Photos of a fossil foot, yellow and green bird, crystal, and an animal skill with tusks

Collections

Archeology items: quilt, eggs, crystal, bronze foot, boar skull

The University of Arkansas Museum traces its beginnings to an early geology teaching collection, which is documented to 1873. From a modest beginning, the collections grew to include millions of objects encapsulating the fields of archeology, ethnology, history, geology, and zoology. The collections are regionally focused on the state of Arkansas but include representations from across the United States and around the world.

White teapot with painted rose.

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Taxidermy bird mount.

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Archeology artifacts

The Museum houses a significant collection of Arkansas archeological materials. This includes 7000 cataloged Native American whole pottery vessels, especially from the late prehistoric and protohistoric period. These vessels represent the artistry and creativity of the prehistoric potters and the daily tasks, activities, lifestyles, and worldview of the potters and their contemporaries.

Another strength of the collection includes Ozark bluff shelter materials. The special dry microclimates of shelters located along the river bluff lines preserved many objects from the material culture of the mountains’ native inhabitants not typically preserved, such as botanical samples like seeds.

While Arkansas is our main regional focus, a small collection of pottery from other areas and cultures of the world is housed here as well, including Greco-Roman, Nazca, and Mimbres.

See our virtual Choose Your Own Adventure tour for an overview of the Archeology collection!

Ethnology artifacts: Japanese art, plate and bull figurine

The small but focused ethnology collection consists of more than 2,300 contemporary and historic objects representing material cultures around the world.

Especially represented by the collection are utilitarian objects that illustrate the lifeways of central African tribal peoples, ceremonial masks from Mexico, ceremonial and decorative objects from the South Pacific islands, and decorative objects made by the Plains Native Americans. Further examples include Southwestern ceramics, Native American basketry, and woodcarvings by the Seri people of Mexico.

See our virtual Choose Your Own Adventure tour for an overview of the Ethnology collection!

Geology artifacts: crystal, gloved hand holding a brown artifact, mineral

The geology collection includes numerous specimens of fossils and minerals with an emphasis on Arkansas.

It includes more than 12,000 rock and mineral specimens, such as the Hugh D. Miser Collection consisting of 5,725 Arkansas and Brazilian quartz crystals. An alumnus of the University of Arkansas, Miser worked as a staff geologist for the United States Geological Survey. Beyond rocks and minerals, the Museum also holds a mixture of North American and European invertebrate, vertebrate, and plant fossil specimens. Highlights include a Pleistocene mammoth found near Hazen, Arkansas in 1965, the Arkansas State Dinosaur Arkansaurus fridayi, and a 180 million-year-old fossil crocodile from Germany.

The UA Tree-Ring Laboratory also utilizes the Museum as a repository for their tree-ring samples. The samples hold valuable data for environmental history.

See our virtual Choose Your Own Adventure tour for an overview of the Geology collection!

History artifacts: computer, tool and Razorback drawn on wood.

The history collection includes approximately 25,000 objects with an emphasis on historic objects from Arkansas.

Within the textile collection, mid-19th century quilts, coverlets, and linens are embraced. Many of the textiles represent the Ozark traditional crafts of spinning and weaving, including baskets by the nationally-recognized craftsman George Gibson. The Museum also holds one of the largest American pressed glass collections in the southeastern United States with more than 3,000 pieces. The collection contains representative samples of common North American glassware in use from the late 1870s to 1915. The ceramics collection includes examples of Niloak, an Arkansas art pottery, fine china, and European porcelain figurines.

Most recently, the Museum has begun to focus especially on 3D UA memorabilia, such as clothing or architectural features from renovated campus buildings.

See our virtual Choose Your Own Adventure tour for an overview of the History collection!

Zoology artifacts: pigeon, small animal skeleton replica, hairy frog

The Zoology Collection contains approximately 90,000 lots. Most of these are from Northwest Arkansas, but representative specimens from throughout the world are included as well. The collection is divided between mammals, birds, herps, fish and invertebrates.

Study skins from J.A. Sealander, professor emeritus of zoology, comprise most of the mammal collection. Articulated and disarticulated skeletons are also held, including 350 coyote skulls donated by Phil Gipson and 250 bobcat skulls from Steve Fritz. Approximately 1,000 study skins from Douglas James, co-author of Arkansas Birds, form the main portion of the bird collection.

