Curatorial Statement and Biography
Curatorial Statement
The main goal of my exhibit is to highlight the women who paved the way for future anthropologists and archaeologists. Anthropology emerged from the white colonialist practices and ideologies that were present at the time surrounding colonizing "uncivilized" people. While the white colonialist perspective is still readily prevalent today, many archaeologists are attempting to decolonize the field by repatriating works and remains, giving space to marginalized groups, working with affected communities, and making their work accessible to the communities that helped them. As a young woman beginning to enter the field of anthropology, I am interested in decolonization. I am also interested in the women who worked in archaeology. Jean Dieulafoy, Maud Cunnington, and Jacquetta Hawkes were by no means perfect archaeologists, but they made important discoveries and contributions to archaeology. Their participation in the male-dominated world of archaeology challenged many societal norms and led to further inclusion and diversity within the field. While doing my research, I found photographs of their archaeological finds, their illustrations, their writings, and of them. The portraits I found of them really impacted me because I believe that it is important to put faces to names. I found myself resonating with their lives as women, but also with their passion for archaeology. I also found archival records and historical documents about their lives and their archaeological excavations. I learned a good deal about the lives of these three women at a time when there were so many restrictions and expectations on women. It was inspiring to learn about how they broke through these expectations and pursued their passions, and I am very excited to share what I have learned through sharing these images and records of their lives. I organized this exhibit in a way that I hope will aid my audience in understanding who these women were, what they experienced, and what they contributed. I hope visitors will learn about what archaeology is, how it is always changing because of the people who are impacting it, and the importance of shedding light on the people who are often left out of the narrative.
- Laura Barclay
Biography
My name is Laura Barclay and I am a junior pursuing a Bachelor in Arts in Anthropology with a double minor in French and Museum Studies at Northern Arizona University. I chose this exhibit topic because I am interested in archaeology and how it has changed over time, which directly relates to who is working in the field. I created this digital exhibit for my digital humanities class using Omeka S. Over the course of the semester, I worked on researching, creating a collection of images, creating metadata for these images, writing a paper, and creating this exhibit. After I graduate, I am interested in finding a way to combine my major and minors, preferably in the museum world.