Art museum gallery with blue walls and wooden floors, displaying several framed paintings and sculptures on pedestals under ceiling lights in the Native Life Gallery.
PERMANENT COLLECTION

The Native Life Gallery

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Discover artworks inspired by Native American life from the late 1700s to 1900s, featuring narrative paintings, sculptures, and Hopi katsina carvings that reflect diverse artistic perspectives and enduring cultural traditions.

Highlights From the Gallery

Martin Grelle, Plans Against the Pecunies, 2015, oil on linen

Howard Terpning, Badger Medicine, 1995, oil on Masonite

Alfredo Rodriguez, Sharing the Shearing, 1984, oil on canvas

David Phillips, Qöqöle, 1979

Dave McGary, The Honor Dress, 2006, acrylic paint on bronze

This gallery presents paintings, sculptures and carvings that tell visual stories about North American Indian life from the late 1700s through the late 1900s. Artists include Howard Terpning, Martin Grelle, Paul Pletka and Oreland Joe (Diné/Ute).

Many of the works are narrative scenes inspired by history and interpreted through an artistic lens, expressing the imaginations of contemporary artists. Also on view is a selection of Hopi katsina carvings that demonstrate the continuation of artistic traditions. Bringing a variety of perspectives and backgrounds, these artists find inspiration in Native American cultures.  

Museum visitors observe a display case containing several Native American Kachina dolls mounted on a wall in the Native Life Gallery, with framed paintings in the background.

Visit the Native Life Gallery

This gallery is part of our permanent collection and included with museum admission. Members enjoy free admission daily!