This landmark publication brings Indigenous art to the fore with the presentation of 280 objects from the Nelson-Atkins Museum's rich collection. More than two-thirds of the volume's featured masterworks-paintings, sculptures, drawings, regalia, ceramics, textiles, and baskets-have never before appeared in publication. Created by both known and unknown makers, these singular and profound aesthetic achievements represent the traditions of communities across the US and Canada in a continuum of visual expression from pre-encounter to the present. Curator Gaylord Torrence traces the evolution of the Nelson-Atkins holdings, which have expanded significantly since 2002. Fundamental concepts for understanding Native art as well as an overview of traditions from across the United States and Canada guide readers through the illustrations. Director Emeritur and Founding Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian W. Richard West Jr. (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma) contributes a compelling essay on the meanings of Native art. A final essay brings forward the voices of twenty-two of the contemporary artists represented in the collection.

Museums--along with books, newspapers, and Wild West shows in the 19th century, movies and television in the 20th--have shaped our perceptions of American Indians. This book brings together six prominent museum professionals--Native and non-Native--to examine the ways in which Indians and their cultures have been represented by museums in North America and to present new directions museums are already taking. Traditional museum exhibitions of Native American art and culture often represented only the past, ignoring the living Native voice. Today, museums have begun to incorporate Native perspectives in their displays. Even more dramatic is the growth in the number of Indian-run museums. These essays explore the relationships being forged between museums and Native communities to create new techniques for presenting Native American culture. This publication will serve to stimulate the discussions and analyses that can lead to new partnerships and collaborations.

Museums -- along with books, newspapers, and Wild West shows in the 19th century, movies and television in the 20th -- have shaped our perceptions of American Indians. How have museums' representations of Indians influenced society's understanding of them? How are Indians presented in exhibitions and programs today? What new directions will museums take in the 21st century? This book is the result of a symposium organized by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). It brings together six prominent museum professionals -- Native and non-Native -- to examine the ways in which Indians and their cultures have been represented by museums in North America and to present new directions museums are already taking.

Traditional museum exhibitions of Native American art and culture often represented only the past, ignoring the living Native voice. Today, museums have begun to incorporate the Native perspective in their displays. Even more dramatic is the increasing number of Indian-run museums, such as the Mille Lacs Indian Museum in Minnesota and the Museum at Warm Springs in Oregon. These essays explore the relationships being forged between museums and Native communities to create new techniques for presenting Native American culture. This publication will stimulate the discussions and analyses that can lead to new partnerships and collaborations.

Established by an act of Congress in 1989, the SmithsonianGCOs National Musuem of the American Indian (NMAI) is dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and the arts of Native Americans. The museumGCOs collections span more than 10,000 years and GCo as this lavishly illustrated miniature volume demonstrates GCo include a multitlude of fascinating objects, from ancient clay figurines to contemporary Indian paintings, from all over the Americas.