National Museum of African American History and Culture Marches Toward Fall 2015 Opening

Washington Post: Lonnae O'Neal Parker, October 4, 2013

Lonnie G. Bunch, founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, has had the same motto for much of the past decade. “Of course it’s going to happen,” he says when questioned about the opening, the progress or pretty much anything connected with the under-construction museum set to open in fall 2015.

“As much as I knew how complicated this was going to be — building on the site, getting staff — it’s 10 times more complicated than I ever imagined,” Bunch says.

Bunch, who says there’s not a U.S. airport he hasn’t touched down at in the past two years, credits Smithsonian support and random well-wishes from the public for helping to keep him going. It’s been a faith walk he says — a belief in the African American ability to improvise, to be strategic and nimble. “I really do believe there are a whole lot of ancestors helping to make this happen,” Bunch says.

More here.

Culture wars - American Indian Cultural Center & Museum

Amid some opposition, American Indian Cultural Center & Museum officials hope donors remain loyal to the uncompleted venue.

Supporters of the half-built American Indian Cultural Center & Museum (AICCM) were days away from receiving $40 million in state funds this state legislative session when a deadly tornado ripped through south Oklahoma City and Moore.

The money would have sealed the completion of the project, which originated 18 years ago as a concept for advancing Oklahoma’s Native American culture. Having faced numerous hurdles before, museum supporters advised legislative leaders to delay action and focus attention on the tornado victims.

...Four days before the tornado hit, Senate and House budget committee members signed off on Senate Bill 1132, a funding measure that would divert a percentage of the state’s use tax to the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority (NACEA) over a three-year period beginning in 2015. NACEA, a state agency created by state lawmakers in 1994, has direct oversight of the AICCM project.


....Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, author of SB 1132, said he believes the measure will pass the House and Senate next session by slim margins, due to regional politics between urban and rural legislators. “We need to finish it and finish it properly,” he said. “We’re paying millions of bond debt and getting nothing in return now.”

More here.

Almost Done - The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art has re-opened three galleries in its North Wing, marking the second-to-last "mile-stone" in the institution's eight-year expansion and renovation project. The sprawling $350-million project will finish this December with the unveiling of the West Wing. In the meantime, the northern galleries offer visitors centuries of artful objects from civilizations too often overlooked by curators.

The North Wing can be divided roughly into three sections: Native American, Islamic, and Japanese and Korean art.

More here.

Mitchell Museum to unveil updated gallery of notable American Indians

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston is preparing to unveil the third and newest edition of its ongoing exhibit spotlighting notable and successful American Indians of the present and past.
Organized by the Mitchell, “Did You Know They’re Native III?” will open Saturday, July 27, at the museum, 3001 Central St. The exhibit, updated periodically with a new roster of honorees, first opened in July 2011.

More here.

Detroit tells Christie’s auction house: Go home

Financially distraught Detroit is determined to keep hold of its historic artifacts, and art critics in the city are telling buyers with New York-based auction house Christie‘s: Go home. There’s nothing to see here.

Experts with the auction house have been seen at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Free Press reported. The DIA is home to some of the city’s most valuable assets, including the original Howdy Doody marionette. And some concerned about the city’s financial future see the museum as a cash cow to bridge budget deficits, estimated now at $18 billion, and satisfy terms of the bankruptcy.

City officials, however, as well as art lovers, say that plan’s a no-go.

More here.

Op-Ed: UC and Native Americans: Unsettled remains

UC campuses have been too slow in returning Native American bones and artifacts.

In 1974, Berkeley's distinguished anthropologist Robert Heizer issued a public mea culpa for the practices of his profession in treating "California Indians as though they were objects." In particular, he apologized for the "continued digging up of the graves of their ancestors."

In 1999, the department of anthropology at Berkeley issued an apology to the cultural descendants of Ishi, a Yahi native, for sending his brain to the Smithsonian after his death in 1916. "We regret our department's role in what happened to Ishi, a man who had already lost all that was dear to him."

This was a good beginning to a journey of accountability and reconciliation. But since then, the University of California has been largely silent about its role as the legal owner of a vast collection of native remains stashed in basements in campuses throughout the state. It owes at the very least 10,000 more apologies.

More at the Los Angeles Times here.

Some MU faculty upset about plan to move museum

Many MU faculty members are upset at how they found about the University’s plan to temporarily close some campus buildings next year for renovations. They're also concerned about the future of the Museum of Art & Archeology and the Museum of Anthropology.

More here. 

The University of Missouri announced today that all employees working in MU's main administrative building, Jesse Hall, will be moved to a new location to allow for the installation of sprinkler systems, improvements to the heating and cooling systems, and an additional elevator. Nearby Swallow Hall which houses MU's Museum of Anthropology, will also undergo repairs including an increase in classroom, lab and office space totaling up to 5,000 square feet.  The project, called "Renew Mizzou," will cost more than $22.8 million.

More here.

