Current Exhibitions
Special Exhibitions
All the World Is Here: Harvard’s Peabody Museum and the Invention of American Anthropology
"A kaleidoscopic overview of human cultures, anthropology’s origins, and, the evolution, in real time, of both." -- Harvard Magazine Read more
Arts of War: Artistry in Weapons across Cultures
From maces, clubs, daggers, and spears, to shields, helmets, and entire suits of armor, this exhibition offers more than 150 striking examples of weapons that are also extraordinary works of art. See a preview of the exhibit. Read more
Moche Ceramics
The Moche archaeological culture, which thrived along the north coast of Peru between 1,100 and 1,700 years ago, has received worldwide attention and acclaim for its distinctive and elaborately crafted pottery. Read more
Nasca Ceramics: Ancient Art from Peru's South Coast
Presenting rich and colorful imagery of cats, foxes, falcons, people, and mythological beings, Nasca pottery is a captivating window into the beliefs and customs of this mysterious ancient people. Read more
Ocarinas of the Americas: Music Made in Clay
This bilingual exhibit (English and Spanish) features nearly 80 spectacular examples of ocarinas from the Peabody Museum’s vast collection. Uncovered at archaeological sites in Central America and Mexico, these musical instruments were crafted from local low-fired clay and carefully fashioned, incised, and painted into a variety of human and animal forms. Read more
Ongoing Exhibitions
Change & Continuity: Hall of the North American Indian
Diverse North American cultures are explored through the objects produced by indigenous peoples of the nineteenth century. The Changes and Continuity exhibit considers historic interactions between native peoples and Europeans during a period of profound social change. Read more
Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos
The Peabody's exhibition of a Day of the Dead altar or ofrenda is located in the Encounters with the Americas gallery. It represents the original Aztec origins of the holiday and the Catholic symbols incorporated into the tradition. Read more
Digging Veritas: The Archaeology and History of the Indian College and Student Life at Colonial Harvard
Using archaeological finds from Harvard Yard, historic maps, and more, the Digging Veritas exhibition reveals how students lived at colonial Harvard, and the role of the Indian College in Harvard’s early years. Read more Digging Veritas Online
Encounters with the Americas
Encounters explores the native cultures of Latin America before and after 1492, when the first voyage of Christopher Columbus initiated dramatic worldwide changes. Read more
The Legacy of Penobscot Canoes: A View from the River
Explore the enduring importance of rivers and canoes in Penobscot tribal life and on relationships between the tribe and non-Indians. This new installation features a rarely seen full-size bark canoe purchased from Penobscot Indian Francis Sebattis in 1912, as well as stone tools collected by Henry David Thoreau, who described the Penobscot and their canoes in The Maine Woods. Read more
Wiyohpiyata: Lakota Images of the Contested West
Co-curators Castle McLaughlin and Lakota artist Butch Thunder Hawk use ambient sound, motion, scent, and historic and contemporary Plains art to animate nineteenth century Lakota drawings from a warrior’s ledger collected at the Little Bighorn battlefield. This exhibit presents Lakota perspectives on westward expansion while exploring culturally-shaped relationships between words, objects, and images. Related Publication: Lakota War Book from the Little Bighorn: The Pictographic “Autobiography of Half Moon”
