Here Not Be Dragons from the End Times: Exploring Virginia Archaeology Using the 3D Printed Past

Summary

What to do when a museum visitor asks you if your dinosaurs are dragons from the end times? At their invitation, the Virtual Curation Laboratory at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) teamed with the Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH) to create an exhibit entitled Exploring Virginia to use archaeology as a way of encouraging critical thinking. This exhibit drew on over 120 3D printed artifacts from archaeological sites across Virginia and the globe. VCU students in the inaugural Visualizing and Exhibiting Anthropology course taught by the senior author selected the objects to be 3D printed. These students also helped design text to teach museum visitors about the length and diversity of human habitation of Virginia and the Commonwealth’s natural setting. How archaeologists approach the past, and how they address complicated issues, such as Virginia’s sordid history of enslavement, were themes integrated into the exhibit. During the exhibit’s run from September 2015 to June 2017, 93,389 individuals visited the exhibit and learned how archaeologists contribute to our understanding of humanity’s place in a changing world. In addition, nearly 27,000 people viewed 360 degree photos of the exhibit on Google Street View, enabling the exhibit to reach a broader audience.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 18780