Greetings everyone, and warmest regards of this now very warm summer! As you all realize, the Museum and Rowan Oak are 12-month operations so please feel free to stop by on any occasion, or for any purpose. As reported previously we are thrilled to now be working daily with our still-new hires, Curator of Education Kassidy Franz and Membership, Events, and Communications Coordinator Campbell Sandlin.
One among many of the great advantages of small-to-midsize museums is how accessibly personable we are, by which I mean also that if you’d like to meet or say hello to either Kassidy or Campbell when you visit, just ask for them at the Front Desk and if they are unobligated at that moment they’d be happy to come up front to the Lobby to say hello!
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I have been reflecting happily on some significant legacy dates for the Museum in this calendar year of 2024 and wanted to share those thoughts with you here – – particularly as they represent milestones of our history as initially a City of Oxford Museum, and subsequently as now the University of Mississippi Museum.
It was in Summer, 1974 that the City of Oxford transferred to the University the building, adjacent land, and collections of the Mary Buie Museum which it had operated as a municipal museum since 1939. The City had come to realize that the growing levels of programing and activity, and the burgeoning aspirations of the Buie Museum had come to exceed its resources and its capacity as a municipal government. The transfer agreement was reached in that late-summer of 1974 and hence this year is the 50th Anniversary of the legal establishment of the University of Mississippi Museum.
However, there was a building addition to be realized and with private contributed support and State-legislated allocations, the ‘new’ building that you enter today was built in the 1975-76 period – and opened in February, 1977 after dispersed Departmental collections such as the Greek and Roman Antiquities (Classics) and the 19th century Scientific Instruments (Physics) – – among others – had been relocated to the new building. The next time you are in, look for the bronze wall plaques (two) up in the Lobby which together recognize early supporters and the founding gifts which enabled the new construction in this 1974-77 transformative period in our history.
Initially the University dedicated this new building to the memory of Mary Buie’s half-sister by applying to it the nomenclature ‘Kate Skipwith Teaching Museum’. This is a primary reason why to this day you may hear the lexicon which we officially no longer use, of “University of Mississippi Museums” (plural). We are proud to be a singular “museum” – – and indeed highly singular – – which those of you who know me will realize I couldn’t resist as wordplay. Speaking of the plural “museums” and the bronze signage which I made reference to, see if you can spot that plural usage of ‘museums’ on one of those commemorative plaques.
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In closing, another notable Museum anniversary mention: the opening of the Mary Buie Museum occurred in 1939, making this the 85th Anniversary year of the city having a distinguished professional museum. We honor our founder, Mary Buie herself, by sustaining and preserving the original building and her founding collections.
Please join us in raising a toast to our beloved museum’s fascinating history, and the hallmark dates noted above.
Robert Saarnio, Director
Robert Saarnio
Museum Director