Re|Collect, an exhibition of personal mementos and other items of nostalgia from Inland Empire residents’ childhoods, is now on display at the Anthropology Museum at Cal State San Bernardino.
The objects on display are those “that accidentally acquired meaning – saved, perhaps, as a reminder of who we were, where we come from, and what we hoped to become,” said Arianna Huhn, assistant professor of anthropology and CSUSB Anthropology Museum director. “Re|Collect weaves these objects and narratives together to highlight the highly personal yet overlapping meanings of ‘things,’ and the self-revelations that can be uncovered through the process of remembering and sharing stories about the past.”
With Re|Collect, the Anthropology Museum aims to more clearly define and demonstrate its mission as an institution centered in community engagement and student learning opportunities. Four students, each pursuing a certificate in museum studies, will act as assistant curators for the exhibition: Arlene Gutierrez and Brent Bellah, who will graduate in 2016; Casey Lee, who will graduate in 2017; and Lauren Adams, who will graduate in 2018. Kushal Mukherjee, who graduated at the end of the 2016 winter quarter from the College of Arts and Letters, will act as the exhibition preparator.
Sixty community members contributed their objects and stories for the exhibition. “The stories and objects for this exhibition come from individuals living in the Inland Empire,” Huhn, who is curating the exhibition, said. “We identified a wide range of dynamic individuals to contribute to the project, representing many different childhood experiences.”
Several community groups and institutions provided contributions, including the Inland Valley Storytellers, the Kiwanis Club of Greater San Bernardino and Del Rosa Elementary School. “The exhibition is envisioned as a chance to bring people together in a way that celebrates the community and refreshes a local pride and sense of community spirit and belonging in the city of San Bernardino and the broader Inland Empire,” said Huhn.
“One wall of the exhibition is dedicated to featuring photographs and narratives contributed by community members via email after the exhibition opens. We anticipate this exhibition will have a highly emotional impact on visitors, and that many will be compelled to share their own stories,” said Huhn.
“After hearing from so many people that I spoke with about this exhibition that they, too, had something from their past that had a special meaning, we decided to come up with a way to include more stories and objects than what can fit in the cases,” she said. “Submissions of a photograph of you with your object, along with a short narrative about its significance for you can be emailed to ahuhn@csusb.edu. Submissions may be featured in the exhibition’s community response space, or online.”
The objects selected for the exhibition are being cared for by the Anthropology Museum through April 2017, when Re|Collect will conclude and the objects will be returned to their owners.
The exhibition opened to the public with a reception at the Anthropology Museum on May 31. Many project participants and their families attended the opening.
The Anthropology Museum is located in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences building, on the third floor. The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the academic year. Summer hours are adjusted to the CSUSB’s summer work schedule.
Visit the Anthropology Museum’s website to learn more about its programs.
In addition, the museum’s Facebook page is posting photographs of some of the objects collected for Re|Collect.
For more information on Re|Collect or the Anthropology Museum, contact Museum Director and Re|Collect Curator Arianna Huhn at ahuhn@csusb.edu or (909) 537-5505.
About California State University, San Bernardino: Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, Cal State San Bernardino is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015-2016, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually. For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.