Op Ed: Bring ethno-cultural halls back to the Canadian Museum of Civilization

Re: Renamed museum plan 'deeply worrying,' June 6.

How right he is when the former CEO of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Victor Rabinovitch says that the new mandate for the proposed Canadian Museum of History is "narrow and parochial" and "deeply worrying."

George MacDonald, the founding director of the Canadian Museum of Civilization (1983 to 1998), is also right when he says the changes are "a stab in the back" to ethno-cultural communities that have donated many outstanding objects to the museum on the understanding that they would be on permanent display, only to see them removed.


More here.

Sac and Fox: Turning over Thorpe won't be costly

The Sac and Fox Nation says it's not surprised by the decision by the Jim Thorpe Borough Council in eastern Pennsylvania to appeal a federal judge's order to relinquish the famed athlete's remains so they can be reinterred on American Indian land in Oklahoma.

More here and here.

Oklahoma Senate unveils $80M plan for 2 new museums

Okla. Senate unveils $80M plan for 2 new museums

The Oklahoma Senate unveiled a new plan on Thursday to divert $80 million in state sales and use taxes over a four-year period to pay for the completion of an American Indian museum in Oklahoma City and build a new popular culture museum in Tulsa.

A Senate budget committee approved both measures, which next must be considered by a similar committee in the House, where the proposals are likely to face strong resistance...

More here.

Auction of Hopi Masks Proceeds After Judge’s Ruling

The Hopi artifacts auction makes the New York Times.

A contested auction of sacred Hopi Indian artifacts went forward on Friday in Paris and generated more than $1 million in sales, despite the presence of protesters inside and outside the auction house who urged patrons not to take part.

One featured item, a headdress known as the Crow Mother, drew intense interest. Bidding on this 1880s artifact, which had a high estimate of $80,000, soared to $210,000, drawing applause from a crowd of some 200 people in the sales room and protest from a woman who stood up and shouted: “Don’t purchase that. It is a sacred being.”

Click here to read the entire article.

The National Museum of the American Indian also recently posted a blog article related to the auction on "Respecting Non-Western Sacred Objects."

Lack of Tribal Consultation Leads to Conflict at a Denver Museum

When tribes, whose ancestors are the subject of a museum exhibit, are against that exhibit and ask for it to be closed pending further consultation, it’s obvious something is amiss.

Although reluctant in the past to close the exhibit, officials of a Denver museum are now considering it to repair a damaged partnership with the affected tribes.

The controversy focuses on History Colorado Center’s exhibit on the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, when more than 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, mostly children, women and elders, were killed by U.S. Army volunteers in a southeast Colorado camp where they had been promised safety.

Past meetings with tribal representatives have led museum officials to correct some editorial errors in the exhibit, but that didn’t solve the deeper problem that the officials didn’t consult with tribes as much as they should have.

Read the entire article here.

Ralph T. Coe Foundation Fellowship Opportunity

The Ralph T. Coe Foundation Fellowship will be awarded to an individual whose work promotes a holistic view of Native arts, working with both contemporary and historic art through an interdisciplinary methodology. Mr. Coe's own approach combined primary and secondary source research, a fierce appreciation and understanding of the art and its making, meanings and materials, and conversations with living descendants and other Native artists. The successful candidate will receive a stipend of $2000 per month for a period of two months, July 1 to August 31, 2013.  The candidate is expected to be in residence in Santa Fe. No housing is available with this fellowship. The successful candidate will be required to present their findings at the end of their residence and curate and write an online exhibition from a selection of the Ted Coe Collection currently under the Foundation’s stewardship.

In addition, the successful candidate will be expected to pursue a second research project of his or her own choice. Please send no later than March 31 a writing sample no longer than 2500 words (including bibliography and footnotes), curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of three references. While in residence in Santa Fe the successful candidate will be considered a representative of the Foundation when attending events and will be expected to meet approximately three times with the Foundation Advisory Board prior to completion to discuss the project.

The application deadline is March 31, 2013. Please send your application via email to Fellowship@ralphtcoefoundation.org or mail to Attn. Fellowship, Ralph T. Coe Foundation for the Arts, Inc., P.O. Box 2325, Santa Fe, NM 87504.

Applications now being accepted for 2013 AAM Annual Meeting Fellowships

The Diversity Committee (DivCom) and the American Alliance of Museums are committed to cultivating and developing diverse leaders in the field by providing financial assistance to attend the Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo. These fellowships provide access to professional development, networking and mentorship opportunities. Fellows have the opportunity to increase their knowledge of the field, meet with mentors for career advancement and learn about volunteer and leadership opportunities within the Alliance and networks such as DivCom to give back to the field. 

Fellowships will provide a travel stipend, complimentary conference registration and event tickets. Eligibility requirements and the application process are now available online at: http://aam-us.org/events/annual-meeting/register/fellowships.

A panel of reviewers representing the leadership from the Professional Networks (including DivCom) and Emerging Museum Professionals will oversee the selection process. Fellowship Application Deadline: Friday, February 15, 2013.

