Time Capsules and Cornerstones: 200 Years of Collective Memory at HamiltonInspired by a 19th century campus tradition in which classes created and buried time capsules, Time Capsules and Cornerstones explores how devices such as mementos, scrapbooks and monuments have been used by generations of Hamiltonians to create a shared experience. The exhibition features an array of items from the College Archives and concludes with an invitation to contribute ideas and content for a 2012 time capsule to be sealed at the conclusion of the College’s Bicentennial celebrations.
This exhibition traces the little-known history of galleries and museums at Hamilton, from early “cabinets of curiosities” to the Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, scheduled to open in fall 2012. Using collections and archival materials, the exhibition examines the legacy of these spaces and their functions as classrooms. Highlights include selections from the Oren Root Mineral Collection, ethnographic and natural specimens once featured in the Knox Hall of Natural History (1883-1926), and works from the Memorial Hall and Art Gallery (1873-1924).
