Innerworkings is an exhibition that explores artifacts from the Reece Museum Permanent Collection that reside within some of our least-exposed storage locations. The utilitarian machines and tools featured in this exhibition are seldom seen by museum visitors, but they were once used as essential and functional pieces in daily society. Many of these artifacts include exposed gears, cranks, and important mechanical parts that, while small, are integral to their utilization. Innerworkings provides a space for visitors to interact with and appreciate fundamental tools that have historically measured and shaped agricultural, social, and technological progress. Additionally, the display of these artifacts allows for them to be properly photographed and cared for while out in the open, emphasizing the complex, symbiotic relationship between collections care and public exhibitions.

The Reece Museum currently houses over 22,000 artifacts that tell the story of Appalachia at a regional, local, and global level. The artifacts in the Reece Permanent Collection represent a broad and eclectic range of both fine art and historically significant items, which the museum continues to collect.

The Reece Museum is a unit of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, which is housed in the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies. The Reece Museum is located on the campus of East Tennessee State University and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please phone (423) 439-4392. ETSU is an AA/EEO employer.