News and Event Archive

A scholarship endowment named for Dr. Kent Reilly's has established and is open for donations.  The scholarship is for MA students studying the indigenous symbol systems and/or archaeology of the Americas. The aim is to give at least one $1000 scholarship a year with a preference for out of state students so they can get in state tuition. Donations can be made through University Advancement. 

The Department of Anthropology is saddened to share the news that Dr. Kent Reilly passed away on May 21, 2024. Dr. Reilly was an esteemed scholar of the art and archaeology of the Americas including the Olmec, Maya, and cultures of the Southeastern United States, and was especially known for his work on iconographic systems. He joined the Department of Anthropology at Texas State in 1992 and was a valued colleague, dedicated teacher, and an incredible mentor to numerous undergraduate and graduate students. We will miss him. 

After 31 years with The Department of Anthropology, Dr. Kent Reilly has announced his retirement. Dr. Reilly has left an indelible impression on countless students, peers, and cohorts. We wish him all the best!

After several years of delay due to the pandemic, CASAA held the long-awaited Hopewell conference where many expectational Mississippian and Hopewell scholars gathered to discuss and propose new ideas about the Hopewell Culture. Following the success of this conference, future meetings are predicted to be held in the near future.

Congratulations to Dr. Frank Reilly, whose recent Spiro Exhibit and publication, in collaboration with Dr. Eric Singleton of the National Cowboy Museum, won three combined awards. 

The Spiro Publication won:

• The Oklahoma Book of the Year Award for Design/Illustration/Photography. This is presented by the Oklahoma Center for the Book, which is sponsored by the library of Congress.
• Mountain Plains Museum Association Book of the Year Award for Publication Design

 The Spiro exhibition won:

• The Oklahoma Museum Association Outstanding Special Project Award.

“Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World,” an exhibit co-curated by Dr. Kent Reilly, is now on display at the National Cowboy & Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  The exhibition features nearly 200 artifacts and explores the history of the Spiro culture from its humble beginnings to its rise as one of the premier cultural sites in all of North America.

The exhibit will be on display in Oklahoma City until May 9, 2021 before moving on to the Birmingham Museum of Art until February 6, 2022, and finally to the Dallas Museum of Art from March 13 – August 7, 2022.

A virtual look at the exhibit can be found on their Spiro Exhibit website.

Dr. Kent Reilly, along with current and former students, were recently invited to participate in the Harvest Busk of the Florida Tribe of the Eastern Creeks at the White Earth Community/Square Ground.

Spiro Archaeological Site: Travels on the Path of Souls

Reilly’s talk presented a survey of ritual themes of the ancient Caddo and Wichita peoples of western border lands of the Mississippi Valley. Reilly says, “I will familiarize my audience with the superb objects recovered from the Spirit Lodge, as well as draw them into a thematic understanding of both the magnificent objects and the cosmic event they are witnessing. The cosmology and the ritual world that these objects represent certainly will be strange, wonderful, and different to most of the viewing public, but my presentation should imbue respect as well as awe at their beauty and mystery.

You can find out more information about the talk on the SAR website or view photos from the Presidential Seminar.  

Dr. F. Kent Reilly III spoke at the inaugural School of Advanced Research (SAR) Presidential Address that closed a productive week discussing Spiroan artwork, heritage, and culture. The meeting at the SAR in Santa Fe was held preparation for the upcoming museum exhibition entitled Spiro and the Mississippian World. The exhibition will showcase Spiroan objects recovered from the site and feature a reconstruction of the Spirit Lodge as it was described in AD 1922. Museum visitors will be familiarized with artwork and religious iconography of Mississippian culture as it were AD 1400, and learn of the modern descendants who continue the artistic legacy. The exhibition is expected to travel within the United States and internationally to museums throughout the world, and is scheduled to open February 2018 at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.

During the Fall 2010 Semester CASAA sponsored a field trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Students were able to witness Olmec artifacts up close and personal, some of which they had been learning about during Professor Reilly's Art and Archaeology of the Olmec class.

Visit the Olmec Field Trip event page for more information.

During the Spring 2011 Semester CASAA sponsored a field trip to the Moundville Archaeological Park in Moundville, Alabama.

Students and Faculty were given an exclusive tour of the grounds and museum by Park Director Bill Bomar.

Visit the Moundville Field Trip page for more information.

During the Spring 2012 Semester CASAA was able to get Dr.Kevin Smith of Middle Tennessee State University to give a presentation on some of his newest research.

Everyone was invited to attend his talk on the 29th of February 2012.

Visit the Dr. Smith event page for more information.