Tucked away within the Fine Arts Building is a mini-museum that will soon transport students to ancient Egypt, allow them to interact with a magic story board, and invite them to appreciate art while learning about climate change.

The SF State Global Museum was originally established in April 2018 to provide a sanctuary for art pieces donated by various collectors and unite them underneath one roof.

“What we really start with is thinking of the big idea that’s kind of the main message or theme behind the exhibition, and ideally everything should stem from that big idea,” said museum director Paige Bardolph.

Located in the Fine Arts Building, the museum is a predominantly student-run facility housing an array of artifacts from various parts of the world.

Bardolph is working with students from the SF State’s museum studies program to produce next year’s exhibition.  

The display will focus heavily on climate change, and use graphics and an interactive storyboard. It’s expected to be completed by the end of the Fall 2018 semester.

Appropriately, said assistant collections manager Taylor Kinley, the climate change exhibit includes several pieces from indigenous communities in Central and South America.

“A lot of those communities are dealing with rampant climate change issues, so to be able to bring those in and bring them to the forefront and have a safe place to discuss these issues is very important,” Kinley said.

A side gallery will feature the mummified remains of Nes-Per-N-Nub, a priest from the Temple of Karnak. The remains are one of the many art pieces aggregated by former San Francisco Mayor Adolf Sutro during the late 18th century. They were kept on display at the Sutro Baths and later donated to SF State.  

To promote a grander experience for visitors, the Global Museum is developing an interactive storyboard created by Bay Area artists JD Beltrane and Scott Minneman.

“Magic story table is super fun!” said Christine Fogarty, museum associate director. “It’s a customizable interactive map with loadable stories where you can hear voices if you click the map, so that should be installed before the end of fall semester.”

With the construction of the new Fine Arts Building underway, the museum is in no hurry to uproot or expand anytime soon. Its primary objective is to become a reputable resource for students and faculty members to lean on, and to expand their presence beyond SF State’s walls.

“We want people to just drop in and be comfortable and maybe see a couple of objects that might hark into their heritage,” Fogarty said. “We also want to be a resource to the campus community. We want to tap into the faculty here, the staff who work here, and really get them into the space.”