Values
Standing at the edge of the University of Illinois campus, Spurlock is a connecting resource both to University audiences–including faculty and students–and to visitors across the globe. Our visitor-centric approach attempts to anticipate and respond to the needs and interests of audiences from diverse backgrounds, while supporting visitors, source communities, and partners in contributing their own voices, perspectives, and knowledge.
We encourage curiosity, conversations, learning, and change. We support research of our collections by all. We strive to ethically steward cultural heritage and all resources in an ethical manner. We undertake collaborative projects and build partnerships at an increasing scale.
Land Acknowledgement
The Museum has a Land Acknowledgement Statement that formally recognizes the history of the dispossession of land from Indigenous people whose connection to their traditional territories long precedes the University and Museum's occupation. We read this acknowledgement at many of our events, present it in full here, and welcome any discussion related to the statement or our relationship to the land and local histories.
Land Acknowledgment StatementEthos of Care
In collaboration with the Humanities Research Institute, we are developing a humanities, arts, and social sciences community of practice to support graduate students, staff, and faculty who are working in the field of culture heritage care and research. Components include a cohort of participants engaged in an extensive workshop series, related public events, and a program of graduate student mentoring.
Ethos of Care