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Explore Global Cultures

Discover North Carolina’s only museum dedicated to the study of global cultures. Explore stories of humanity, from ancient archaeological sites to the celebrations and struggles of today. Learn about people from around the world through their everyday objects, ceremonial artifacts, and visual arts.

Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00am to 4:30pm. Admission is free.

Upcoming Events

fabric samples

Dalit Exhibit Opens

March 21

Closed for Easter

April 8

Where the Beer Flowed Like Wine: Beer and Brewing in Bronze Age Mesopotamia

April 18, 6pm

Recent News Stories

Recent Acquisitions on ExhibitJanuary 31, 2023
Hopi Artist Ramson Lomatewama to Visit the LamOctober 28, 2022
Seeking Participants for Day of the Dead Video InterviewsOctober 12, 2022

Explore the Collection with the Artifact of the Month

Albanian Waist CoatMarch 1, 2023
Puerto Rican Carnival MaskFebruary 2, 2023
Inuit Igloo ModelJanuary 3, 2023

Find a Craft Activity with Cultures Up Close

Ghana: Weave a Kente ClothFebruary 27, 2023
Native American Heritage Month: Make & Play the Bean GameNovember 22, 2022
Hispanic Heritage Month: Create a NichoOctober 14, 2022

Stay in Touch

Receive updates on exhibits and events from the Lam Museum

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Mar 20

Our friends @wfuanthro are sponsoring a lecture today at 4:00pm in Carswell Hall. Join us as we learn about the Rohingya in Myanmar.

#anthropology #rohingya #myanmar #burma

Mar 19

We had so much fun at our Anthropology of Fashion Open House! Thanks to everyone who visited ❤️

Mar 17

Our Anthropology of Fashion Open House is tomorrow! We can't wait to see you!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #fashion #familyfun #free #thingstodoinwsnc #thingstodo

Mar 16

Our latest exhibit is coming together! "Dalit Rights and Dignity: Past, Present, and Future" opens next Tuesday, March 21.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #dalit #nepal

Mar 14

We are getting our craft projects ready for Saturday's Anthropology of Fashion House. We hope to see you here!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #anthropology #fashion #familyfun #free

Mar 10

Join us for #fashion and #familyfun next Saturday at our Anthropology of Fashion Open House! Fund all the details via the events 🔗 in our bio.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #thingstodoinwsnc #thingstodo

Mar 8

Happy Holi! #Holi, a #Hindu celebration also known as the Festival of Colors, celebrates the coming of spring, the joy of friendship, and equality for all. Color plays a significant part in the festival in the form of the colored powders that people throw and spray on one another to represent happiness, love, and the freedom to live vibrantly.

Mar 3

Happy #Hinamatsuri! 🎎 We are so happy to have our Doll's Day set put together again this year thanks to WFU Japanese 201 with Dr. Rallings.

#lammuseum #japan

Mar 2

You never know what we're going to ask our student employees to do! Angel is cutting bark cloth into pieces so visitors to our Anthropology of Fashion Open House on March 18 can try their hand at bark cloth painting. Swipe for event details. We hope to see you here!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #anthropology #fashion

Mar 1

Can you believe it's already March?! Our #ArtifactOfTheMonth is this beautiful Albanian waist coat, which is one of the featured objects in "New at the Lam: Recent Acquisitions." In #Albania, waist coats are worn by both men and women as a part of traditional attire. Known as a jelek (pronounced YEH-lehk), women wear them over a long shirt, along with flowing pants, an apron, and scarves. This type of outfit would have been considered everyday attire until the early 20th century, when western-style clothing became dominant.

Although most jeleks are highly decorated, this one is particularly elaborate. It features red velvet almost entirely covered with gold couched embroidery and gold sequins. The decorative buttons, a traditional part of the design but not functional, are wrapped in gold thread and decorated with coral beads. The metallic thread used in the embroidery is made by winding long strips of thin metal around silk thread. The extravagant decorations on this piece elevate it for use during ceremonies and celebrations, perhaps as a part of a wedding ensemble.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #jelek #albanianculture #albanianclothes

Feb 28

This is your last chance to see "Guī Shù Găn: Between Belonging and Isolation in the WFU Chinese Community" before it closes on Saturday. We hope you'll take the opportunity to check out this unique exhibit featuring original anthropological research!

#lammuseum #wakethearts

Feb 27

Kente cloth is often seen as a symbol of African heritage. Learn more about this iconic cloth and make your own paper version with our latest #CulturesUpClose project! Find the link in our bio.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #MuseumFromHome #ghana #kente #kentecloth #blackhistorymonth

Feb 23

We have a new featured object in our Conservation Spotlight! This #Yoruba Eshu figure was professionally conserved thanks to the generosity of the listed donors.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #Nigeria #conservation #anthropology

Feb 21

"Human Evolution: Hot Topics in Paleoanthropology" is now open! This student-curated exhibit features fossil models, images, and charts to show how human beings developed into the most unique species on the planet.

Many thanks to @wakerspace for their help in printing all of the 3D fossil models!

#lammuseum #humanevolution #3dprinting #anthropology

Feb 16

Happy #AnthroDay 😃 We hope you'll join us for tonight's lecture by Dr. Gitzen to celebrate.

We'll have some Anthro stickers, buttons, and bookmarks to pick up while you're here.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #SouthKorea

Feb 14

For #ValentinesDay we give you our hearts!

These are just a few of the heart-shaped ex-votos in our collection from Canindé, #Brazil.

Feb 13

We're really looking forward to Dr. Gitzen's lecture on Thursday. We hope to see you here!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #SouthKorea

Feb 10

We may not have the famous models of #nyfw but we have the fashion! These and more are on exhibit in "New at the Lam: Recent Acquisitions."

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