Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

Indigenous Motivations: Recent Acquisitions from the National Museum of the American Indian

See more than 250 works, including traditional clothing, masks, modern textile designs, sculptures, paintings and works of art on paper from the Department of Interior's Indian Arts and Crafts Board headquarters collection.

July 22, 2006 – June 10, 2007

American Indian Museum New York

Born of Clay: Ceramics from the National Museum of the American Indian

See over 300 Native works of pottery that span 5,000 years and four distinct geographic regions. Also, current Native potters share their respect for ancestral traditions, a belief in the sacredness of clay, and an appreciation for the changing use of ceramics.

November 5, 2005 – May 30, 2007

American Indian Museum New York

ItuKiagatta! Inuit Sculpture

When the fur trade collapsed, Inuit families throughout the Canadian Arctic had to abandon their nomadic traditions, more to towns, and learn another way of life. With limited opportunities, many Inuit hunter-trappers became renowned carvers.

November 11, 2006 – February 4, 2007

American Indian Museum New York

R.C. Gorman: Early Prints and Drawings, 1966-1974

On view are 28 drawings and lithographs by Navajo artist R. C. Gorman (1931-2005), featuring both his well-known works of monumental women and Indian "madonnas" and his lesser-known prints.

September 16, 2006 – January 28, 2007

American Indian Museum New York

Will Wilson: Auto Immune Response

Photographer and artist Will Wilson (Navajo) creates an imagined environment to show what the Navajos' relationship to the land might be like in the distant future.

May 4, 2006 – September 24, 2006

American Indian Museum New York

Virgil Ortiz: La Renaissance Indigene

View an exhibit of ceramics, mixed media and couture from the artist Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo, b. 1969).

May 4, 2006 – September 24, 2006

American Indian Museum New York

Arctic Transformations: The Jewelry of Denise and Samuel Wallace

This 25-year retrospective of jewelry artists Denise and Samuel Wallace includes 150 works created from silver, gold, fossil ivory and semi-precious stones and features 16 intricately crafted belts from early in the artists' career.

March 2, 2006 – July 23, 2006

American Indian Museum New York

First American Art: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection

View 200 items illustrating the similar aesthetic characteristics found in Native American objects from different North American cultures.

April 24, 2004 – May 29, 2006

American Indian Museum New York

New Tribe: New York: Lorenzo Clayton

Lorenzo Clayton (Navajo) believes that the Manhattan area radiates a powerful, urban spirituality stemming from its immense cultural diversity. He expresses this influence in both large installations and intricate works on paper dating from the early 1980s to the present.

January 14, 2006 – April 9, 2006

American Indian Museum New York

New Tribe: New York: Alan Michelson

In multimedia works created over the last 15 years, Alan Michelson's work focuses on both the city and state of New York and reveals his continuing interest in history and origins.

September 17, 2005 – January 1, 2006

American Indian Museum New York

George Catlin and His Indian Gallery

See George Catlin's celebrated depictions of the Native people of the American Plains, painted from 1830 to 1836 as he followed the trail of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

February 26, 2005 – September 5, 2005

American Indian Museum New York

New Tribe: New York: Spiderwoman Theater

Follow the story of Spiderwoman Theater, founded by three Brooklyn sisters in 1975, with this 30-year landmark retrospective of archival and performance video footage, photos, memorabilia, and Kuna and Rappahannock objects from the sisters' collection.

May 28, 2005 – September 5, 2005

American Indian Museum New York

New Tribe: New York: Mario Martinez

This exhibition features 15 works, alongside 6 new works, by New York, Native American abstract painter Mario Martinez (Yaqui).

January 29, 2005 – May 8, 2005

American Indian Museum New York

The Language of Native American Baskets: From the Weavers' View

See more than 200 of the finest examples of Native American baskets from the museum's collection.

September 20, 2003 – January 9, 2005

American Indian Museum New York

Continuum: 12 Artists

This 18-month rotating exhibition series features works by 12 contemporary Native American artists, representing the succeeding generations of major 20th-century artists.

April 26, 2003 – January 2, 2005

American Indian Museum New York

Legends of Our Times: Native Ranching and Rodeo Life on the Plains and the Plateau

Trace the history of Native Americans as buffalo hunters, horsemen, ranchers and cowboys, and as entertainers and participants in the sport of rodeo.

May 17, 2003 – March 7, 2004

American Indian Museum New York

The Edge of Enchantment

View exhibits presenting the histories, contemporary lives, and traditions among the Native communities of the Huatulco-Huamelula region of Oaxaca, Mexico.

December 15, 2002 – August 3, 2003

American Indian Museum New York

Telling a Crow Story: The Photographs of Richard Throssel

On view are 32 historical images of the Crow people taken by Richard Throssel (1882-1933), defender of Native rights.

May 1, 2003 – July 27, 2003

American Indian Museum New York

Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art from the Collection of Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C.

See more than 600 masterworks from all 31 states of the Mexican Republic, representing a comprehensive view of past and contemporary folk art of Mexico.

July 21, 2002 – March 15, 2003

American Indian Museum New York

Ancient Mexican Art from the Collection of the National Museum of the American Indian

See 44 pieces from the museum's collection that illustrate the cultural and historic continuity of Mexican art for more than 2,000 years.

July 21, 2002 – March 15, 2003

American Indian Museum New York

Spirit Capture: Native Americans and the Photographic Image

View 19th and 20th century and contemporary photographs that depict both the development of photography and the history of Native American life.

July 22, 2001 – October 27, 2002

American Indian Museum New York

Booming Out: Mohawk Ironworkers Build New York

View photographs of Mohawk ironworkers illustrating how this community contributed to America's unique and unparalleled cityscapes, particularly New York City.

April 25, 2002 – October 24, 2002

American Indian Museum New York

Across Borders: Beadwork in Iroquois Life

Examine the artistic, cultural, economic, and political significance of beadwork in the lives of the Iroquois people through more than 300 examples, including clothing, moccasins, beaded picture frames.

December 9, 2001 – May 19, 2002

American Indian Museum New York

All Roads Are Good: Native Voices on Life and Culture

This inaugural exhibition presents the world views of indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere as reflected in more than 300 objects chosen by 23 Native Americans to illustrate the diversity and continuity of Native cultures.

October 30, 1994 – April 28, 2002

American Indian Museum New York

Healing Mandala in New York City

As a healing response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, 20 Tibetan monks will create a 7' x 7' sand mandala in New York, then will travel to Washington DC to create another.

December 11, 2001 – December 23, 2001

American Indian Museum New York