Institute for Human Science and Culture

Institute for Human Science and Culture Hands-on humanities on the corner of campus and community. Visit https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/ to learn more. Forman Collection of Bags, and the David P.

We serve the communities of Akron and The University of Akron through arts and culture exhibits, events, and educational programs. The Institute for Human Science and Culture (IHSC) promotes the exploration and appreciation of the widespread human experience, both local and global, through the activation of museum collections. The IHSC enriches The University of Akron student experience with arts

and culture activities, speakers, exhibitions, and programs, facilitating engagement and connections among UA departments to discover new and creative ways to nurture learning. We connect UA and Akron communities to learn from each other through arts and culture, expertise and experience, and hands-on teaching and learning. Our current collections include the Oak Native American Ethnographic Collection, the Lee L. Campbell Postcard Collection. These materials are exhibited in the Oak Native American Gallery and the Lynn Rodeman Metzger Galleries, along with work from students and local artists. The IHSC is located in the Cummings Center, a research center located at The University of Akron, in Akron, Ohio. The CCHP cares for, provides access to, and interprets the historical record of psychology and related human sciences. Follow their social media at . Admission to the IHSC and CCHP is free for all The University of Akron students, faculty, and staff. We are also proud participants of the Museums for All program, offering discounted admission to guests who present a state-issued EBT card. All materials posted to this page are protected under Title 17 of the United States Code. For access and application for use contact us at [email protected].

It’s time to tell your story! Join the Akron Postcard Club TONIGHT, May 27 at 6pm for our annual Postcard Show & Tell. B...
05/27/2026

It’s time to tell your story! Join the Akron Postcard Club TONIGHT, May 27 at 6pm for our annual Postcard Show & Tell. Bring a postcard and a story to share - snacks will be provided.

Learn more about Akron Postcard Club at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/whats-on/postcard-club

[Image description: Pairs of people sitting across from each other and talking. Postcards are spread out on the table between them.]

Congratulations to students in the Institute’s “Unsettling the Museum” [Un]Class, who celebrated the launch of their new...
05/12/2026

Congratulations to students in the Institute’s “Unsettling the Museum” [Un]Class, who celebrated the launch of their new exhibit last week! Under the guidance of Drs. Paul Edward Montgomery Ramírez, Jodi Kearns, and Hillary Nunn, students critically examined the presentation of Indigenous materials in museums and developed an installation to challenge and subvert these practices.

Their exhibit is on view now in the Institute’s Oak Native American Gallery! We’re open Tuesday through Saturday. Plan your visit today at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/

[Image description: 27 people, students and instructors from the Unsettling the Museum class, posing together in a museum gallery. On the wall behind them, there is a complex board of images and notes connected by string.]
UA Dept of English The EXL Center for Community Engaged Learning

Naomi Torgler is a graduating senior at Myers School of Art whose work considers her personal identity as a Chinese adop...
05/01/2026

Naomi Torgler is a graduating senior at Myers School of Art whose work considers her personal identity as a Chinese adoptee living in the United States. Through sculpture and mixed media works, Torgler explores cultural practices, traditional symbolism, and the tension between her lineage and her presence in the U.S.

Join us on Tuesday from 5pm-8pm for a free opening reception, featuring Torgler’s work alongside 4 other student-created exhibits. Learn more and RSVP at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/events/spring-2026-reception

[Image description: Close-up of a sculpture, depicting stuffed snail shells with chopped scallions on a plate. The shells, and their filling, have a shimmer of gold.]

Elyse Orosa is a graduating senior at Myers School of Art, whose work explores nostalgia and contemporary issues – inclu...
04/30/2026

Elyse Orosa is a graduating senior at Myers School of Art, whose work explores nostalgia and contemporary issues – including the economy, healthcare, and the media landscape – impacting the current generation of youth. Her new exhibit, “A Future In•Flux,” opens next Tuesday, May 5 in the Institute galleries.

Join us on Tuesday from 5pm-8pm for a free opening reception, featuring Orosa’s work alongside 4 other student-created exhibits. Learn more and RSVP at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/events/spring-2026-reception

[Image description: Painting of a woman with long brown hair, wearing a sweater and a scrunchie around her wrist, lying in bed next to an open laptop. The scene is composed of a palette of browns, grays, and purplish pinks.]

