The Art of the Drink: From Metro Detroit to KwaZulu-Natal

The process of fermentation was discovered independently by various cultures around the world. The earliest evidence of alcoholic beverages was found in China, dating from around 7000 BCE.

This exhibition explores material culture emerging from the production and imbibing of grain-based alcoholic beverages, generally known as beer and spirits. Featured artifacts related to drinking are from Asia, Africa, and South America as well as North America and Europe and include Zulu beer pots, Peruvian chicha vessels, Swedish beer mugs, as well as items from Prohibition-era Detroit. Wayne State Chemistry Professor Steven Firestine also talks about the art, science and history of beer and Michigan's pivotal role in it.

The Gordon L. Grosscup Museum of Anthropology is pleased to host multiple exhibitions per year to engage our students and the public in the breadth of research within the field of anthropology.