Archives & Exhibition Centre
The University's Archives & Exhibition Centre, established in 2011, is not just the historical heart of the University, it also provides the space to showcase world-class exhibitions in a state-of-the-art venue.
The University’s past is housed in the Archives, the official repository of all historically-significant records as well as material that is necessary for research relating to the University.
Since 2011, the Archives & Exhibitions Centre has showcased a variety of collections that celebrate history, culture, origins and achievements – with a strong link to the University, the city and the province.
In 2017, we saw the much-anticipated opening of the University’s first ever Palaeoscience Exhibition, showcasing the extraordinary research findings of University and other scientists investigating evidence of Middle Stone Age human beings, who once inhabited caves along the Southern Cape coastline some 100 000 years ago. Not only do their findings provide new data about the intellectual evolution of human beings (it happened right here on our doorstep, and not in Europe) but the Southern Cape population could also be the ancestors of everyone alive today.
Past exhibitions at the Centre have included, among others, a photo-documentary of the University’s history (2011), the University’s Honorary Doctorate recipients (2012), historical landmarks of the city (2013), 40 years of nursing at the University (2015), a photo-documentary of the life of Nelson Mandela by reknowned photographer Peter Magubane (2015) and more.
The Archives & Exhibitions Centre is housed in the Governance Administration Building
on the Second Avenue Campus, Summerstrand.
Exhibitions are open to the public and can be visited on week days,
from 8.30am to 4pm.