VMFA encourages visitors of all ages to dig archaeology with expansion of Dig It! exhibition

From uncovering objects in a virtual dig to studying ancient works of art to understand their age, function and make-up, visitors to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ new Dig It! aimed at helping multiple generations explore how archaeology contributes to identifying and interpreting objects from ancient China.

The exhibition, now open in the Memorial Foundation for Children Teaching Gallery, is free and open to the public. Dig It! will remain on display until July 2018.

The exhibition is designed to complement the upcoming Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China, which will be on display at VMFA from November 18th, 2017 to March 11th, 2018. This interactive gallery also ties in with Virginia’s third-grade social studies curriculum, which includes a focus on ancient China and Egypt.

Dig It! is organized in sections that highlight the three main aspects of archaeology. Using field notebooks provided at the exhibition’s entrance, visitors can record their observations and findings while exploring these areas in any order:

• Discovery: Although some sites are discovered accidently, knowing where to begin an excavation is essential. In this section, visitors can identify major archaeological sites in China.
• Excavation: Large-scale touchscreens invite junior archaeologists to use handswipes—to mimic the shovels, trowels and brushes used by their professional counterparts—to “dig” into earth to undercover buried objects. Clues about the pieces are revealed after they are successfully “excavated.”
• Lab Study: In this section, visitors can learn more about objects in the excavation by comparing them to similar ones in VMFA’s collection. Access to digital files and 360-degree views of works of art reveal more about the pieces, the people who created them, and how objects were used. Stations for younger visitors include hands-on activities andaccess to commonly used raw materials, such as terracotta (clay), jade, copper, and limestone.

Objects highlighted in Dig It! are on display in the museum’s East Asian Gallery and span more than 3,000 years of ancient Chinese civilization.

“This interactive space allows visitors to touch and engage with art and archaeology in a way that they can’t do in our traditional galleries,” said Celeste Fetta, VMFA’s Director of Education. “There’s something for everyone of any age in Dig It!, and visitors can take the knowledge they gain here and have a more enriched experience as they view the art on display across the museum.”

While the education team leveraged new technology to simulate field experiences, the exhibition offers visitors the printed, eight-page Field Notebook, where they can record their observations and findings. The notebook underscores that many excavation sites are in remote locations, where power sources for laptops, tablets, and smartphones aren’t readily available. Users will be encouraged to take notes about the objects they find in the virtual digs, sketch objects from different angles, or document images with texture rubbings.

Additional activities in the Dig It! exhibition include puzzles created from replicated fragments, stations to make texture rubbings of objects, and a sketching activity. Reading materials are available for all ages to use in the gallery.