New efforts surrounding the impact of religion in Native cultures are coming to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.
A $2.5 million dollar grant, courtesy of the Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, will support these efforts, including the launch of a new exhibition, artwork reinstallation, hosting tribal convenings and improving guest experiences at the Eiteljorg.
“The Eiteljorg Museum will continue to engage our audiences in the exploration of religious and cultural expressions in the American West and among the Indigenous Peoples of North America, developing a better understanding of this complex subject,” Kathryn Haigh, Eiteljorg President and CEO, said in a statement. “We are grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for generously supporting this effort that will make an impact for years to come.”
The Lilly Endowment created its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative in 2019 in an effort to support museums and other cultural organizations — like the Eiteljorg — as they work to improve their ability to provide “fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the role religion has played and continues to play in the United States and around the world,” according to a press release.
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In 2020, the Eiteljorg received a $2.5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment through the first phase of the Religion and Cultural Institution, which allowed the museum to present a traveling exhibition entitled “Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West” in 2024.
The initial grant also created a new position for a director of religion and cultural initiatives, hosted a symposium of religion scholars with the Clements Center for Southwest Studies and incorporated religion and spirituality into the museum’s reinstalled Native American Galleries, which opened in 2022.
The new grant funding, which is the second phase of the same program, will allow the Eiteljorg to accomplish the following, according to a press release:
- Launch an exhibition about the fascinating variety of Native American tattoo practices and styles that will be on view at the Eiteljorg in late 2026 or early 2027 and then possibly travel to other museums.
- Reinstall the artworks in the Western Art Galleries, which were last renovated in 2018.
- Continue to uphold the highest standards of caring for the Native artworks and cultural belongings that are in the museum’s collections. Having worked to build relationships with Native communities from the Great Lakes region and beyond, the Eiteljorg plans to host convenings of tribal representatives so those tribes can conduct traditional observations of their items and aid in repatriation research.
- Enhance museum guest experiences through conducting evaluation surveys and focus groups about exhibitions.
- Create a dedicated endowment that will earn investment income, from which proceeds can fund future public programs and projects related to religion and spirituality.
“The United States is widely considered to be one of the most religiously diverse nations today,” Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion, said in a statement. “Many individuals and families trust museums and other cultural institutions and visit them to learn about their communities and the world. We are excited to support these organizations as they continue to develop their capacities to help visitors understand and appreciate the diverse religious beliefs, practices and perspectives of their neighbors and others in communities around the globe.”
For more information, visit eiteljorg.org.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
