Mathers Museum of World Cultures

The Mathers Museum is Indiana University’s museum of world cultures. Through its collections, exhibits, and programs, the museum is dedicated to preserving and promoting knowledge of the world’s cultures, past and present. In all of its activities, the museum strives to further its audiences’ understanding of both the diversity of the world’s specific cultures and the underlying unity of culture as a human phenomenon.

In addition to raising funds for our ongoing needs, one important initiative of Mathers is to support K-12 learning. Field trips to the museum help students recognize and make sense of the cultural similarities and differences among people from around the world. And as those students learn about how we can acknowledge our commonalities and celebrate our diversity, they move toward building a more tolerant and respectful world.

Exploring different ideas and beliefs helps K-12 students increase their understanding of the world at large. Seeing objects and images, and hearing about the people who made and used the artifacts enable the students to deepen and widen their knowledge.

Admission to the MMWC is always free, but many schools are unable to afford the costs of bus transportation to the museum. Gifts to the Mathers Museum this IU Day can help support initiatives like the K-12 field trips so that students can see and experience, in person, the exhibits and programs at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures.