OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Museum presents “House and Home,“ a tour of houses through past and present, to explore the history and progression of the American home. On loan from the National Endowment for the Humanities, “House and Home” was originally created and exhibited in the National Building Museum. The UM exhibition runs through March 15.
“House and Home” encourages visitors to explore the idea of what it means to be at home, and how this meaning has changed over time. The exhibit displays entertainment and household items, family portraits, children’s toys, photographs, films and interactive stations to illustrate the progression of the American home.
These items trace the evolution of family traditions and what it means to live the American dream. “House and Home” also showcases the development of architectural and design styles that were frequently featured in homes over time.
“At its most elemental, architecture is the enclosure of space for purposes of shelter, but ‘House and Home’ takes us on a remarkable tour of American domestic buildings and their meanings,” said Robert Saarnio, UM Museum director. “Visitors of all generations will find images, objects and activities that will inspire reflection about our own residences, and our lives within them.”
The museum also received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support programming related to the exhibit. Through this support, the museum will offer a free, drop-in “Home Sweet Home” family activity day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 15 for families of all ages. Attendees will explore the exhibit and create their own art related to its theme.
“The museum staff is busy planning additional programming and scholarly opportunities related to the exhibit to share this traveling show extensively within the Lafayette-Oxford-University community and beyond,” said Emily Dean, the museum’s curator of education.
In conjunction with the exhibition, an opening reception, part of the first Oxford Art Crawl of 2014, is set for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 28). This event is free and open to the public.
The “House and Home” exhibit is the museum’s first event of 2014, which marks the 75th anniversary celebration of the University Museum. All admission fees for this exhibit will be donated to the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
The University Museum is at the intersection of University Avenue and Fifth Street. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. General admission to this special exhibition is $5, admission for seniors (62 and over) is $4 and admission for students under 18 is $3. Admission is always free for UM students, UM Museum members and children under 5. Special group rates exist for tour groups wishing to visit the museum. To book a tour, please contact esdean@olemiss.edu.
For more information, visit http://museum.olemiss.edu or call 662-915-7073.
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