Visible Storage
The Andrew H. Whiteford Curatorial Center, known as the Cube, is the centerpiece of the museum’s first floor.
This two-story, glass-enclosed facility simultaneously displays, protects, and provides easy access to Native American ceramics, baskets, and other collections.
Applying the visible storage concept, the Cube allows visitors to get up-close views of hundreds of objects from cultures of North, Central, and South America. On the Cube’s first level, the north half contains prehistoric and contemporary pottery from Mexico south to Peru. The south half contains Native basketry from throughout North America. The mezzanine displays archaeological and historic pottery from the American Southwest and Midwest as well as large baskets. A moveable storage system, accessible by way of a staircase to the second level of the Cube, houses North American ethnographic objects.
The interior of the Cube is used by students, faculty, visiting researchers and representatives of descendant communities as a research, teaching, and consultation space. The Cube is a static display, with space reserved for teaching and research projects.
Virtual Tour
Tour photography by museumvirtualtour.com.
The audio tour below was designed and recorded by Julia Schoenthal’20. The audio provides an introduction to the history and mission of the museum and highlights significant collections and collectors. Please enjoy a virtual foray around the Cube while listening to Julia share what makes the museum unique!