Approximately 4,000 lots represent the herps of this collection. Most of these have been donated by the Department of Biological Sciences field classes. The fish collection consists of 2,000 lots, mostly from Arkansas. Invertebrates include but are not limited to mollusks from the A. J. Brown Collection, the Environmental Protection Agency, and David Causey, professor emeritus of biology.

See our virtual Choose Your Own Adventure tour for an overview of the Zoology collection!

U of A Museum Collections Database. In effort to make the Museum’s collections more accessible, a dedicated public database was established in 2022. The resource is a work in progress. New entries and images are published on a weekly basis with the long-term goal to make the entire collection searchable. Whether you are browsing for the sake of curiosity or narrowing down artifacts for a research project, this resource will make the collections more accessible than ever before.

Portions of the Museum’s collections can also be found on the following collaborative sites:

ScholarWorks@UARK. ScholarWorks is the open access Institutional Repository for the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville.

Arkansas Archeological Survey’s Virtual Museum. Created and maintained by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST). Featuring 3D models and summary information from collections of the Arkansas Archeological Survey (ARAS) and the University of Arkansas Museum. 

Morphosource. MorphoSource is a publicly accessible 3D data repository where subject experts, educators, and the general public can find, view, interact with, and download 3D and 2D media representing physical objects important to the world’s natural history, cultural heritage, and scientific collections. 

VertNet. VertNet is a NSF-funded collaborative project that makes biodiversity data free and available on the web. VertNet is a tool designed to help people discover, capture, and publish biodiversity data. It is also the core of a collaboration between hundreds of biocollections that contribute biodiversity data and work together to improve it.

iDigBio. Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio) is the National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) funded by the National Science Foundation. Through ADBC, data and images for millions of biological specimens are being made available in electronic format for the research community, government agencies, students, educators, and the general public.

Donating, Borrowing, Appraising, and Repatriation

Japanese Woodblock Prints

While recent legislature has dictated that the descendants or descendant communities have final say over what is researched and displayed, the Museum had already put a similar policy in place to always consult indigenous groups on research and exhibits since the 1990s. Though the Museum is in the process of fulfilling its NAGPRA responsibilities, a large part of the collection has been made available to be returned. We at the University of Arkansas Museum often work closely with the Quapaw, Caddo, and Osage Nations. 

Learn more about our repatriation efforts here.

The University of Arkansas Museum is a collecting institution. Our materials come in through a variety of sources, from University community and governmental wildlife organizations that deposit their collections after they have completed their research to citizens who donate valued family items of historical significance. Donations are assessed based on their potential to strengthen existing collections in which the Museum has a current specialization and recognized historical interest, including anthropology, geology, history, and zoology with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on Arkansas.

How do I make an artifact donation?

Fill out our Artifact Donation Form to inquire about making a donation. We do not accept drop-off donations or unsolicited, mailed items.

Do donated artifacts go on display immediately?

The Museum cannot promise when or how long an item will go on display. Only a small percentage of the Museum’s entire collection is on view at any given time. It is not beneficial for an artifact’s long-term preservation to be on display for extended periods of time. While not on display, items are cared for in storage, made available to researchers, and used for public programs at the Museum. We are also working to make artifacts available online via our Online Collections website.

The Museum loans certain collection materials out for classroom use, research, and exhibits. Please note that the safety and security of collection materials will be assessed prior to accepting any requests.

Contact us at lalamb@uark.edu or call 479-575-3456 to discuss.

I’d like to know the monetary value of my object. Can staff appraise it?

No. The University of Arkansas Museum does not conduct appraisals for monetary value of objects.

However, staff are happy to assist in the identification of an artifact for the purpose of providing context, whether we can do it ourselves or simply put you in contact with someone who does.

What is the monetary value of an artifact in the Museum’s collections?

For ethical reasons, we do not keep track of the monetary value of any objects, and many of these items are genuinely priceless and irreplaceable. A collection is held for the benefit of the public. It was not collected by, nor donated to, the Museum with intent to be a financial asset. So, although objects in a museum’s collection may have a monetary value, once they become part of a museum’s collection, that value becomes secondary to their importance as a way to help us understand our world and ourselves.