Pausing for Reflection

Since the Kelsey Museum’s William E. Upjohn Exhibit Wing opened in 2009, this space has featured the display of a mummified child from Egypt, in a simulated burial context with period-appropriate grave goods. The purpose of the display has, from the beginning, been educational: to present an important and characteristic part of ancient Egyptian culture and religion—the preservation of the dead through the process known as mummification—while also addressing the lives and vulnerabilities of children in ancient Egypt. The display was developed with a view to a respectful and educational installation, in keeping with the museum’s practices of treating human remains with dignity, as well as the ancient Egyptians’ original intentions of a safe, quiet place for the preservation of their dead. 

In recent years, it has become clear that there are increasing concerns about this display: concerns that visitors are not alerted of the display of human remains in advance and concerns about issues raised by the deaths of children in ancient Egyptian (and modern) culture, as well as wider concerns about the display of human remains (albeit visible only as a wrapped body). Far from serving the museum’s original educational purpose, this display has become an obstacle to many visitors’ experience of the ancient Egyptian displays in the museum.

In response to these and related concerns, the Kelsey Museum is pausing its display of the mummified child. During this period of reflection, we will discuss whether this installation can be modified to address the concerns visitors have expressed while still allowing them to experience this material or whether the display must ultimately be discontinued. We plan to make these decisions not only through internal discussion and consultation but also through discussion with our constituents, our communities, and our public. In doing so, we hope to make the process and ultimate decisions as transparent as possible. This will allow us all to reflect on the presence of the mummified child in Ann Arbor and the complex journey that came before. We must take into account the ancient Egyptians’ original intentions behind the practice of mummification and how we can best respect and honor those traditions. Watch this space to learn how you can contribute to this important discussion.

• University of Michigan student Meghan Dwan recently wrote a thoughtful, sensitive, and elegant reflection on her own reactions to the display of the mummified child in the Kelsey Museum. We encourage you to read this piece, which was published in the Michigan Daily on October 29, 2024. 
• Ashton Rodgers, PhD student in the University of Michigan’s IPAMAA program, has just published a deep dive into the journey of the mummified child from Egypt to Ann Arbor, along with some thoughts on the Kelsey Museum’s display.
• In 2014, University of Michigan custodian Tunicia Ross wrote a post on the Kelsey Blog exploring how the display of the mummified child resonates with her as a mother and with museum visitors.
• For a history of how the mummified child reached the Kelsey Museum by way of Egypt-based American missionary Harriet Conner and the Bay View Association Collection, see this excerpt from Lauren E. Talalay and Margaret Cool Root’s 2015 book, Passionate Curiosities.