Member News

Originally Published in 2019

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Members Celebrate New Exhibition

Ancient Egypt: From Discovery to Display

Member events offered special opportunities to enjoy our latest exhibition, Ancient Egypt: From Discovery to Display, including popular member preview hours on February 22, and a celebration and reception for Expedition Circle and Loren Eiseley Society members on February 27, with remarks from Williams Director Julian Siggers and exhibition curator Dr. Jennifer Houser Wegner.

Members in the new Ancient Egypt exhibit

  1. Museum Overseer Matthew Storm, C94, WG00, and his daughter Cecilia Storm in front of visible storage.
  2. Vesna Bacic, Suchinda Heavener, and Missy McQuiston examine a wrapped mummy from the exhibition.

Member Appreciation Day and Petersen Lecture

On Saturday, March 9, Penn Museum members enjoyed a wide array of special programs on Member Appreciation Day, including a virtual tour of the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials with Ceramic Petrography Teaching Specialist Dr. Marie-Claude Boileau and Outreach Program Manager Allyson Mitchell; a demonstration of 3-D scanning and printing with Steve Lang, Lyons Keeper of Collections, Asian Section; guided gallery tours, craft activities like creating cylinder seal impressions, and much more. In the afternoon, Dr. Heather Richards-Rissetto, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nebraska, delivered the Penn Museum’s 2019 Petersen Lecture, titled “Beyond the Naked Eye: Revisiting Ancient Maya Cities with 3D Technology.” Members of the Loren Eiseley Society, Expedition Circle, 1887 Society (members for 10+ years), and Sara Yorke Stevenson Legacy Circle joined us for a special reception following the lecture.

A member watching a 3-D scanning demonstration
1. Steve Lang demonstrates 3-D scanning and printing for Museum members.

MEET OUR MEMBERS

Shawn Shafiei, ENG13, W13

Shawn Shafiei is a 2013 graduate of the Engineering and Wharton Schools. He volunteers for the Penn Museum as part of its Young Alumni Council, and he supports the Museum as a member of the Loren Eiseley Society and Benjamin Franklin Society.

Lasting Memories

My first memory of the Museum—which is probably very familiar to most Penn students—was Toga Night, the New Students Orientation event in freshman year. More meaningfully, though, I took an anthropology class at the Museum about globalization. Though it was a far walk from the rest of campus, it was definitely worth it; it was one of the few truly humanities-based classes I took as an undergrad studying business.

Shawn Shafiei standing next to the Assyrian relief
Shawn Shafiei in the Middle East Galleries.

My most special memory was the Museum’s annual Chinese New Year festival. I was part of Penn Lions— a Chinese lion-dancing performing arts troupe—and we performed at the event. Several years in a row I per- formed in the Museum, and I got to spend time with guests who came from all over the community to enjoy the culture. It was one of my favorite performances to look forward to every year as an undergrad.

Branching Out

After I graduated, I worked as a consultant in Philadelphia and did a year-long pro bono strategy project for the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. It was my first true exposure to what happens behind the scenes in running an art school and art museum, and one of the best chances I had to apply the skills that I had learned over the years. When that project ended, I had a void in my professional career of involvement beyond business. Through involvement with other Penn Alumni programming activities, I met Kristen Lauerman, who was developing the Museum’s new Young Alumni Council. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get involved in the Museum’s direction and jumped on it.

A Part of Something Greater

When you step into a museum, it’s like stepping into a time machine. I think it’s important to preserve that history and culture for future generations, especially, the way I see it, the way globalization is going, with borders getting closer and closer just through technology. Every time I stepped into the Penn Museum it was humbling to be in the room with the Sphinx and all the columns—to just imagine how many people it took to work on these and what a role they played in ancient civilization and ancient culture. It helps put things into perspective and helps us remember how small we are in the history of people. I think for me that’s why it’s important to do whatever I can to support the Museum, to share what I’ve learned, and to give my perspective and offer whatever I can do to help.

Cite This Article

"Member News." Expedition Magazine 61, no. 1 (May, 2019): -. Accessed February 11, 2025. https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/member-news-7/


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