Past Exhibitions | Smithsonian Institution

A Gift from the Heart: Two Pomo Artists

Explore over 80 exquisite baskets as well as ethnographic models of traditional ceremonial objects created by California Pomo artists William and Mary Benson.

June 21, 1990 – December 31, 1991

American Indian Museum New York

A Song for the Horse Nation

The story of the horse's influence on American Indian tribes from the 1600s to the present is depicted.

November 14, 2009 – July 7, 2011

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

Agayuliyararput (Our Way of Making Prayer): The Living Tradition of Yup'ik Masks

See 213 Yup'ik Eskimo masks from various international and private collections.

March 2, 1997 – August 17, 1997

American Indian Museum New York

Akunnittinni: A Kinngait Family Portrait

Grandmother, mother, and daughter each produced an oeuvre reflective of Arctic village life, rich with celebration and joy, but also sometimes taking a critical eye to the role of modernity and its effects on Inuit culture.

June 10, 2017 – January 8, 2018

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

Always Getting Ready: Upterrlainarluta: Yup'ik Eskimo Subsistence in Southwest Alaska

View photos by James Barker, from 1973-1992, that explore the annual subsistence cycle of the Yup'ik people from spring seal hunting to winter dance celebrations.

January 26, 1997 – June 8, 1997

American Indian Museum New York

Ancestral Memories: A Tribute to Native American Survival

See 20 mixed-media works and photos by Native Americans that commemorate the life and work of Native Americans in history and celebrate American Indian history and culture across generations.

May 19, 1996 – July 21, 1996

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

Andrea Carlson

More than 20 works by Minnesota-based artist Andrea Carlson (Anishinaabe/European, b. 1979) reflect cultural narratives and stories while offering a sharp commentary on museums, collections, and contemporary storytelling.

June 13, 2009 – January 10, 2010

American Indian Museum New York

Annie Pootoogook

Visit 39 works that chronicle the social, economic, and cultural realities of Inuit life in the Canadian North by Annie Pootoogook (Inuit, b. 1969).

June 13, 2009 – October 10, 2010

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

Beadwork: Cornhusk Dolls and Cradleboards

View the craft, design, and technique of making cornhusk dolls and cradleboards, featuring outstanding work by Tammy Rahr.

November 13, 1991 – March 15, 1992

American Indian Museum New York

Beauty Surrounds Us

The exhibition features 77 extraordinary objects showcasing the integration of art and daily life in Native cultures throughout the hemisphere.

September 23, 2006 – January 30, 2011

American Indian Museum New York

Beauty, Honor, and Tradition: The Legacy of Plains Indian Shirts

View 50 mid-19th- to early 20th-century beaded, quilled, and painted shirts, which tell the stories of the artistic nature, philosophy, and values of the Plains Indians.

December 10, 2000 – October 1, 2001

American Indian Museum New York

Before and After the Horizon: Anishinaabe Artists of the Great Lakes

See how Native Anishinaabe artists past and present have been inspired by their deep indigenous roots in the Great Lakes region.

August 10, 2013 – June 15, 2014

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

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

C.Maxx Stevens: House of Memory

See how this contemporary artist addresses memory through cultural and personal symbols.

December 1, 2012 – June 16, 2013

American Indian Museum New York

Carl Beam

See many of Carl Beam's Ojibwe, 1943-2005) epic works in this retrospective.

October 29, 2011 – April 15, 2012

American Indian Museum New York

Cerámica de los Ancestros: Central America's Past Revealed

This bilingual (English/Spanish) exhibition illuminates Central America’s diverse and dynamic ancestral heritage with a selection of more than 150 objects. For thousands of years, Central America has been home to vibrant civilizations, each with unique, sophisticated ways of life, value systems, and arts.

April 18, 2015 – May 20, 2018

American Indian Museum New York

Circle of Dance

Learn how music and dance continue to bind American Indian communities to all living things, to the earth, to the spirit world, and—when people have deep ancestral claims to their dances—to the past.

October 6, 2012 – April 14, 2019

American Indian Museum New York

Commemorating Controversy: The Dakota—U.S. War of 1862

Explore the causes, voices, events, and long-lasting consequences of the conflict between Dakota akicitas (warriors) and the U.S. military and immigrant settlers.

January 11, 2014 – June 1, 2014

American Indian Museum New York

Contemporary Navajo Weaving: The Gloria F. Ross Collection of the Denver Art Museum

Explore modern weaving with 38 modern rugs and tapestries made by Navajo weavers in Arizona and New Mexico.

October 6, 1996 – January 8, 1997

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