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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.
Find the Museum on the Wake Forest campus.

Featured Exhibits

exhibit gallery

Fragments of Changsha: Medieval China in Miniature
Through November 22, 2025

Day of the Dead exhibit

Life after Death: Celebrating Day of the Dead
Through December 12, 2025

See All Exhibits

Upcoming Events

Chavin de Huantar temple site

Curriculum-Based School Programs Available

September 2 – December 5

Booth at Reynolda House Community Day

Saturday, September 20, 10am-2pm

Booth at Historic Bethabara Park Apple Fest

Saturday, September 27, 10am-4pm

Recent News Stories

Lam Announces Archaeology in the Americas Lecture SeriesAugust 18, 2025
Registration Open For Summer WorkshopsMay 27, 2025
Lam Collection on DisplayMay 22, 2025

See All News Stories

Explore the Collection with the Artifact of the Month

Jarai SculpturesSeptember 3, 2025
Shoowa Prestige ClothAugust 1, 2025
Samoan FanJuly 1, 2025

See All Artifact of the Month

Find a Craft Activity with Cultures Up Close

See All Cultures Up Close

Stay in Touch

Receive updates on exhibits and events from the Lam Museum

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Sep 17

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In case you didn't get to see it in person, our exhibit "Poems Made to Wear: Traditional Colors in East Asia" is now available as a virtual exhibit! Check it out via the link in our bio.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #virtualexhibit #eastasia #China #Japan

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Sep 15

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See you at 5pm!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #archaeology #free #peru #chavindehuantar

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Sep 9

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Today's the day! "Life after Death: Celebrating Day of the Dead" is now open and will be on exhibit through December 12. We hope you'll visit us and learn about the many ways Day of the Dead is celebrated. As always, admission is free!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #dayofthedead #díadelosmuertos #díademuertos #Mexico #folkart #diadelosmuertosart #diadelosmuertosaltar

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Sep 8

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Mark your calendar for next Monday's lecture about archaeology at a temple complex site in Peru. We hope to see you there!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #archaeology #peru #chavindehuantar #free

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Sep 4

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This semester, we're excited to host a free Archaeology in the Americas Lecture Series! We hope you'll join us ⛏️

#lammuseum #archaeology #free

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Sep 3

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It's time for our September #ArtifactOfTheMonth! This month, we've chosen a pair of Jarai sculptures from Vietnam.

The Jarai (also spelled Jorai, Jrai, or Giarai) people are an ethnic group indigenous to the central highlands of #Vietnam. Today, there are fewer than 350,000 #Jarai living in their homeland. They were allied with the United States during the Vietnam War, and during the post-war period, many were resettled in the US, particularly here in North Carolina.

This style of Jarai sculpture is traditionally connected to funerary practices. Jarai tombs are small house-like buildings that also contain offerings and the deceased’s belongings. The burial ceremony can be very elaborate and expensive. However, several years after the death and burial, the Jarai hold a final ceremony, known as po thi, adorning and then abandoning the gravesite. This ceremony, often several days long, marks a permanent farewell to the deceased and releases their spirit into the afterlife. This type of sculpture would be part of a group placed around a tomb on wooden pillars at that time as a final gift to the deceased and to serve as guardians. Jarai funerary sculptures can take many forms, including human figures mourning, engaging in sexual acts, or performing daily activities, monsters, and animals.

During the post-war period, artists began to create this style of sculpture for more secular decorative purposes removed from their funerary context. These sculptures came to the Lam Museum from the Museum of World Cultures at UNC-Wilmington. Unfortunately, not all of the artifacts in this collection have clear origins, so we cannot say for certain whether these sculptures come from a funerary context or not. These sculptures are on display in "Museum of World Cultures: Highlights from the UNC-Wilmington Collection" through February 14, 2026.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #sculpture #woodcarvings

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Aug 29

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The Museum will be closed this weekend for Labor Day. We hope you have a great holiday!

