One Hundred Years in the Making: Reinstalling the Indigenous Arts of North America Permanent Collection Galleries at the Denver Art Museum

Abstract

This article situates the 2021 reinstallation of the Denver Art Museum’s Indigenous Arts of North America permanent collection galleries within the historical context of the department’s leading role in shaping the trajectory of the exhibition and interpretation of Indigenous North American art and material culture in fine arts museums. Beginning with an overview of the contributions of past curators, including Frederic H. Douglas, Norman Feder, Richard Conn, and Nancy Blomberg, the article focuses on the iterative nature of the Native Arts department’s contributions to the field of Native American art history. The article closes with a review of the planning and implementation of the 2021 reinstallation, focusing on the ways in which the project team—in collaboration with artists, community members, and the museum’s Indigenous Community Advisory Council—worked to amplify the perspective of Indigenous communities through innovative design, interpretation, and a transhistorical perspective.