Museum exhibits • Tours • Festivals Meetings • Education • Conferences
smithsonian’s national museum of the american indian
n NEW EXHIBITS Anchorage Museum Anchorage, Alaska—The pursuit of gold has driven explorers, built empires, and inspired artists for thousands of years. The museum opens its new wing with the dazzling traveling exhibit “Gold” from the American Museum of Natural History, which explores the scientific, historical, cultural, and financial significance of gold. The exhibit features a stunning array of more than 300 objects, some of which come from the Mixtec and Aztec cultures.A companion exhibit created by the museum titled “Pay Dirt! Alaska’s Golden Landscapes” tells the story of gold in Alaska and demonstrates through historical photographs and objects how the Alaska Gold Rush both Americanized Alaska and earned the state its ‘Last Frontier’ status. (907) 343-4326, www.anchoragemuseum.org (Through August 2)
Ohio Historical Center Columbus, Ohio—Explore more than 15,000 years of Ohio’s ancient heritage through the exhibition “Windows to Our Collections: Ohio’s Ancient Past,” which includes some of the Society’s
most significant artifacts such as the Adena Pipe, the mica hand, and the Wray figurine, as well as many animal effigy pipes from Tremper Mound. Numerous artifacts that ancient people used on a daily basis as well as for special purposes are on display. (614) 297-2300, http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/ c09 (Long-term exhibit)
n CONFERENCES, LECTURES & FESTIVALS Biennial Conference on Archaeoastronomy of the American Southwest June 11–13, Camp Verde, Ariz. Sponsored by the Arizona Archaeological Society, this biennial conference provides a forum to promote research and achieve a better understanding of the cultural significance of astronomical knowledge among American Southwest cultures. This first year’s theme is “Creating Sustainability in American Southwest Archaeoastronomy Research” and includes workshops, oral and poster presentations, tours to local sites, and an award banquet to honor Stephen McCluskey, a pioneer in archaeoastronomy of the American Southwest. www. caasw.org. administrator@CAASW.org
Historic Arkansas Museum
historic arkansas museum
Little Rock, Ark.—The new exhibit “We Walk in Two Worlds: The Caddo, Osage & Quapaw in Arkansas” was produced by a partnership between those three tribes, the State of Arkansas, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The exhibit tells the story of Arkansas’ first people from early times to today. More than 150 objects such as pottery, clothing, and weapons are complemented by relevant research from archaeologists, historians, and ethnographers. During the two years of exhibit development, many tribal members were interviewed and their voices inform educate, and guide visitors through the exhibit. (501) 324-9351, www.arkansashistory. com/exhibits (New permanent exhibit)
american archaeology
Events
Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
National Mall, Washington, D.C.— Meet the native peoples of the Chesapeake Bay region—what is now Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware—through the exhibition “Return to a Native Place: Algonquin Peoples of the Chesapeake.” The exhibit includes photographs, maps, ceremonial and everyday objects, and interactive displays, educating visitors on the continued native presence in the region, and providing an overview of the history and events from the 1600s to the present that have affected the lives of the Nanticoke, Powhatan, and Piscataway tribes. (202) 633-1000, www.americanindian.si.edu (Long-term exhibit)
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