National Museum of the American Indian Offers Public Programs in Support of New “IndiVisible” Exhibition

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian opens a 20-panel banner exhibition, “IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas,” focusing on the seldom-viewed history and complex lives of people of dual African American and Native American ancestry. The exhibition will be on view through May 31, 2010, in the second-floor Sealaska Gallery.

Several free public programs will be held in conjunction with the exhibition, including a genealogy workshop led by Angela Y. Walton-Raji in the Resource Center Friday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m.     

At 3 p.m. in the Rasmuson Theater, the museum will present “IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas,” an insightful symposium moderated by Kevin Gover (Pawnee), director of the museum. This event focuses on bringing visibility to African-Native American lives and initiating a healing dialogue on experiences for people of all backgrounds. Speakers include Lonnie G. Bunch III, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, along with exhibition curators and authors. Following the program there will be a book signing and reception. This symposium will be webcast live at www.AmericanIndian.si.edu/webcasts.

The “IndiVisible” curators will present a behind-the-scenes look at the curators’ work on this project and an informative discussion of the challenges and rewards inherent in the exhibition’s richly complex subject Saturday, Nov. 14, at 10:30 a.m. in Room 4018, on the fourth level.

The exhibition is produced in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Support for the exhibition was provided by the Akaloa Resource Foundation and the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center.  

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SI-504-2009