University of Texas at Austin
College of Liberal ArtsThe TBH Gallery highlights iconic artifacts and other physical materials illustrative of Texas´ cultural heritage. Whereas most TBH exhibits are centered on places and regions, the Gallery focuses on particularly informative things—artifacts, natural materials, and patterned arrangements of things (archeological features)—created and used by the people who lived in the place we now call Texas. Some of gallery pieces are truly unique, one-off objects, but many are emblematic examples of distinctive artifact types and patterns that are found regionally. Through the TBH Gallery we hope to share some of the exciting finds that help archeologists, historians, and other specialists learn about the cultural legacy of Texas.
All of the Gallery entries focus on scientifically documented objects and patterns. Most were recovered during archeological research projects carried out by universities, private consulting firms, or volunteer archeological organizations, and most are curated at public institutions and repositories such as the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin.
Archeologist Doug Boyd, a frequent TBH content contributor, came up with the idea for the TBH Gallery. Doug was inspired by a 2016 book called The Smithsonian´s History of America in 101 Objects. TBH Editorial Assistant Emily McCuistion and Co-Editor Steve Black made Doug´s idea a reality, with the help of Doug and other contributors. Each entry in the Gallery has a credit section and lists publications and other sources of further information. The Gallery web design was developed by Thuy Nguyen and Stacy Vlasits of the College of Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services (LAITS).
Our intention is to add new entries to the TBH Gallery as often as we can. As the Gallery grows, we hope to highlight icons from a diverse range of cultures, localities, and material types across the state and throughout the 15,000+-year history defining Texas´ cultural heritage.
New TBH Gallery entries will be announced through the TBH Instagram account and the TARL Blog.