The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore has appointed Katherine Larson as its chief collections and curatorial affairs officer, a newly created senior role. Larson will also serve as senior curator of Ancient Art, overseeing curatorial operations, collections, conservation, research, the exhibition calendar, and fundraising, beginning March 30.
The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, known for its collection of medical artifacts including human skulls and skeletons, faced a major controversy after a 2023 ProPublica investigation revealed it held remains of at least 52 Native Americans without proper repatriation under NAGPRA. The museum's executive director Kate Quinn and president Mira Irons responded by removing digital content mentioning human remains, sparking a petition signed by over 30,000 people accusing them of reactive and fear-based decisions. Several staffers left, donors requested their body parts back, and both Quinn and Irons eventually resigned. The museum is now led by science historians Erin McLeary and Sara Ray.
The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, known for its collection of medical artifacts including human skulls and skeletons, faced a major controversy after a 2023 ProPublica investigation revealed it held Native American remains without proper repatriation under NAGPRA. Executive director Kate Quinn and president Mira Irons responded by removing digital content mentioning human remains, sparking a petition signed by over 30,000 people accusing them of reactive decisions. High-level staff left, donors demanded their body parts back, and both Quinn and Irons eventually resigned. The museum is now led by science historians Erin McLeary and Sara Ray, who introduced a new policy on human remains in August 2024.
The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, known for its collection of medical artifacts including human remains, has been embroiled in controversy since a 2023 ProPublica investigation revealed it held Native American remains without repatriating them as required by NAGPRA. The museum's executive director Kate Quinn and then-president Mira Irons responded by removing digital content mentioning human remains, sparking a petition signed by over 30,000 people accusing them of reactive decisions. High-level staff departed, donors requested their body parts back, and both Quinn and Irons eventually resigned. The museum is now led by science historians Erin McLeary and Sara Ray.
The Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine, is repatriating 17 items—including a human tooth and funerary objects such as tools, animal hides, and fabric—to the Wabanaki Nations, a confederation of four local tribes (Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, Mi’kmaq Nation, and Houlton band of Maliseet Indians). The objects, many excavated by Warren K. Moorehead in the late 19th century, passed through the R.S. Peabody Museum, the Bangor Historical Society, and the Abbe Museum, with some lost due to undocumented loans. A Field Register notice from the National Park Service, published September 11, 2025, details their complex provenance. The repatriation is set to occur on or after October 14, 2025.