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Aug 26

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WFU classes started yesterday, and we are all ready for an awesome fall semester! We hope we'll see you exploring our exhibits or at one of our fall events, which are all free!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #fall #thingstodoinwsnc #free #archaeology

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Aug 25

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New exhibit alert! "Saddle Rugs & Tibetan Culture" is now on exhibit in our staff hallway. We hope you'll come check it out!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #saddlerug #Tibet

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Aug 20

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We are very excited to be the new home for this amazing collection of netsuke! These astonishingly detailed miniature sculptures from Japan were used to secure pouches or containers to one’s kimono sash. We don’t have plans to exhibit them immediately, but once they have been fully accessioned, each of the more than 80 pieces will be available to view on our online collections database.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #Japan #netsuke

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Aug 12

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This is the final week to see the stunning textiles on display in "Poems Made to Wear: Traditional Colors in East Asia" before it closes. You don't want to miss this one!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #textiles #eastasia #thingstodoinwsnc

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Aug 8

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Look for us tomorrow at @bethabarapark!

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Aug 6

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Cool things happening! Today, we visited the @wfuanthro Archaeology Laboratory with our Baule fly whisk to conduct XRF testing. You may remember that the fly whisk was the subject of last year's Conservation Fund campaign. As the conservator was examining the whisk, he noticed that there were two colors of gold foil used on the piece. He recommended XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) testing to identify the different alloys present in the foil, so he could purchase the correct type to make the needed repairs. Luckily, we have access to this technology right next door! After testing multiple spots, the results indicate that the darker patches are purer gold, while the lighter patches have more silver added. The whisk will now travel back to @erdmann_conservation to complete the work. Many thanks to Dr. Paul Thacker in the Archaeology Laboratory and all of the donors who funded this project!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #xrf #Baule #conservation #artconservation #museumwork

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Aug 5

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This is the last week to see the exhibit "Photos of a Moving Self: How Gender Shifted During the Pandemic," which presents research conducted at UNC-Charlotte and subjects' self-submitted photographs illustrating their shifts in gender. This exhibit is on display in our staff hallway but is fully accessible by the public.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #genderidentity

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Aug 1

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Can you believe that it's already time for our August #ArtifactOfTheMonth?! Prestige cloths like this one are sometimes referred to as #Shoowa cloths, after the Shoowa people who make them. The Shoowa are part of the Kuba Kingdom and live primarily south of the Sankuru River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Shoowa prestige cloths are prized because of the skill, technique, and time that goes into making them. The grass-like fibers of the raffia palm are used to create the threads of the base fabric. Men use a loom and a flat weave technique to create the fabric. The process is then turned over to women who color additional raffia threads with traditional vegetable dyes to create contrasting colors. They design the elaborate patterns and embroider the cloths using a cut-pile embroidery technique. They pass threads between the warp and weft of the tightly woven base fabric with a needle, without any visible stitches or knots. They then cut the ends and fray threads to create the velvet look for which the cloths are renowned. The process of creating one Shoowa prestige cloth can take from several months to more than a year.

A Shoowa prestige cloth is a symbol of wealth and status in the Kuba Kingdom. Historically, they were used as units of currency, dowry payments, and in settlement of tax liabilities. The panels are displayed during ceremonies to indicate prestige and can be sewn together into clothing worn by high-ranking individuals on such occasions. They are also used as funeral shrouds to reflect the wealth and status of the deceased and their family.

The Kuba Kingdom was isolated from foreigners until the late 19th century. However, once their arts, including Shoowa prestige cloths, were introduced to people outside of Africa, they became immensely popular. Their designs have been appropriated by artists and design firms for nearly a century.

#lammuseum #Kuba #kubakingdom #drc #democraticrepublicofcongo

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Jul 23

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Today marks the halfway point of the dog days of summer. If you're looking for a way to beat the heat, the Museum is always a nice cool 70 degrees, and you might even learn something while you're here!

#lammuseum #beattheheat #free #thingstodoinwsnc

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Jul 17

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Did you know that we have two fun scavenger hunts for kids? Our I Spy Scavenger Hunt helps children look for specific objects and identify them. If you're looking for more of a challenge, Riddle Me This provides has 18 riddles referring to different objects in the Museum. See if you can find them all!

#lammuseum #scavengerhunt #free #thingstodoinwsnc

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Jul 13

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Happy #InternationalRockDay! Want to know where you can learn about tools made from rocks? Right here at the Lam Museum! Come explore 13,000 years of stone tool technology with our projectile point timeline. You can visit for free anytime Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 4:30pm.

#lammuseum #stonetools #projectilepoint #projectilepoints #arrowheads

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