Exhibit Development
The Waring Center for Public Archaeology’s Exhibit Development program has the capacity to produce “turn-key” exhibits in-house for various purposes, from public outreach programming to mitigation projects. The program not only makes some of its exhibit products available for loan (see: Exhibit Request Form) but also provides undergraduate and graduate students with important interactive experiences in virtually every step of the exhibit development process—from initial brainstorming and proposal building to design and installation.
Dig Deep Exhibit
The Dig Deep mini exhibit explores the Southeastern archaeological periods—Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian, and Historic periods—with a focus on Georgia. The stories of our archaeological past are revealed through original artifacts, reproductions, and modern equivalents from the Waring Education Collection. The exhibit was developed with flexibility in mind and is designed to be installed in spaces that may not provide the room necessary for larger traditional exhibits such as library and classroom display cases.
What is included:
- 36 exhibit signs/labels
- 37 objects
- object stands
- supplemental video (played on loop)
Long Swamp: Life in the Etowah River Valley
Long Swamp: Life in the Etowah River Valley tells the story of the Mississippian communities who occupied the Long Swamp site, near present-day Ball Ground, Georgia, and the modern communities who share ancestral ties to them and the region. It is a story of community, survival, ingenuity, and cultural continuity—one told through cultural traditions, historical records, and the site itself. These stories not only connect us to the past but also offer insight into what it means to be human, helping us better understand the world we navigate today and, in turn, ourselves.
The exhibit has two key objectives. First, to highlight the lives of the ordinary American Indians who made up the majority of the Mississippian Southeast. Popular depictions of this period often focus on a small elite ruling class and the monumental sites they left behind, but this exhibit broadens that perspective, offering a fuller, more inclusive narrative at both the local and regional scales. Second, the exhibit emphasizes the importance of co-curation with tribal partners and other hosts, providing a platform and the exhibit furniture needed to share their own voices, stories, and material culture. This collaborative approach generates the opportunity to make the exhibit experience different between stops along a tour in meaningful ways.
This exhibit is a public education outreach initiative born out of a partnership between the Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory and the Georgia Department of Transportation. Visitors explore the stories told through a series of exhibit panels, each revealing a specific theme; over 80 real artifacts and modern equivalents; and an interactive digital component showcasing videos, digital artifacts, and other multimedia elements.
What is included:
Waring staff available to help upon request.
- 9 traveling crates
- box truck with lift gate recommended for transfer
- exhibit installation guide
- 15 mobile exhibit panels
- 1 cube stack introductory sign
- 1 display case
- 80+ artifacts
- 1 digital kiosk (Archiosk)
Big Indian Creek: Collapsing the Divide
The Big Indian Creek site’s significance is in its Middle Archaic occupation around 7,000 years ago, offering valuable insights into life in the Lower Ocmulgee Basin during this time. However, the site’s story is deceptively broad in scope, covering both past and present, near and far. It is a narrative and reminder of family and community, survival and innovation, and cultural traditions that persist into the present. It is also a story of archaeology, science, legislation, and the ongoing efforts to preserve our finite cultural resources. Once we take a step back, these seemingly disparate themes form a clearer mosaic conveying a more complete picture of the site—one that invites exhibit visitors to reflect on the past, connect it to the present, and consider their role in shaping the future.
The Big Indian Creek: Collapsing the Divide traveling exhibit reveals the site’s many layers at our host locations through seven interpretive panels divided into two core thematic categories: the archaeology of Big Indian Creek and the people—past and present—who call the site home. A mobile display case featuring a curated selection of artifacts—both recovered during excavations and modern reproductions—aid the exhibit’s storytelling. Visitors can also dig deeper into the themes explored within the exhibit through supplemental digital content, including videos and digital 3D models of artifacts.
The Big Indian Creek traveling exhibit is part of a larger mitigation project that saw the large-scale excavation of 9HT249 (Big Indian Creek site) in Houston County, Georgia.
What is included:
Waring staff available to help upon request.
- travel crates
- exhibit installation guide
- 8 mobile exhibit signs
- 1 display case
- artifacts
Exhibit Development Requests
The Waring Center for Public Archaeology provides exhibit development through its team of archaeologists, curators, and students. If you have an exhibit development project in mind, please complete the Exhibit Development Request form below, and we will contact you. Our current exhibits are also available for loan through the form below.