Goodwill Donates Native American Vest to Burke Museum

You just never know what you might find at your local Goodwill store: something old, something new — and sometimes, treasures worthy of a museum collection.

So it was with a beaded American Indian vest dropped off at the Dearborn Goodwill at South Lane Street in Seattle. Sharp-eyed staff thought it might be something special, and an independent appraiser estimated its value for Goodwill at $5,000.

Now the early 20th-century Plains Indian-style beaded vest has just been accepted by Seattle’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture for its permanent collection.

 

Read the full article from the Seattle Times here.

Smithsonian Institution Summer Institute in Museum Anthropology (SIMA)

2013 Dates: June 24 – July 19

SIMA is a research training program offered by the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History with major funding from the Cultural Anthropology Program of the National Science Foundation. The program seeks to promote broader and more effective use of museum collections in anthropological research by providing a supplement to university training. Working intensively each summer with 12-14 students interested in museum research, the institute:

• introduces students to the scope of collections and their potential as data
• provides training in appropriate methods to collect and analyze museum data
• makes participants aware of a range of theoretical issues relating to collections
• positions students to apply their knowledge within their home university

SIMA is intended for graduate students who are preparing for research careers in cultural anthropology who are interested in using museum collections as a data source. The program is not designed to serve students seeking careers in museum management or whose research field is archaeology. Students at both the M.A. and doctoral level are considered for acceptance. Students in related interdisciplinary programs (Indigenous Studies, Folklore, etc.) are considered if the proposed project explores issues of importance to cultural anthropology and if an anthropology faculty member at the student's university commits to supervise its implementation. All U.S. students are eligible for acceptance, even if studying abroad. International students can be considered only if they are enrolled in a university in the U.S.A. Canadian First Nation members are eligible under treaty agreements.

Click here for more information about the program.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 1, 2013
Applicants must submit a short statement of interest and an initial proposal for an individual research project (see full application instructions.) A letter of commitment is required from a faculty member who will supervise further development and implementation of the project in the year after the student's participation in SIMA. Students will be notified of acceptance 4 weeks after the application deadline.

Native American Heritage Month: Recommended Reading

How to celebrate Native American Heritage Month? One of the best ways is simply by reading. There are so many books out there about American Indians, but figuring out which ones can best inform us about Native American history and heritage is no small task.

The books listed here serve as a broad overview for Natives and non-Natives alike, giving a bit of ancient history, post-colonial history and a snapshot of modern-day life.

Read more HERE from Indian Country Today Media Network.

Native American Mascot Controversy Takes Center Stage at the National Museum of the American Indian

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian presents “Racist Stereotypes and Cultural Appropriation in American Sports,” a symposium and community conversation Thursday, Nov. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. in the museum’s Rasmuson Theater in Washington, D.C.

The series of panel discussions will feature scholars, commentators, authors and representatives from Indian nations and the NCAA. Panelists will explore the mythology and psychology of stereotypes in sports, the history of ethnic “identity theft” and recent efforts to retire and revive “Native American” sports references at the University of Oklahoma, Stanford University, Dartmouth College and Syracuse University. The symposium advances a movement endorsed by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 2001 and addressed last year by the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

The symposium will be webcast live here. Webcast viewers are encouraged to participate via Facebook and Twitter by using the hashtag #RacistSportsLogos. A reception will follow in the museum’s Potomac Atrium. For more information, visit the museum’s website at www.AmericanIndian.si.edu/.

Read the entire press release HERE for more information.

Special Hearst Museum Tour

Please join us for a tour of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology's storage facilities on Wednesday, November 14 from 9-10:30AM.  There are only 17 spots available for this special event hosted by Ira Jacknis and Jonathan Goodrich of the Hearst Museum of Anthropology.  The first to reply get to join the tour.  Tour attendees must pay for their own transportation to the Hearst off-site storage facility at 1100 67th Street, Oakland.

Please e-mail CMA board member Jennifer Kramer at jennifer.kramer@ubc.ca if you wish to attend.

Circle of Dance: Exhibition of Native American Dance Opens at National Museum of the American Indian in New York

"An exhibition featuring Native dance as a vibrant, meaningful and diverse form of cultural expression is presented in Circle of Dance, opening Saturday, October 6, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York, George Gustav Heye Center. This five-year exhibition, which features 10 social and ceremonial dances from throughout the Americas, will be on view at the museum through October 8, 2017.

Circle of Dance will interpret the traditions of social, ceremonial and spiritual dances highlighting the significance of each dance and the unique characteristics of its movements and music. Each dance will be showcased by a single mannequin dressed in appropriate regalia and posed in a distinctive dance position. An accompanying media piece will complement and enhance the mannequin displays. Presenting the range of dances featured in the exhibition this high-definition video will capture the variety of the different Native dance movement vocabularies, and the music that is integral to their performance."

Read more here or visit the exhibit's website.