Charles Seligman Beatrice Blackwood PRM Museum John Hutton Henry Balfour Edward Tylor Augustus Fox
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The Pitt Rivers Museum

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  1. New fire escape fitted for Lower and Upper Galleries
  2. Unsatisfactory environmental conditions at new exhibition area on Banbury Road meant objects could not be installed
  3. Central heating provided on upper floor of store at Osney improving environmental conditions
  4. Displays worked on during the year: arms and armour displays
  5. Hélène La Rue employed for year as Assistant Curator Musicology [employment continues after that date]
  6. Decision taken to air condition the Balfour Building at Banbury Road to ameliorate environmental conditions
  7. Fundraising began for new displays at Balfour Building
  8. OUMNH closed for renovation, usual entrance therefore closed, new entrance provided through North side of Court of PRM
  9. Displays worked on during the year: Arms and Armour displays in Upper Gallery, New Textiles display in Court
  10. Work continued on University museums storage areas at Osney, Museum and 60 Banbury Road
  11. Air conditioning installed in Balfour Building. Roof of the building proved to need repair
  12. Formation of Friends of the Pitt Rivers Museum discussed
  13. Series of 12 short programmes about the Museum on local BBC radio
  14. Air-conditioned store for photographs established at Museum
  15. Roof of workshop extension re-slated, main Museum roof repaired
  16. Planning of displays at Balfour Building continued
  17. Displays worked on during the year: textiles displays completed, arms and armour
  18. The alternative entrance [the north door] of the PRM was used for half the year while OUMNH remained closed
  19. Work started on Balfour Building displays, but not completed
  20. 1984 was centenary of founding of museum, a Centenary Exhibition was opened in January
  21. Special Journal of Anthropological Society of Oxford [JASO] published to commemorate centenary
  22. Friends of the Pitt Rivers Museum established after public meeting
  23. Fund-raising for Balfour Building, Assistant Curator for Ethnomusicology continued
  24. First series of Museum concerts take place
  25. Displays worked on during the year: continued on the Arms and Armour displays and on improving storage
  26. New Master of Studies degree in Ethnology and Prehistory established
  27. Work continued on the Balfour Building displays
  28. Visitor survey carried out
  29. Fund-raising continued
  30. Balfour Building finally opened
  31. Schuyler Jones appointed as fifth Curator of PRM
  32. Howard Morphy appointed as Curator / Lecturer
  33. Museum shop established
  34. Displays worked on during the year: displays in Upper Gallery and Court
  35. First computers bought for Museum
  36. Education services expanded by La Rue, first Museum Trails written
  37. OxMus [Oxford Museums Club] established for young Museum visitors
  38. Displays worked on during the year: Court continued, including a new Treatment of the Dead display, Magic and Wtchcraft
  39. Displays worked on during the year: Court continued, including looms, boat models
  40. 'Australia in Oxford' exhibition and book produced to celebrate the bi-centenary of British sovereignity over Australia
  41. First Oxford Art Week event held in Museum [Balfour Building]
  42. Bryan Cranstone died, 4 September 1989 [he was Curator / Director from 1976 until 1985]
  43. The Museum suffered financial problems. For the first time there was a budget deficit at end of year ?
  44. Displays worked on during the year: Court, Lower Gallery [netsuke] Work commenced on a new archery display, Hunter Gatherer displays in the Balfour Building
  45. School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography established, incorporating the Museum, Institute of Biological Anthropology and Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology
  46. After consultation with Maori and North American groups the Museum removed some human remains from these countries from display ?
  47. The title of the principal officer of the Museum was changed from Curator to Director, and Assistant Curators were retitled Curators
  48. Return of certain Aboriginal human remains to the Australian High Commission following request ?
  49. Displays worked on during the year: boat models, netsuke, bows and arrows
  50. The last of the Walters clan [Ken Walters] retired. As a family, the Walters had given 120 years service to the Museum
  51. First of Pitt Stops events for families held
  52. Museum continued to have budgetary problems
  53. Museum granted Full Registration status by the Museums and Galleries Commission
  54. Displays worked on during the year: Benin material, New Accessions
  55. Second opening cut into Museum's temporary exhibition area
  56. Museum shop reorganised
  57. Another visitor survey taken
  58. First Beatrice Blackwood Annual lecture held organised by the Friends
  59. First undergraduate students of Archaeology and Anthropology began studies
  60. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark visited museum
  61. Displays worked on during the year: Upper Gallery
  62. The Museum continued to have financial problems
  63. Displays worked on during the year: Upper Gallery.
  64. A garden of plants associated with music instruments, Baines Music Garden, was established at 60 Banbury Road
  65. 64 Banbury Road was refurbished to be used as a 'Research Centre'
  66. Michael Palin held benefit performances fundraising for the Museum at the Oxford Playhouse
  67. Electrical rewiring in the museum commenced
  68. 'Discovery Sunday' for families held in both the OUMNH and Museum, it is very popular
  69. Balfour Library users given access to Oxford Library Information System ?
  70. Museum Souvenir Guide published
  71. Displays worked on during the year: Upper Gallery
  72. Upper Gallery reopened in May 1995
  73. 64 Banbury Road opened as a Pitt Rivers Museum Research Centre
  74. Plans underway to relocate the Museum's Conservation Department
  75. Visitor survey carried out
  76. Museum collection management documentation moved onto new computer system and procedures overhauled
  77. Rewiring of museum completed
  78. Post of Curator / Lecturer in Music established [shared with the Bate collection]. First incumbent Dr La Rue
  79. Photographic and manuscript collections moved to Museum's research centre at 64 Banbury Road
  80. Schuyler Jones retires as Director after twenty seven years in the Museum
  81. Museum awarded 'Designated Status' for all its collections under the Museums and Galleries Commission's scheme recognizing collections of national importance and significance. ?
  82. Alternative site for Museum's Conservation Laboratory and textile store still not found
  83. New Museum collecting box, designed by Tim Hunkin, installed
  84. Museum website first created
  85. Michael O'Hanlon appointed Director
  86. Schedule of improvements to bring the Museum in line with the Disability Discrimination Act was drawn up
  87. Museum set up own seminar series, 'Work in progress: Research Seminars in Museum Ethnography'
  88. Museum re-roofing work commenced, most of museum closed to public
  89. Conservation Lab and Textile store moved to old 'Rifle Range' on St Cross Road
  90. Museum re-roofing work completed, museum reopened 25 March 2000
  91. Designated [Museums] Challenge Fund [DCF] first project commenced, computerising the Museum's accession books and its displays of the 'body arts' collections
  92. University General Board Review held for Museum ?
  93. Museum open to public for first time on Sundays
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The financial support of this project by the ESRC is gratefully acknowledged.