FOSA.
Southern Italian Pottery (Exley 405)
View ceramics from Wesleyan’s collections.
Earth & Environmental Science Labs (TBD)
This event is hosted by the Environmental Archaeology Laboratory, Archaeology & Anthropology Collections, Wesleyan Archaeology Program, Joe Webb Peoples Museum of Natural History, the George Brown Goode Biological Collections, and Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Parking
Exley Science Center is located within Wesleyan University’s campus at 265 Church St, Middletown, CT 06459. Accessible parking is available in the D Lot on Lawn Avenue, which is located behind the Science Center. Additional parking is available in the U Lot located on Pine Street by the Freeman Athletic Center and the V Lot on Vine Street. Please see the parking map below.
