The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian announces an exciting lineup of fall programming with a major event each month including the exhibit opening of “Deconstructing Stereotypes: Top Ten Truths about Native Peoples” at the Evanston Civic Center, an Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration and concert, the Annual Dr. Carlos Montezuma Honorary Lecture and Awards, and the Native Fine Arts Holiday Market. Weekend Arts & Seasonal Stories and special Spotlight Tours will round out the calendar with captivating programming for the whole family.
Join the Mitchell Museum on Monday, September 19 at the Evanston Civic Center for the opening reception of its “Deconstructing Stereotypes: Top Ten Truths about Native Peoples” exhibit. The award winning exhibit examines the top misconceptions about Native peoples as identified by Native Americans from across the country. The event will also include a special award presentation to honor Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl for her generous support of the museum during her tenure as mayor. The event takes place from 6:00-8:00pm, and is free and open to the public.
The exhibit is presented in partnership with the City of Evanston, and with support from the Evanston Arts Council and the Evanston Community Foundation. It will be on display for one year on the second floor gallery of the Evanston Civic Center at 2100 Ridge Avenue. The exhibit will also be on display at the State of Illinois Building from September 26th-30th where it will be featured in the lobby of the James R. Thompson Center at 100 W. Randolph St. in Chicago. For the month of October, it will be on view at the Evanston Public Library at 1703 Orrington Ave.
On Monday, October 10, the Mitchell will join other cultural institutions, universities, and cities around the world to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The day celebrates the contributions of indigenous people throughout the world, and acknowledges the many tribes who lived across America long before Christopher Columbus. The museum will be open and free to the public from 10am-5pm, with a panel discussion on historical and political aspects of Indigenous Peoples’ Day from 1-2:30pm. The panel will include musician Scotti Clifford (Lakota) and Professor Patty Loew (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), among others. The day will culminate with a special concert featuring Native and Indigenous musicians.
The concert, sponsored by Northwestern University’s Native American and Indigenous Peoples Steering Group and Goodcity Chicago, features Evanston’s Mark Cleveland, folksingers the Sones de Mexico Ensemble, and Lakota alternative rock group Scatter Their Own. It will be held from 7:00-9:00pm at Northwestern’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Tickets are available at www.mitchellmuseum.org for $15 if purchased by 9/30, and $20 after.
On Wednesday, November 2, The Mitchell Museum will host the seventh annual Dr. Carlos Montezuma Honorary Lecture and Awards. Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne/Hodulgee Creek), founding president of the Morning Star Institute, Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, and policy advocate who has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of Native peoples, will be the keynote speaker, and receive the event’s namesake award. Fr. Peter Powell, director of the St. Augustine’s Center for American Indians for the past 55 years, will be honored with the Elizabeth Seabury Mitchell Award for service and philanthropy, and artist Rhonda Holy Bear (Cheyenne River Lakota) will receive the Woodrow “Woody” Crumbo Award for Native arts.
The event, which honors members of the American Indian community who have raised awareness and contributed to the community in the same spirit as Dr. Montezuma, will be held at the Mitchell Museum’s 3009 Central Street building. Sponsored by Northwestern University and First Bank and Trust of Evanston, the Awards Ceremony and VIP reception begins at 5:30pm, with the lecture to follow at 6:30pm. To attend the Awards Ceremony and VIP reception, and the lecture, the fee is $30. The fee for attending the lecture only is $12 for museum members/$15 for non-members. Tribal members are free. To RSVP and purchase tickets, contact Visitor Services at RSVP@mitchellmuseum.org or call 847.475.1030.
The annual Native Fine Arts Holiday Market is held the first weekend in December at the museum’s 3009 building. It is a wonderful opportunity to find unique gifts for the entire family. This year will showcase a wide array of handcrafted items made by Native artists from across the country. Throughout the weekend artist demonstrations will be held at the museum. Learn about traditional art techniques, resources, and material culture with demonstrations by Mary Lavato (Santa Domingo Pueblo), Judy Jordan (Oneida), Norma Robinson (Dakota), Robert Wapahi (Lakota) and many others.
The market runs on Saturday, December 3 from 10:00am-5:00pm, and on Sunday, December 4 from noon-4:00pm. The market is free, and art demonstrations held in the museum’s library are included with regular museum admission.
The Mitchell Museum offers weekend programming for the entire family with “Animal Arts and Seasonal Stories” on Saturdays from 11:00-noon and Sundays from 12:30-1:30pm. Each month, an animal that is significant to various tribes throughout North America is featured through crafts and stories. A selection of three different craft activities are offered at varying levels of difficulty and interest. The program is free with regular admission and participants must be accompanied by an adult. September features the beaver, October the soaring eagle, November the whale, and December the caribou.
Every Saturday morning from 10:30-11am, and Wednesday afternoon from 4:00-4:30pm, a docent will lead a Spotlight Tour. Themes rotate monthly: September will focus on Native American Legends, October on Native Women in the Arts, November on Indigenous Cuisine, and December on our Edward Curtis Prints exhibit. Spotlight Tours are free with regular admission and require no pre-registration.
The Mitchell Museum is one of only a handful of museums in the country that focuses exclusively on the art, history and culture of American Indian and First Nation peoples throughout the United States and Canada. In 2012, the Mitchell Museum was named “Best Museum of The North Shore: Up and Comer” by Make it Better magazine, won the Superior award by the Illinois Association of Museums and was named a national finalist by the American Association of State and Local History award program. The Chicago Tribune named the Mitchell Museum one of its top 10 museums for 2015.
For more information about The Mitchell Museum of The American Indian, visit www.mitchellmuseum.org, call 847-475-1030 or see our verified Facebook page. The museum is located in Evanston, Illinois at 3001 Central Street. It is open Tuesday-Wednesday 10am to 5pm, Thursday, 10am to 8pm., Friday- Saturday 10am to 5pm. and Sunday noon to 4 pm. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, students and children and free for Mitchell Museum members and Tribal members.