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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

east Asian textiles on exhibit

Poems Made to Wear: Traditional Colors in East Asia
Through August 16, 2025

exhibit gallery

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

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Upcoming Events

Native American projectile points on a black background

Booth at Indigenous People & Moravians: A Celebration of Cultures

August 9, 1:30pm-4:30pm

Curriculum-Based School Programs Available

September 2 – December 5

Curriculum-Based School Programs Available

January 5 – May 29

Recent News Stories

Registration Open For Summer WorkshopsMay 27, 2025
Lam Collection on DisplayMay 22, 2025
Internships Benefit Students and MuseumJanuary 24, 2025

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Explore the Collection with the Artifact of the Month

Shoowa Prestige ClothAugust 1, 2025
Samoan FanJuly 1, 2025
Maya Cylinder VaseJune 2, 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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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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Jul 11

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We have ONE spot left in our Chinese Calligraphy workshop! Click the Upcoming Events link in our bio and register today if you want to attend.

#lammuseum #chinesecalligraphy

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Jul 3

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The Museum will be closed Friday and Saturday for Independence Day. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend! 🎆

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Jul 1

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We're trying to beat the heat with our July #ArtifactOfTheMonth, a Samoan fan! Hand-held fans have been used by people across the Pacific Islands for hundreds of years to keep cool in the tropical climate. People give fans as gifts and use them as decorative items to display in their homes. Dancers frequently carry fans as accessories to their costumes and to emphasize their movements. Additionally, fans are a popular item sold to tourists.

This Samoan fan, known as an ili, is constructed of woven plant fiber with a wooden handle. The fiber is likely palm or pandanus, another palm-like plant that grows on the Samoan islands. These materials are typical of fans from Samoa. However, Samoans also construct fans from barkcloth and decorate with dyes, feathers, and shells.

The shape of this Samoan fan may represent the end of a canoe paddle or spear point. The shape and the numerous holes may indicate that this fan had a more decorative purpose.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #Samoa #keepcool

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Jun 23

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We had an awesome time yesterday at our Mosaic workshop! Thank you so much to everyone who came out!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #mosaic

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Jun 18

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The Museum will be closed tomorrow in celebration of Juneteenth. We look forward to seeing you on Friday!

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Jun 17

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There are only 4 more days to register for our Mosaic Workshop. Registration will close at noon on Friday. Make sure to reserve your spot today! Visit the Upcoming Events link in our bio for all the details.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #mosaic #thingstodoinwsnc

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Jun 10

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We hope to see you on Saturday! (You might get an up-close look at an ancient Egyptian falcon mummy!) Visit the Upcoming Events link in our bio for all the details.

#lammuseum #free #science #forkids #thingstodoinwsnc

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Jun 6

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In case you missed last year's "Headrests: The Exhibit," it is now online! Visit the Virtual Exhibits link in our bio.

#lammuseum #virtualexhibit #headrest #headrests #wakethearts

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Jun 3

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Register today for our Mosaic Workshop on Sunday, June 22. Space is limited, and spots are filling up fast! Visit the Upcoming Events link in our bio for all of the information.

#lammuseum #mosaic #workshop #wakethearts

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Jun 2

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Our June #ArtifactOfTheMonth is a Maya cylinder vase that dates to the Late Classic Period of 550 to 830 CE. The straight-walled shape of this vessel indicates that it was likely used to drink cacao, or chocolate, beverages. These bitter drinks were made with cacao beans, water, and spices like chili or cinnamon. They were often consumed in a ritual context.

The ancient #Maya used local clays and created their ceramics with the coil-building method. The potter started with a flat bottom and added clay coils to the desired height. Then, they smoothed the walls to make them even. After the shape was finalized, the potter left the piece to air dry and then burnished it to create a smooth surface for painting. The majority of pigments were created from iron oxide, manganese, and other ground minerals, resulting in a range of colors. After the painting was complete, the piece was fired at low temperature in an open pit.

Late Classic Period Maya artists were members of the elite class. Only the highest levels of society learned the hieroglyphs and iconography necessary to create the imagery on ceramic vessels. This Maya cylinder vase is decorated in the codex style, meaning that it resembles a Classic Maya book with red borders at the top and bottom and a white background. Despite this fact, the design does not contain any actual hieroglyphic writing. The decorations on this vessel possibly depict a scene from the Maya underworld, or Xibalba, with a conch shell and some type of water-dwelling underworld creature. The lack of hieroglyphs may indicate that the vessel is not from one of the major Classic period city-states but rather somewhere on the periphery of the Maya area. Because this vase is a part of the collection recently acquired from UNC-Wilmington, we do not have provenance documents identifying its source.

This Maya cylinder vase is on display in "Museum of World Cultures: Highlights from the UNC-Wilmington Collection" through February 14, 2026.

#lammuseum #mayaceramics #mayaceramic🏺

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May 30

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Mark your calendar for our upcoming Museum Science for Kids event on Saturday, June 14! It's free!
#lammuseum #science #free #thingstodoinwsnc

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May 28

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#AAPIHeritageMonth is almost over, but with more than 100 objects on display from all across #Asia, the Museum is a great place to learn about Asian cultures all summer long. We hope to see you soon!

#lammuseum

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