JOPLIN, MO – The Art Department at Missouri Southern State University is expanding its collection, thanks to a generous donation.

The sons of Dr. Mel Mosher, a former Missouri Southern professor who passed away in 2010, donated a collection of Inuit carvings.

Art Department Chair Frank Pishkur says donations like this are a big help for the university.

He says students will be able to use the carvings in their research.

“Budgets have been tight recently,” Pishkur said. “We’re certainly not adding a whole lot of things on our own, so anything like this that suddenly expands our ability to teach about different materials, different media, or different peoples is a huge bonus.”

Pishkur also hopes to work with the Anthropology Department in researching the carvings.