Ethics, Art, and Connections with Nature: Exploring the Archaeological Cultures of Mill Creek and Glenwood
On View July 2025
This exhibit utilizes artifacts of the Indigenous people from archaeologically defined MILL CREEK (1100-1250 CE) and GLENWOOD (1200-1350 CE) cultures to demonstrate how their innovative and skillfully crafted material culture was functional, artistic, and impacted by their interaction with nature. Additionally, the exhibit explores the importance of archaeological methods and museum ethics in the interpretation and representation of Native American history.
The MILL CREEK and GLENWOOD culture sites were active during a shift from hunter-gatherer methods of food acquisition to horticulture and agriculture, several centuries before Europeans made contact with Indigenous North America. Their objects reflect their foodways, respect for animals, and cultural connections to other Indigenous communities of the time. The people of the MILL CREEK culture utilized both hunting and farming and lived in compact terrace-based villages. The GLENWOOD culture sites were more spread out, consisting of single farms or small hamlets, and the people who inhabited them relied on farming and foraging as their primary food sources.
Student Curators
| Kyla Bethel | Raven Johnson | Sophie Pierce |
| Peyton Carpenter | Mercadees Johnson-Stewart | Reilly Tack |
| Isabel Christensen | Anna Lockhart | Mary Alice Waite |
| Libby DeFoor | Sophia Penisten | Alyssa Winchell |
| Bailey Early | Mary Phillips | Rachel Winey |
This exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA), Department of Anthropology, and the Stanley Museum of Art. OSA Research Collections Director Caroline Parris taught the course “Excavation to Exhibit: Making Artifacts Public” during the spring 2025 semester, during which students contributed to this exhibition.
Class discussions explored the ethical considerations made by anthropologists and museum professionals in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in interpreting and representing Native Americans and their past. Students worked collaboratively to develop the exhibition’s theme, objectives, and interpretive inventory. Additionally, they wrote text for the panels and designed case layouts. The course instructor and additional OSA and museum staff also contributed to realizing this exhibition.
The student curators would like to recognize the knowledge and support provided by State Archaeologist John Doershuk; Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Meskwaki Nation Tieranny Keahna; OSA Bioarchaeology Director Lara Noldner; and OSA Strategic Initiatives Director Elizabeth Reetz.
This exhibition is generously supported by the Richard De Puma Teaching Exhibition Fund.