American Museum of Asmat Art

The American Museum of Asmat Art houses over 2,200 objects from the indigenous Asmat people of southwestern Papua, including wood carvings, masks, and ceremonial items. The collection also contains handcrafted weapons, bone and wood artwork, and tools that show how people made and used things in their daily lives.

Bishop Alphonse Sowada founded the museum in 2007 after decades of working with Asmat communities in Indonesia starting in 1958. Over the years he gathered artifacts and recorded their traditions, eventually deciding to create a permanent home for this collection.

The displays include ancestor poles, traditional canoes, and ceremonial objects that represent spiritual connections and artistic traditions important to the Asmat people. These works show how art and ritual remain central to their understanding of family, the forest, and the spiritual world.

The museum is located in the Anderson Student Center on campus and is free to visit. An online database allows visitors to explore thousands of artifacts from home before coming to see the collection in person.

The museum regularly displays photographs by National Geographic Explorer Joshua Irwandi paired with traditional Asmat objects in rotating exhibitions. These combinations show how the Asmat culture continues today and has evolved since the artifacts were first gathered.

Inception: 2007

Website: http://art.stthomas.edu/asmat/amaaust

GPS coordinates: 44.94222,-93.19083

Latest update: December 12, 2025 17:48