National Museum of the American Indian Offers Student Tours Exciting Upcoming Exhibits

Several new exhibits are coming this fall to both the Washington, D.C. and New York sites of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). The exhibitions will feature various cultural aspects of historic and contemporary Native American life, providing educational student attractions.

In Washington, D.C., IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas will be on display from Sept. 25, 2009, to May 23, 2010. The 20-panel banner exhibition focuses on interactions between African American and Native American people, especially those of blended heritage.

IndiVisible explores the dynamics of race, community, culture and creativity. Within the context of society, the exhibition shows struggles of identity definition and preservation. It combines the voices of the living with those of their ancestors to allow for better understanding of the historical and contemporary perspectives of people of African and Native American descent.

Also new to the D.C. museum will be Brian Jungen: Strange Comfort. Running from Oct. 16, 2009, to Aug. 8, 2010, this exhibition features the works of Brian Jungen, who is widely regarded as the foremost Native artist of his generation. Jungen’s works transform everyday objects into pieces that communicate themes of globalization, pop culture, and the commodification of Indian imagery. The exhibition will showcase Jungen’s iconic works as well as pieces never before seen in the United States.

An upcoming exhibition for NMAI in New York will highlight the story of the horse’s influence on American Indian tribes from the 1600s to present day. A Song For the Horse Nation ties together historical pieces including ledger drawings, hoof ornaments, hide robes, and more with new pieces by contemporary Native artists in order to show the horse’s impact on all aspects of American Indian life, particularly on the Great Plains. Horse Nation will run from Nov. 14, 2009, to March 7, 2011.

For more information on these upcoming exhibitions and those currently running, visit the NMAI website.