McKissick Museum's collections in material culture, natural science, and decorative and fine arts support its mission of documentation and education relating to the cultural heritage and natural environment of South Carolina and the Southeast.

History of the Collections

The beginnings of the Museum's rich and diverse holdings date to 1823 when the University purchased the extensive mineral collection of naturalist Thomas Cooper. Throughout the 19th century different colleges on campus continued to add significant objects in cultural history and natural sciences to these collections. As the only repository for cultural artifacts in the capital city, the University of South Carolina also became the home for many items associated with the history of the region and state.

By the 20th century, the scope of the Museum's collections had broadened to include fine and decorative arts, and most important to today's Museum, material culture and folk art. In 1976, the University established McKissick Museum not only to centrally house these objects but also to administer and interpret them. Since its establishment, the Museum has placed a strong emphasis on researching and interpreting its collections. Major productions that began as collections research projects include:

• the exhibition and catalog, I Made This Jar... The Life and Works of the Enslaved African-American Potter Dave, which represents pioneering research on the Edgefield potter;
• the recent traveling exhibition, Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art, which was developed from McKissick's prior exhibition and catalog, Row Upon Row: Sea Grass Baskets of the South Carolina Lowcountry;
• and McKissick's permanent exhibit, Natural Curiosity: The University of South Carolina and the Evolution of Scientific Inquiry in the Natural World, which showcases the Museum's natural science collections within the context of the University's history.

As McKissick Museum approaches its 40th anniversary, it remains one of the largest general university museums in the Southeast. The collections have grown extensively and now include significant holdings of natural science specimens, traditional and contemporary crafts, textiles, political memorabilia, art glass, material culture objects, and fine and decorative arts. McKissick's emphasis in collecting and researching southern traditional crafts and traditions prompted the establishment of the Folklife Resource Center in 1985.

A changing selection of collection highlights and recent acquisitions is available online, as well as updates on our current projects. Please visit the exhibitions page for information on our permanent installations, Natural Curiosity and the Baruch Silver Collection.

For more information on McKissick's collections, contact Chief Curator of Collections and Research Jill Koverman at 803-777-7251.

Image: Cobra basket by Mary Jackson, 1983, Charleston, SC. Collection of McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina.