As described in the current Director's column, the Museum has now embarked upon a challenge set forth by Robert Haas. With Mr. Haas's generous gift, the Museum will develop a Web interface to access our collections database, including an easily navigable interface, complete search functionality, the capability to include three-dimensional animations of artifacts and streaming audio and visual excerpts from our sound and film collections. Mr. Haas recently spoke with Professor Kirch about the interests and experiences that led to his gift.
 
PVK: What sparked your interest in Anthropology?
RH: As a freshman I had to take a number of courses for my breadth requirement. Looking through the course catalogue, I saw Anthro 1A, and I thought, "why not?" I had no idea what I was getting into. Happily, the course turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of my whole undergraduate career. It was taught by Professor Sherwood Washburn. For me, it was a transporting experience. Dr. Washburn's lectures were so interesting that later in my undergraduate career I made a point of finding out when his classes met. When I had a free moment I would drop in to re-hear some of his lectures. Since then, I have always had a special interest in anthropology.
PVK: Did you take any other Anthropology classes?
RH: That was it. I was an English, Classics and History major, and most of my course work was in those areas. Nevertheless, Dr. Washburn's influence continued after I graduated from Cal. I began collecting objects from areas that I visited. As a Peace Corps volunteer in the Ivory Coast, I was able to collect some West African sculpture and objects. Subsequently, in the course of a trip with college friends up New Guinea's Sepik River and its tributaries, I collected a number of New Guinea objects and artifacts. Later, my wife and I bought a ranch at the base of Mt. Shasta. I thought there's no sense in decorating this with just the usual pictures of the Wild West. In thinking about objects that would be indigenous to the area, we decided to collect baskets and other objects from Northern California tribes from the Mt. Shasta region.
PVK: As an undergraduate were you aware of the Anthropology Museum?
RH: Honestly, I don't think that I ever came over here. However, I recalled the name Lowie. In fact, in the course of drafting my will some years ago, I bequeathed some of the objects in my collection to the Lowie Museum. More recently, I learned that the name had been changed to the Hearst Museum. As you can imagine, I wanted to be sure that the Hearst Museum would be the best institution to receive these objects. I was aware that there are a number of first-rate institutions in this country, and that's why I called and said I would like to learn more about the Hearst Museum.
PVK: What surprised you about the Hearst Museum when you visited?
RH: I had no idea of the magnitude or the quality of the Hearst Museum's holdings. Not only does it contain 3.8 million objects, but, its collections are deep in a number of areas. As a Cal grad and Bay Area resident, it made me proud to learn that the Hearst Museum is ranked among the top anthropology museums in the country. After learning this, I said, "Wow, this is one of the great hidden treasures of the Berkeley campus!"
PVK: What motivated you to support the Hearst Museum?
RH: It saddened me to know that there is this richness here that is largely invisible and inaccessible to the public. During my visit, I was able to see a portion of the collection. That got me to thinking that it's a shame that more people don't have this privilege. There are so many people who could benefit if they did.
Over the years, contributing to the Berkeley campus has been something that has given me a lot of pleasure. While I understand the value of unrestricted gifts, I have found that there are times when it is more satisfying to be identified directly with something that really furthers the mission of this campus. This is why my wife and I established the Robert and Colleen Haas Scholars Program to foster undergraduate research and why we made a major gift to the Haas Pavilion in honor of my father.
After seeing the collection, I thought about how the public, scholars and school children really didn't have access this great hidden treasure. Coupling this with the fact that this collection is one of the preeminent collections in this country, if not in the world, I thought we have to find a way to make it more visible and accessible. Even if it were possible to house the collection in a better physical space, the public's every-day access to the collection would be limited to the people who can come to Berkeley and have the time to look around. On the other hand, a website would make the collection accessible to the world. To me that was a very powerful and exciting idea.
PVK: What do you envision for the website?
RH: As a visitor to the website, I will start with a focus upon the parts of the collection that relate to my personal interests: West African and New Guinea primitive art and baskets from the tribes that are represented in my collection. I will use the site to learn more about the types of objects that I have collected. But in all likelihood, being a very curious person, I will probably stray from whatever I started to explore and start wallowing around in the wonders of the Hearst Museum collection. Who knows, the website may be the next Sherwood Washburn for me and get me launched in another set of interests!
I am just hopeful that once the website is up, scholars with particular interests in the fields in which the collection is so richly endowed will use it to further their own work. I also hope that the collection can be incorporated in the curriculum of California primary and secondary schools. Finally, the general public will have a resource to learn more about the cultures that are represented in the collection and also will have a deeper appreciation for the excellence of this university.
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