Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Encyclopedia
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture has been a Washington state museum since 1899. It is located at the University of Washington
campus at the intersection of N.E. 45th Street and 17th Avenue N.E. in Seattle, Washington, USA, in the University District
. It is the only major natural history
museum in the Pacific Northwest
and the state's oldest museum. Its collection numbers over 12 million artifacts and specimens, including totem pole
s, gemstones
, and dinosaur
fossil
s.
and refocus their efforts on collecting, educating, and displaying objects to and for the public. With Johnson's guidance, the group's membership, natural history collections, and ambitions grew, resulting in the creation of Seattle's first natural history museum on the downtown campus of WTU (later to becomes the University of Washington). Over the years, the YNS and their museum expanded their collections to include newly discovered marine specimens, and expanded their membership to include a number of women.
The original museum was shut down when the WTU moved north to become the University of Washington. Several members followed the school and organized an on-campus museum. In 1899 the Washington state legislature named this new organization the Washington State Museum. Following this development, the Young Naturalists' Society was disbanded in 1904.
However, the new Washington State Museum continued to lack a permanent home for its collections until 1962, when the Burke's present building was constructed (designed by James Chiarelli). Funds for the structure came from a grant from the National Science Foundation
and a generous bequest from the estate of Caroline McGilvra Burke, at which point the museum was renamed in honor of her late husband Judge Thomas Burke
.
The museum houses more than 12 million artifacts and specimens in its anthropology, biology, and geology research divisions. Highlights include:
skeleton cast and the giant ground sloth fossil found during the construction of Sea-Tac International Airport
. There are also displays that explain the geologic history of the area and its influence on the terrain and climate.
"Pacific Voices" is a cultural exhibit that tells the stories or traditions of 19 different Native American
and Pacific Rim
cultures through art, artifacts, ceremonial objects, and audio/visual documentaries.
; the University of Washington Board of Regents serves as the museum's governing body.
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
campus at the intersection of N.E. 45th Street and 17th Avenue N.E. in Seattle, Washington, USA, in the University District
University District, Seattle, Washington
The University District is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because the main campus of the University of Washington is located there. The UW moved in two years after the area was annexed to Seattle, while much of the area was still clear cut forest or stump farmland...
. It is the only major natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
museum in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
and the state's oldest museum. Its collection numbers over 12 million artifacts and specimens, including totem pole
Totem pole
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America...
s, gemstones
Gemstones
Gemstones is the third solo album by Adam Green, released in 2005. The album is characterised by the heavy presence of Wurlitzer piano, whereas its predecessor relied on a string section in its instrumentation.-Track listing:#Gemstones – 2:24...
, and dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s.
History
The roots of the Burke Museum can be traced back to an amateur natural history club founded in the early 1880s, known as the Young Naturalists' Society. The YNS began collaborating with the Washington Territorial University through natural science professor Orson Bennett Johnson. Johnson became an advocate for the professionalization of the society and helped them increase their understanding of natural historyNatural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and refocus their efforts on collecting, educating, and displaying objects to and for the public. With Johnson's guidance, the group's membership, natural history collections, and ambitions grew, resulting in the creation of Seattle's first natural history museum on the downtown campus of WTU (later to becomes the University of Washington). Over the years, the YNS and their museum expanded their collections to include newly discovered marine specimens, and expanded their membership to include a number of women.
The original museum was shut down when the WTU moved north to become the University of Washington. Several members followed the school and organized an on-campus museum. In 1899 the Washington state legislature named this new organization the Washington State Museum. Following this development, the Young Naturalists' Society was disbanded in 1904.
However, the new Washington State Museum continued to lack a permanent home for its collections until 1962, when the Burke's present building was constructed (designed by James Chiarelli). Funds for the structure came from a grant from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and a generous bequest from the estate of Caroline McGilvra Burke, at which point the museum was renamed in honor of her late husband Judge Thomas Burke
Thomas Burke (judge)
Thomas Burke was an American lawyer, railroad builder, and judge who made his career in Seattle, Washington. He served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Washington Territory from 1888 to 1889. He was the main representative of railroad magnate James J. Hill in Seattle...
.
Mission
According to its website, "The Burke Museum is dedicated to creating a better understanding of the world and our place in it. The museum is responsible for Washington State collections of natural and culture heritage, and for sharing the knowledge that makes them meaningful. The Burke welcomes a broad and diverse audience and provides a community gathering place that nurtures life-long learning and encourages respect, responsibility, and reflection."Collections
- The nation's fifth largest collection of Northwest Coast and Alaskan Native art
- The world's largest collection of spread bird wings (a technique that Burke pioneered)
- The world's second largest collection of frozen bird tissues for genetic research
- The fourth largest ichthyology collection this side of the Mississippi
- One of the largest collections of Northwest plants and fungi
- Over one million archaeological artifacts, including extensive collections from Washington state sites around Puget SoundPuget SoundPuget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
and the Columbia RiverColumbia RiverThe Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
Long-term exhibits
The Burke Museum currently displays three long-term exhibits: "Life and Times of Washington State," "Pacific Voices," and "Treasures of the Burke." "Life and Times of Washington State" is a natural history exhibit on the 545-million-year evolution of the Northwest region. Features of this exhibit include large-scale fossils such as an allosaurusAllosaurus
Allosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period . The name Allosaurus means "different lizard". It is derived from the Greek /allos and /sauros...
skeleton cast and the giant ground sloth fossil found during the construction of Sea-Tac International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...
. There are also displays that explain the geologic history of the area and its influence on the terrain and climate.
"Pacific Voices" is a cultural exhibit that tells the stories or traditions of 19 different Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
cultures through art, artifacts, ceremonial objects, and audio/visual documentaries.
Temporary exhibits
The Burke also hosts a schedule of changing exhibits throughout the year in its temporary galleries. These changing exhibits include traveling exhibits organized by other institutions and original exhibits curated by Burke staff.Current exhibits
Upcoming exhibits
- "International Conservation Photography Awards"
- "Weaving Heritage: Textile Masterpieces from the Burke Collection"
Previous exhibits (since November 2006)
- "Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition: Indigenous Voices Reply"
- "Wondrous Cold: An Antarctic Journey"
- "Coffee: The World in Your Cup"
- "The Last Polar Bear: Facing the Truth of a Warming World"
- "Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge"
- "The Place Called Home"
- "Peoples of the Plateau: The Indian Photographs of Lee Moorhouse, 1898-1915"
- "Vanished Kingdoms"
- "In the Spirit of the Ancestors"
- "Cruisin' the Fossil Freeway (December 19, 2009 - May 31, 2010)
Governing body
The museum is administered through the University of Washington College of Arts and SciencesUniversity of Washington College of Arts and Sciences
The University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences is the liberal arts and sciences unit of the University of Washington. The CAS has 27,500 students and offers 5,600 different classes.-External links:*...
; the University of Washington Board of Regents serves as the museum's governing body.