Archaeolgical Research at Salve Regina University

Heather Rockwell and the students of CHP 399: Archaeological Curation

From the Ice Age to the Gilded Age: Archaeology at Salve Regina University

January 18-February 8, 2024

Opening Reception: January 18, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of From the Ice Age to the Gilded Age: Archaeological Research at Salve Regina University. This show will feature artifacts and research related to archaeological work within the Noreen Stonor Drexel Cultural and Historic Preservation Program. An opening reception is scheduled for the evening of Thursday, January 18^th.

Archaeology seeks to help us understand the past through the objects people left behind. This exhibition will take visitors on a journey through New England’s past with the help of artifacts recovered by Salve students on archaeological excavations conducted in northern Maine and on the grounds of Ochre Court in Newport, Rhode Island. These two sites span thousands of years from the time of the earliest indigenous hunter-gatherers who walked beside the woolly mammoths, to the 19^th century east coast elite who used Newport as their summer playground. This exhibit seeks to highlight how archaeologists understand the past and the people whose lives shaped it by showcasing the research currently happening on our campus.

This exhibition was co-curated by Dr. Heather Rockwell, Assistant Professor in the Cultural and Historic Preservation and Sociology/Anthropology programs in the Department of Cultural, Environmental, and Global Studies and Kaleigh Trischman a junior double major in Cultural and Historic Preservation and Sociology/Anthropology. The project was designed in conjunction with a group of student curatorial assistants from an advanced preservation course. The course offers students the opportunity to learn how to research, interpret, and care for cultural objects.

The Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery is located in the Antone Academic Center on the campus of Salve. It is handicap accessible with parking along Lawrence Avenue and Leroy Avenue. Its exhibits are open to the public Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Mondays.