Knife exhibit
  • Knife exhibit
  • Gallery
  • Gallery
  • Gallery
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Main Content

About Our Museum

First opened as a natural history museum in 1874, the Sharp Museum at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has evolved into a teaching museum that represents the humanities, the sciences and the arts. While our focus is on southern Illinois, our humanities collection includes ethnographic materials that allow us to share the world with a diverse campus and a region that is isolated from urban centers. With roughly 70,000 objects in our care, the Sharp Museum captures and illuminates the human story, opening a window on who we are and where we came from.

Museum Hours

Tuesday - Friday: Noon - 4pm
Saturday: 1pm - 4pm
Sunday & Monday: Closed

Free and open to all.

The Sharp Museum is closed to the public during all SIU breaks and holidays.


Public metered parking available across from the Student Center and beside Woody Hall.

Exhibits

North Hall

Mitchell Gallery

Continuum Gallery

Atrium Gallery

South Hall

The Sharp Museum's online collections have moved to a new home. Our digital exhibitions and recorded artist's talks can be found on the Resources page through the main navigation menu.