Founded in 1887, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) is the largest university museum in the US and is regarded as a world leader in archaeology and anthropology research. Its collection of more than one million objects encompasses materials from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Canaan and Israel, Mesoamerica, Asia, and the ancient Mediterranean World, as well as artifacts from native peoples of the Americas and Africa. The museum has conducted more than 400 archaeological and anthropological expeditions around the world, and many of its prized artifacts have been obtained through these field excavations. Center-supported projects include Imagine Africa @ Penn Museum, which tested a new visitor-centered method of exhibition planning, and Science and Race: History, Use, and Abuse, a series of public conversations investigating the connections between race, science, and social justice. In 2017, the museum received an Advancement grant to develop new exhibition, public programming, and communications strategies, as it unveils its newly renovated Ancient Middle East galleries.
