UW News

January 19, 2011

Burke Museum offers monthly lunchtime tours starting Jan. 26

Gretchen Anex, a docent at the Burke Museum, leads a tour group through the museum last summer. | Burke Museum photo.

Gretchen Anex, a docent at the Burke Museum, leads a tour group through the museum last summer. | Burke Museum photo.

Curious about the natural history museum located right here on campus?

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture hopes so, and is inviting the campus community to a series of monthly lunchtime tours through June. The first one is Wednesday, Jan. 26.

Called “The Best of the Burke” and organized by Karin Moughamer, the museums campus outreach coordinator, each tour is a half-hour long and is led by an experienced docent. The tours are each limited to 15 people.

Moughamer said the lunchtime tours give participants a brief history of the museum and a quick tour of the museums two current permanent exhibits. They are Life and Times of Washington State and Pacific Voices. After each tour, save some time to visit the Burkes newest exhibit, Weaving Heritage: Textile Masterpieces from the Burke Collection, which is on view through Feb. 27.

“We encourage participants to ask questions along the way,” Moughamer said. She added that the docents have been well trained and bring their own interests and views to the tours.

“The ultimate goal of this is, we realize that we are kind of tucked away up in the northwest corner of the campus — were reiterating that we are free for UW staff and faculty and have family programs. Its a way of saying thank you for being part of the UW community, but also to say, here is what we have to offer.”

All the tours start at 12:30 p.m. in the Burke lobby. RSVPs are taken online. Tour dates are:

  • Wednesday, Jan. 26
  • Wednesday, Feb. 23
  • Wednesday, March 23
  • Wednesday, April 27
  • Tuesday, May 24
  • Wednesday, June 29

The Burke also will host its annual members-only Behind the Scenes Night from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25. Annual family memberships for the UW community are available for $36.

For more information about the Burkes staff tours, contact Moughamer at hoffmank@uw.edu.