An Observer Observed: Fieldwork in Papua New Guinea
This exhibition (on the 3rd floor), recently expanded by a donation, features objects and photographs relating to Richard Salisbury's fieldwork among the Siane of the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea and the Tolai of the Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain.
Richard Salisbury was a pioneer in developmental anthropology and one of the founders of the Department of Anthropology at McGill University.
In this display, we turn our gaze to the work of the anthropologist. What was fieldwork like in the 1950s? What was the anthropologist's relationship with communities? Field notes, photographs and objects give us clues to answer these questions.
Prints / Imprints
Starting on November 21, 2023
Since the dawn of time, humans have liked to leave traces of their passage on Earth. Whether we're thinking of rock art, the monuments of vanished civilizations, or even the graffiti that adorns our modern cities, people leave footprints behind.
From November 21, a new showcase in the World Cultures gallery will present a selection of prints that are likely to be part of a series of works that have been hidden here and there in the Musée by a mystery artist, probably around the early 2010s. The staff, who occasionally find these works under display cases, behind furniture or in drawers in the museum galleries, have preserved the 25 works found so far.
What was the artist's purpose behind this? We may never know. But one thing's for sure: the artist has left his mark at the Musée, and our curiosity is well and truly piqued!
Œuvre #5332
Dated 04/05/09
Artist: Unknown
Found: April 29, 2016. Under mineral case 10.