DIRECTOR’S LETTER .............................
The NMAI in New York kicked off construction of its new 4,500-square-foot youth education space, the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. Featured speakers included, from left, museum senior executive John Haworth (Cherokee), Manhattan Borough president Gale Brewer, museum director Kevin Gover (Pawnee), New York City Department of Cultural Affairs commissioner Tom Finkelpearl and District 1 New York City council member Margaret Chin.
SHARING OUR STORY T
he first months of a new year are time of change and renewal for many – and we are no exception here at the Museum. Change has been a con-
stant here for the past few years, as we opened major new exhibitions and channeled our en- ergies and resources into significant projects like the forthcoming imagiNATIONS Activity Center in New York and the inception of the National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. I’m pleased to share another way that we
are actively planning for our future: the pub- lication of our new strategic plan through 2021. I share my personal introduction from the plan itself here to underscore the direct tie between our future goals and the collec-
10 AMERICAN INDIAN SPRING 2017
tions- and culture-based initiatives you will read about in this very issue. I am keenly aware of the way your support has translated into our success in the past, and I encour- age you to take a few minutes to review the plan (now posted on our website) and reflect upon our shared vision for the Museum. It is located in the “About” section of our website at
AmericanIndian.si.edu.
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The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is an institution born out of necessity and committed to serving indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere in their continu- ing struggle for social, economic and political justice. We seek to counteract ignorance and
bias with knowledge and perspective. We be- lieve in the American people and American institutions, and we are convinced that when they are properly informed, they will support programs, projects and policies that promote the self-determination of Native Nations. The National Museum of the American
Indian is uniquely capable of improving and expanding what Americans learn about the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemi- sphere. These histories and cultures have too often been devalued and distorted, so we partner with Native Nations to tell a more complete and accurate story. It is a complex story, and one that all peoples share. History has long been taught from a narrow perspec- tive that overlooks and diminishes the contri-
PHOTO BY JASON DECROW/AP IMAGES
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