Brown, RISD, U.S. Naval War College museums named among ‘most amazing’

PROVIDENCE – Three of the country’s 50 most amazing college museums are in Rhode Island – Brown University’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, the Rhode Island School of Design museum and the U.S. Naval War College museum.
CollegeRank released the list on Monday, ranking the U.S. Naval War College museum ninth, the Brown museum at 26th, and RISD’s, 31st.
Regarding the U.S. Naval War College Museum in Newport, CollegeRank said it displays the “legacy of naval warfare in various interesting exhibits. The evolutionary development of war at sea and the heritage of the Navy in the region, specifically Narragansett Bay where the museum rests, are the fundamental themes.”

It said Brown’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology “is an excellent resource for archeological, ethnological and anthropological artifacts.” And, it said RISD’s visitors can view “a fine collection of world art,” saying its European art of a wide variety of times and locations is one of the museum’s strongpoints.
CollegeRank said the list was compiled after “exhaustively looking at public data on every college and university museum in the country.” Some of the factors considered were public access; past, current and planned exhibits; architecture; history; and campus integration and support.
Sara Moore, the article’s author, had this to say regarding the ranking: “These facilities represent a vast array of history, art and culture at some of the finest universities and colleges in the country. The goal of the list is to bring attention to deserving campus museums that are often under-appreciated campus treasures. We hope this list draws attention to some great facilities around the country and allows them the opportunity to continue to foster art and history education in their respective locations.”
The Harvard Museum of Natural History ranked No. 1 for attractions ranging from glass flowers to Mesoamerican sculptures and remnants of animals like the giant sloth.
“With collections culled from some of the most prominent archaeological digs in U.S. history, the museum is a veritable wonderland of fascinating information and glimpses into human culture,” CollegeRank stated about Harvard Museum of Natural History.

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