Museums
‘Appalling’: Keynote Speaker at Legacy of Slavery Symposium Calls for Faster Repatriation of Indigenous Remains
Tara Houska, a tribal attorney and activist who served as the keynote speaker during the second day of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Symposium, condemned the University’s continued possession of Indigenous objects and ancestral remains during an interview following the event.
Harvard Plans To Renovate 4 Major Libraries Ahead of 400th Anniversary
Martha Whitehead, vice president of the Harvard Library, announced plans to renovate the four major libraries in Harvard Yard — Widener, Lamont, Pusey, and Houghton — during a faculty meeting last week.
National NAGPRA Manager Visits Harvard Peabody Museum Amid Repatriations
Melanie O’Brien, the program manager and designated federal official for the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act, is on Harvard’s campus this week
Harvard Peabody Museum Releases Data on Repatriation Efforts
The Harvard Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology released updates on its repatriation efforts under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act last Wednesday.
Harvard Peabody Museum Removes Nearly 40 Native American Objects From Display
The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology removed nearly 40 Native American and Indigenous cultural objects from their displays to comply with new regulations from the Department of the Interior.
Harvard to Fund Travel Expenses for Tribal Repatriations
Harvard will fund Native American Tribal representatives’ travel to the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for the repatriation of ancestral remains and funerary belongings, the University announced this month.
Caroline Jean Fernald Named Director of Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Caroline Jean Fernald was selected as the new executive director of the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra announced last month. She began her tenure Wednesday.
Navajo Scholars, Advocates Discuss Cultural Preservation at Peabody Museum Event
Navajo scholars and advocates spoke about their professional and personal experiences preserving Navajo cultural heritage in a Wednesday evening event organized by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
Cambridge Residents, Harvard Affiliates Attend Día de los Muertos Celebration at Harvard Peabody Museum
The Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology held an event featuring arts and crafts and Mariachi musical performances to celebrate the Día de los Muertos holiday Thursday.
In Photos: Autumn at the Arboretum
One tree, two tree, red tree, orange tree. Across the river in Jamaica Plains, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is a public park and botanical research institution open to all. Established in 1872, the park boasts more than 2,000 different species and 16,000 individual plants in addition to the vibrant fall foliage of Boston’s autumn.
Admission to Harvard Art Museums Now Free for All
The Harvard Art Museums will now offer free admission to all visitors, the University announced Friday.
Business, Art Experts Discuss Role of Blockchain in Artist Compensation at Harvard Art Museums Event
Harvard Art Museums hosted New York University professors Kevin McCoy and Amy Whitaker for a Thursday evening discussion on the role of blockchain — a technology that allows for the secure distribution of data through a distributed ledger — in providing equality in the art market.
Middlesex Superior Court Greenlights Discovery in Suit Against Harvard Over Images of Enslaved People
A revived lawsuit filed by Tamara K. Lanier against Harvard over its possession of daguerreotypes she alleges are of her enslaved ancestors will proceed to discovery, a Massachusetts state judge ruled at a hearing last Thursday.
Nebraska Geography Professor Discusses Fossil Dispossession of Sioux Lands at Geological Museum Lecture
Lawrence W. Bradley, an environmental geologist at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, argued in a Thursday lecture that fossils taken from Sioux lands should be considered dispossessed Sioux property.
Harvard Museum of Natural History
The Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology administrative offices are located in the Harvard Museum of Natural History, at 26 Oxford St.
Egyptologist Discusses Ancient Egyptians’ Understanding of Meteorites at Harvard Museum Event
Egyptologist Victoria Almansa-Villatoro, a junior research fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, delivered a lecture on meteoritic iron in ancient Egypt at the Harvard Museum of Science and Culture Thursday evening.
Mass. Superior Court Sets Date to Hear Emotional Distress Lawsuit Over Images of Enslaved People in Peabody Museum
Amid a legal battle over Harvard’s possession of images of enslaved people, Middlesex County Superior Court is set to hear a revived emotional distress lawsuit on April 13 brought by Tamara K. Lanier against the University.
‘This is Not Who My Papa Renty is’: Tamara Lanier to Publish Book About Ancestral Research on Enslaved People
Tamara K. Lanier, who is currently pursuing an emotional distress lawsuit against the University for its possession of those images, is slated to publish a book about her genealogical research and the emotional journey involved in claiming ownership of the daguerreotypes.
Med School Panel Discusses Harvard Human Remains Collections at Black History Month Event
An interdisciplinary panel of Harvard affiliates discussed the ethics of possessing human remains for research, education, or exhibition in University collections during a Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics webinar on Thursday.
Harvard Peabody Museum to Return a Gitnagun’aks House Post to Gitxaała Nation in Latest Repatriation Effort
Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology signed an agreement last month to return a house post to the Gitxaała Nation, a First Nations government located at Kitkatla, British Columbia, per a Jan. 25 press release from the tribal group.
Brenda Tindal Appointed Harvard FAS Inaugural Chief Campus Curator
Brenda D. Tindal will serve as the inaugural chief campus curator for Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences starting Feb. 13, FAS Dean and University President-elect Claudine Gay wrote in an email Wednesday.
Alutiiq Museum Kayak
Harvard's Peabody Museum has transferred ownership of an ancestral Alutiiq, or Sugpiaq, kayak to the Alutiiq Museum, a cultural museum and tribal repository in Kodiak, Alaska.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2022
In 2022, Harvard saw a multitude of transitions. The school finally lifted most of its last Covid-19 mandates and held in-person Commencement ceremonies for not one, not two, but three Harvard College classes. Across the top ranks of Harvard’s leadership, familiar faces exited the stage, including University President Lawrence S. Bacow, who will be succeeded by Claudine Gay, the first person of color and second woman to be named to Harvard’s top post. Here, The Crimson looks back at the 10 stories that shaped 2022 at Harvard.
Scientists, Artists Discuss Henry David Thoreau Plant Collection
A panel of artists and scientists involved in creating an exhibit on the plant collection of Henry Thoreau explored the intersection between art and botany as a means to inspire conversations about climate in a Harvard Museum of Natural History event on Thursday.
Harvard Pledges to Return Hundreds of Native American Hair Samples Housed at Peabody Museum
Harvard’s Peabody Museum on Thursday pledged to return hundreds of hair samples taken from Native American children who were enrolled in government-run schools in the 1930s and apologized for keeping the clippings in its collections.