Students in the Institute’s “Unsettling the Museum” [Un]Class have spent the semester rethinking how museums present Ind...
04/29/2026

Students in the Institute’s “Unsettling the Museum” [Un]Class have spent the semester rethinking how museums present Indigenous materials. Over on the Institute blog, student Gurkiran Natt shares how one element of the project – yarn used to connect various materials, ideas, and questions – helped to shape their thinking and the exhibit. Read on at https://humanscienceandculture.wordpress.com/2026/04/21/threads-of-connection/

And don’t miss the opening reception for the “Unsettling the Museum” installation – plus four other student-made exhibits – on May 5 from 5-8pm! Learn more and RSVP at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/events/spring-2026-reception

[Image description: A gallery wall covered with images, sticky notes, and writing, all linked by a complex network of multicolored yarn. A text overlay reads “New Blog Post.”]

Are you ready for the Great Postcard Club Challenge? Join Akron Postcard Club  as we set out to connect with every fello...
04/23/2026

Are you ready for the Great Postcard Club Challenge? Join Akron Postcard Club as we set out to connect with every fellow postcard club in the United States! Next Wednesday, April 29 from 6-7pm, we’ll be writing friendly messages to our postcard-collecting compatriots all across the country. Drop in and help us meet our goal!

Learn more about Akron Postcard Club at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/whats-on/postcard-club

[Image description: Colorful postcard image of a woman holding a postcard up to her face with a fork. The Akron Postcard Club logo is displayed over the image.]

“Who would imagine that anything as simple as a paper bag could be made to look so beautiful?” - Lee L. Forman, 1998 👜In...
04/22/2026

“Who would imagine that anything as simple as a paper bag could be made to look so beautiful?” - Lee L. Forman, 1998 👜

Installation is underway on “Portable Artists,” a new exhibit designed by students in the Museums & Archives Studies Certificate Program! Using pieces from the Lee L. Forman Collection of Bags, this exhibit explores the underappreciated artwork of bags across numerous topics, themes, and materials.

An opening reception will be held for this exhibit – and four others! – on Tuesday, May 5 from 5 to 8pm. Learn more and RSVP for the free event at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/events/spring-2026-reception

[Image description: A student kneeling in an exhibit gallery, measuring materials with a tape measurer. Bags of various sizes and styles are arranged on the floor around them.]

This week, members of the Akron Postcard Club got a sneak peak of our upcoming exhibit, developed by students in the Ins...
03/27/2026

This week, members of the Akron Postcard Club got a sneak peak of our upcoming exhibit, developed by students in the Institute’s Public Humanities Certificate. The new exhibit, “Signed, (not) Sealed, Delivered” explores diverse topics and artistic styles in postcard art, featuring labels written by Akron Postcard Club members.

Save the date for the opening reception, May 5 from 5-8pm!

[Image description: Four people standing in front of a gallery wall, in conversation. Postcards are arranged on the wall, along with work-in-progress labels.]

Akron Postcard Club meets TOMORROW! As you read this, University of Akron  students are developing a new exhibit centere...
03/24/2026

Akron Postcard Club meets TOMORROW! As you read this, University of Akron students are developing a new exhibit centered on the David P. Campbell Postcard Collection. To help out, we’re calling on all postcard enthusiasts to join in and help create exhibit labels. Contribute to the behind-the-scenes work of a museum exhibit, tomorrow at 6:00pm!

Learn more about Akron Postcard Club at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/whats-on/postcard-club

[Image description: A postcard illustration of a woman in a red blouse typing at a typewriter with one hand and raising a cocktail glass with the other. A text overlay reads “Akron Postcard Club.”]

Don’t miss out on The Art of Return: A Community Performance Celebration, this Friday at the Institute! This high-energy...
03/17/2026

Don’t miss out on The Art of Return: A Community Performance Celebration, this Friday at the Institute! This high-energy event spotlights the work and perspectives of formerly incarcerated artists, including Andrea "Draye" Mitchell, M'chal Prosperity and Montez Mickens. Performances will be interwoven with audience reflections — all with a focus on community building and shared understanding.

Learn more and RSVP for the free event at https://www.uakron.edu/ihsc/events/art-of-return
The Art of Return is presented by the Returning Artists Guild , with generous support from The University of Akron Women’s Studies Program and the Center for Conflict Management.

[Image description: Banner for the event “The Art of Return,” scheduled for March 20 from 4pm to 6pm. Surrounding the title is an art exhibit in a museum gallery, with a graffiti-covered elephant sculpture in the foreground.]

Address

73 S College Street
Akron, OH
44325

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 4pm
Wednesday 1pm - 8pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+13309727952

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