University of Arizona

Everyone is welcome to visit Special Collections without an appointment from 9 am - 5 pm, Mon - Fri. Note that beginning April 1st, our hours will be 9 am - 4 pm

100 Years of Anthropology at the University of Arizona

Celebrating Excellence

This exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University of Arizona School of Anthropology. It features a variety of historical material including photos, original documents, pamphlets, articles and books related to the school and its impact on our campus and community.

An opening reception with Diane Austin, Professor and Director, School of Anthropology and Research Anthropologist with the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) is on Thursday, Feb. 12 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. in Special Collections. Austin’s talk, “University of Arizona Anthropology: A Century of Continuity amid Change,” highlights some of the key historical and current challenges addressed by University of Arizona anthropologists. The exhibit and event are free and open to the public.

Highlights of the exhibit include archival materials on Byron Cummings, founder of the program, and his successors Emil Haury and Raymond Thompson. Also on display is information about various archaeological field schools, such as Point of Pines and Grasshopper, as will information about the Bureau of Ethnic Research (now called the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology) and the “Garbage Project.”

Historic photos and information about the Arizona State Museum, which for many years was managed by the directors of the anthropology program, are also included. Documents from various manuscript collections of former students and faculty, most notably Henry Dobyns, Trudy Griffin-Pierce and Paul Ezell, add to the exhibit’s focus on the history of the anthropology program.

The University of Arizona Press is also highlighted, as Emil Haury was a key player in convincing then President Harvill to start the Press in 1959. Over the years, the UA Press has focused on publishing a number of works in anthropology and archaeology, many of them written by UA faculty, and these are featured as well.

Additional noteworthy items on display include:

  • Byron Cummings’ handwritten resume, submitted to the University upon applying for a position in 1915;
  • Paul Ezell’s field notebook from his time spent at Point of Pines in 1939;
  • Anthropology Department annual reports from the 1930s;
  • Original photos of the Arizona State Museum in its various locations;
  • Photos of members of the UA Anthropology club; and
  • Early publications such as the Kiva, the Atlatl, and the UA Press’s Occasional Papers in Anthropology.

Two companion exhibits will also be mounted during the semester. In March, the Main Library will host an exhibit on women and anthropology, and in April, an exhibit about A.E. Douglass and the Tree Ring Lab will open in the Albert B. Weaver Science-Engineering Library.