Autry Museum of the American West

the Autry's Museum galleries and online platforms tell diverse and complicated stories of the American West. Temporary onsite exhibitions that opened in 2022 included the annual masters of the American West art exhibition and sale; dress codes; and the silent West. the Museum experience continues in the Museum's permanent galleries, which explore other histories and communities of the West. 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 (continued in schedule o)salmon, fire, desert, and waterways (new in 2022) 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 2022, which includes the second semester of the 2021-2022 academic year and the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year, the Autry served 5,521 k-12 students in-person, including students from title i schools who came through the all-aboard bus program. In 2022, the Autry served 1,558 k-12 students with virtual classes. Through online, via digital tours, lessons, primary source collections, and other interactive features, the Autry education department served 15,048 unique users online in 2022. the Autry education department also resumed its outreach programs in which Museum educators go into classrooms across (continued in sch o)los angeles county. Through the Autry in residence program, the Autry served 1,350 third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Through the Autry classroom curators outreach program, the Autry served 1,305 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 animals of the West (for kindergarten through 2nd grade), California's first peoples (for 3rd through 8th grades), adventures on the Oregon trail (for 3rd through 6th grades), American indian of the West (for 3rd through 6th grades), the California gold rush (for 3rd through 6th grades), art of the West (for 8th through 12th grades), and day of deliberation (for 8th through 12th 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 access to one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of books, archives and artifacts regarding native American cultures and the history of the American West. Autry research fellowship 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 is devoted to developing and producing new works for the stage by native American, Alaska native, and first nations playwrights. It is widely respected in native American and theatre communities for its breakthrough plays and diverse programming, which highlight unique points of view within native communities in north america. Native voices performances and readings take place inside the Autry's wells fargo theatre, with select readings of short plays and plays in development also available to audiences virtually.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. Over the course of 2022, the Autry was able to bring back to a full schedule of in-person public programs as restrictions from the covid-19 pandemic and omicron variant began to ease. the annual American indian arts marketplace returned for the first in-person festival since 2019, featuring cultural performances and new works by over 100 native American artists from over 4o tribes. This long-running gathering provides opportunity for native artists to sell their work, connect to a broad audience, and nurture new and longstanding relationships. Also returning in 2022, and much loved by the local community, the sizzling summer nights series brought live music and dancing to the Museum plaza featurning performances of top and emerging musicians in the sals and latin fusion music scene.