Workshops for the educational program "An Artifact Speaks" presented through the U of I Extension office in Springfield.

[March 25, 2015]  If you have ever been to a museum, you understand the attraction of artifacts. Greek statues reveal the grace and beauty of the human form; toys from ancient Egyptian tombs show us that all children love to play; and even the small, everyday pieces from a local historical society, like a flour sifter or rolling pin can spark memories of happy holiday meals. The objects that people make and use immediately connect us to their values and endeavors, their joys and hardships.

Beginning in the fall of 2015, University of Illinois Extension offices throughout Illinois will be offering the loan of educational materials for a new, object-based program called An Artifact Speaks. The program examines a variety of ancient cultures through artifacts, games, folktales, and hands-on activities. These materials will be available to instructors, librarians, scout leaders, adult group leaders, and other interested educators.

Many Extension unit offices will be offering a free, 3-hour workshop to introduce the program and give participants the opportunity to engage in a selection of program activities. The workshop for this area will be held at 700 S. Airport Drive, Springfield, from 8-11 AM on Thursday, June 18th. Contact Carissa Akpore, 217-732-8299, [e-mail] for registration or register at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/ Illinois K-12 educators are eligible to receive 3 ISBE-approved Professional Development Hours (PDH) for participation in this workshop.

The statewide expansion of this program is made possible through the support of a two-year, University of Illinois Extension and Outreach Initiative Grant. The grant funds a partnership between Extension and the Spurlock Museum, a world cultures museum in Urbana that is a department of the U of I’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The grant’s primary investigator is Kim Sheahan, the Museum’s Assistant Director of Education. Sheahan will be leading the 3-hour workshops.

An Artifact Speaks began as a collaboration between the Museum’s Education Section and Zachary Cain, a 6th grade teacher and Social Studies Building Leader at Edison Middle School in Champaign. “Zach wanted his students to understand how museums work and how much can be learned about a culture by just studying one of its artifacts,” Sheahan states. “We make observations on both modern and ancient pieces, so the participants understand what artifacts have to tell us—how they speak—about where and who they came from.”

For general information on the An Artifact Speaks program, the content of the workshop, or a full list of workshop locations and dates, contact Kim Sheahan at 217-244-3355 or [e-mail].

[Carissa Akpore, University of Illinois Extension Educator]