Autry Museum of the American West

the Autry Museum's galleries and online platforms tell diverse and complicated stories of the American West. Temporary onsite exhibitions that opened in 2023 included the annual masters of the American West art exhibition and sale; sherman indian school: 100+ years of education and resilience; and reclaiming el camino: native resistance in the missions and beyond the Museum experience continues in the permanent galleries, which explore other histories and communities of the West. "imagined wests," which opened in 2023 in the newly renovated imagination gallery, travels through western storytelling landscapes, through retellings of history, and through the craft of many 'West makers' from tailors to actors. the gallery also explores 'the view from here,' a focus on southern California's (continued in schedule o)role as a place for stories. the art of the West gallery showcases the dynamic and evolving world of art that springs from the cultural practices of some of the many peoples who have shaped and continue to shape the American West. the cowboy gallery details the evolution of the cowboy from the open range to the era of the Texas trail drives and ranching on the plains. the human nature gallery focuses on four key California stories: salmon, fire, desert, and waterways that reveal how traditional ecological knowledge can help current residents understand and care for the environment. the colt revolver in the American West explores the history and impact of samuel colt's revolutionary revolver in the American West. the journeys gallery explores the people and events that changed the West in the second half of the 19th century.

the education department is dedicated to enriching the experience of all visitors through thoughtful, entertaining and engaging classes, programs and activities. Throughout 2023, which includes the second semester of the 2022-2022 academic year and the first semester of the 2023-2024 academic year, the Autry served 6,871 k-12 students in-person, including students from title i schools who came through the all-aboard bus program. In 2023, the Autry served 613 k-12 students with virtual classes. Through online, via digital tours, lessons, primary source collections, and other interactive features, the Autry education department served 14,793 unique users online in 2023. the Autry education department also resumed its outreach programs in which Museum educators go into (continued in schedule o)classrooms across los angeles county. Through the Autry in residence program, the Autry served 6,916 third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Through the Autry classroom curators outreach program, the Autry served 1,476 k-16 students. the education department offers programs exploring diverse aspects of life in the West through the Autry's art and artifacts and meets California state content standards in history/social science for kindergarten through 12th grade. Examples of these standards include cowboys: past and present (for kindergarten through 2nd grade), sculpture explorers (for kindergarten through 2nd grade), tongva: the first peoples of los angeles (for 3rd through 8th grades), the California gold rush (for 3rd through 6th grades), and trails West (for 3rd through 8th grades). the Autry also offers older students a deeper understanding of the story of the West through innovative outreach programs. Museum educators work in local schools to bring together students, teachers, and Museum professionals to learn about history in fun and engaging ways, including the annual student visual arts exhibition. the Autry also supports the professional development of educators through the Autry classroom curators program, which help los angeles-area teachers to create object and project-based learning units.

the Autry promotes research and educational activities, encourages the development of groundbreaking scholarship, and reaches a broad audience through programs and publications. Its research library provides exemplary stewardship of the renowned library and archives collections, inspires scholarship by a multidisciplinary research community, and fuels discussion about the past, present, and future of the American West. Autry research fellowships are awarded annually to support scholarly projects concerning the study of people and cultures of the American West.

Native voices: the Autry's resident theatre company and the sole actors' equity theatre in the country is devoted to developing and producing new works for the stage by native American, Alaska native, native Hawaiian, and first nations playwrights. It is widely respected in native American and theatre communities for developing native playwrights and theatre artists, telling native stories by and about native people, and providing the public access to these plays and playwrights. Native voices performances and readings take place inside the Autry's theatre, with recordings of select readings of short plays and plays in development also available to audiences. Popular Autry public programs include the long-running 'what is a western?' Film series which explores the wide range of movies that can be considered westerns, and the ways in which they shape our understanding of the American West. Each screening includes a guest lecturer to introduce the film and its significance in the genre.community building was a focus of public programming in 2023, putting an extra push into reengaging with local audiences whose cultural habits were interrupted by the pandemic shutdown. Most prominently, there was a focus on large festival gatherings to maximize community reach, which included the American indian arts marketplace in early summer, outdoor film screenings on the Museum lawn, live music and salsa dancing on the Museum plaza, an evening open-house co-produced with local public radio station kcrw, and a day-long family block party on the Museum's 35th anniversary.symposia in 2023 included the los angeles river watershed: from plans and platitudes to new actions and attitudes hosted with the council for watershed health; and the marshall mckay seminar for empowering native knowledge: perspectives on native basketry.