Museum in a Box Program
Museum in a Box is a free resource that brings the University Museums, collections to groups (academic, k12, or community) with the intention to support academic and scholastic learning outcomes through object-based learning, discussion, observation, and investigation. Pulling from the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature and the Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center, boxes are available in two ways: online downloads which include the educational booklet and relevant activities; or, in-person rentals which include the booklet, activities, as well as, touchable specimens.
Rental Information
For in-person rentals, borrowers are responsible for picking up and returning the materials, unless otherwise arranged with URM staff. Reservations for in-person rentals are two week periods and must be coordinated one month in advance.
For more information about guided tours and the Museum in a Box Program, contact Martha Wright, Assistant Curator of Academic and Public Engagement, University Museums, mwright3@richmond.edu or 804-287-1258.1258.
The Civil Rights Richmond Box is based on a special exhibition that was on view at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art in 2019. This exhibition paired oral histories with photographic portraits of 30 Richmond residents whose lives were altered by their experiences as children and youth in the civil rights movement. Their portraits were created by Brian Palmer, a Richmond-based visual journalist, whose work has been published in The New York Times, The Nation, and many other media outlets. The interview excerpts derived from much longer conversations conducted over several years by Laura Browder, the University’s Tyler and Alice Haynes Professor of American Studies. Longtime Richmond curator Ashley Kistler conceived the project with Browder and oversaw its development.
Included in this (both virtually, and physically) is a copy of the exhibition catalog, a manual that provides scans of the hard copy books used for research, resources for further research, book lists, and essays, and talking points. In the physical box, groups will have access to large reprints of the photographs and labels used in the exhibition. Recommended activities address skills related to social justice, journaling, empathy, and group discussion.
The Civil Rights Richmond Box is available for download on issuu.com.
To request a Museum in a Box for your class please submit the Tour Request Form, or contact Martha Wright at mwright3@richmond.edu or (804) 287-1258.
The Mineralogy Box will be available in spring 2021. To receive updates about this Box, please contact Martha Wright at mwright3@richmond.edu or (804) 287-1258.
The Mollusks Box includes a small manual of information that includes understanding the classes and anatomy of mollusks, their evolution, habitats, coral reefs, and impact of human fishing and use. Touchable specimens vary in size but include bivalve and gastropods, and some terrestrial gastropod shells. Recommended activities address skills related to art, observation, group work, and math.
Click here to view the Mollusks Museum in a Box.
Click here to watch a video "tour" of the contents of the box.
To request a Museum in a Box for your class please submit the Tour Request Form, or contact Martha Wright at mwright3@richmond.edu or (804) 287-1258.
The VA Rocks Box includes a small manual of information that covers how rocks are formed, three rock types, the five geological provinces of Virginia, and natural resources found in this state. Touchable specimens from each province as well as some fossils are provided in the physical box. Recommended activities address skills related to art, math, and observation.
Click here to view the VA Rocks! Box.
Click here to watch a video "tour" of the contents of the box.
To request a Museum in a Box for your class please submit the Tour Request Form, or contact Martha Wright at mwright3@richmond.edu or (804) 287-1258.
