Museum Matters: May 2020
Dear CUMNH friends,
I hope this email finds you and your families safe and healthy during these challenging times. Today is International Museum Day and writing this newsletter provides a nice opportunity for me to reflect, let you know about some exciting educational offerings online and update you about a dear member of our community.
First, I’d like to express my deep gratitude to the many donors and who have stayed the course and continued to help sustain our museum through financial donations and the gift of membership. Having such a caring and engaged community is inspiring and allows us to fulfill our mission each day. Thank you!
The CU Museum has been a serving the Boulder community and campus for more than 100 years, so closing our doors due to the COVID-19 crisis has had a profound effect on campus and our community members. While in-person visits may not currently be an option, staff and faculty have remained very busy, refocusing and pivoting to provide more programs and exhibitions online.
Since most education happens outside of a classroom setting, museums provide important resources and context for informal learning. The CU Museum is now offering a wide range of exhibits and educational offerings for students, families and community members on our Museum From Home page. There, you can find our recent exhibits, some engaging activities to do with children at home or outside, and even some Zoom backgrounds of the BioLounge that may provide some nostalgic comfort and familiarity as you navigate online meetings and classes. Please check our website often as we are continuing to expand our content offerings weekly.
And sadly, during this transition, we have been remembering our dear friend, Bill Weber. William A. Weber, botanist, lichenologist and Professor Emeritus at CU Boulder and former curator of the University of Colorado Museum Herbarium passed away March 18, at age 101, among family and friends.
Bill was instrumental for the development of the Herbarium at CU-Boulder, taking it from a very modest collection to a pre-eminent one in the West, and the best collection for the Rocky Mountain region. He produced floras of the region that are well-respected and researched, drawing upon his many experiences in the field and in the collection. His varied interests in lichens, mosses, and vascular plants made the collection much more diverse than a singular focus, and his many trips and wide range of correspondents provided additional material for the Herbarium.
His scholarship has left an indelible mark on the study of botany and his research stands as a testament to the value and power of museum collections as important scientific institutions. His family posted an obituary for those who would like to leave a tribute. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact museumpr@cu.edu.
