Socialize after hours during a free virtual K – 12 professional development session with the National Cowboy Museum. Eric Singleton, Curator of Ethnology at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and curator of Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World, leads educators on a tour of the exhibit, which reunites extraordinary objects which haven’t been together since the site was both looted and archeologically excavated in the 1930s and 40s. Participants will: Explore Spiro and the Art of…
Find out more
Events Search and Views Navigation
March 2021
Take a break from your day and enjoy a series of virtual presentations over the lunch hour, Thursdays, March 4 – May 6. Hear subject experts discuss various topics related to the National Cowboy Museum Exhibition, Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World. Objects placed in the Craig Mound at Spiro represented material ties to the wider social and sacred worlds of the 15th century American Southeast. Most of the arrow points can be sourced to the Ozark Mountains…
Find out moreApril 2021
Take a break from your day and enjoy a series of virtual presentations over the lunch hour, Thursdays, March 4 – May 6. Hear subject experts discuss various topics related to the National Cowboy Museum Exhibition Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World. The fabled “hollow chamber” contained a spiritually charged construction called the Spirit Lodge. It occupied the heart of the main cone of Spiro's Craig Mound. The story of the discovery of this unique building and its…
Find out more
Spiro Mounds contained the largest assemblage of often brightly colored textiles and had chambers with colorfully painted walls. Just as we use chemicals to make dyes to color clothes and textiles today, so did historic peoples. However, they used a variety of natural materials like plants and fruits to add color and adornment. Join us as we dye cloth using natural materials. Enjoy storytime at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Free for members or with Museum admission. Activities available while…
Find out more
Take a break from your day and enjoy a series of virtual presentations over the lunch hour, Thursdays, March 4 – May 6. Hear subject experts discuss various topics related to the National Cowboy Museum Exhibition Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World. Mississippian visitors to Spiro arrived from various areas of the Midwest and Southeast over some three centuries, carting with them sacred objects and treasures. These ritual practitioners left various forms of exotic weaponry whose purpose has…
Find out more
Grab a stool and listen to invited artisans discuss their craft. Jereldine Redcorn is recognized nationally and internationally for reviving Caddo Pottery. Her designs are especially inspired by prehistoric Native American decorative motifs from the Spiro Mounds. Her bottle “Intertwining Scrolls” was selected by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for permanent display in the White House Oval Office. A self-taught artist, Redcorn imbues each piece with her own aesthetic; while many of her vessels bear traceable references to…
Find out more
Take a break from your day and enjoy a series of virtual presentations over the lunch hour, Thursdays, March 4 – May 6. Hear subject experts discuss various topics related to the National Cowboy Museum Exhibition Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World. Spiro is best known for the creation of the Spirit Lodge around AD 1400. Patrick Livingood, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Oklahoma, will describe how the Spirit Lodge is a culmination of 500…
Find out more
Take a break from your day and enjoy a series of virtual presentations over the lunch hour, Thursdays, March 4 – May 6. Hear subject experts discuss various topics related to the National Cowboy Museum Exhibition Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World. The iconography of Mississippian Shell Gorgets (primarily rendered in the Craig A style) reveals structured compositions that appear to be narrative vignettes reflecting ritual activity centered on a cosmological focus. Presented by F. Kent Reilly, Director,…
Find out more
Educators and a guest are invited to experience Liichokoshkomo, our new outdoor playscape with plenty of room for social distance! Stroll among our seven recreated native dwellings, grind corn and rope cattle. Guests are also invited to explore Museum galleries on their own. Refreshments and a cash bar are available. This event is free; however, pre-registration is required by April 18. Limited to current K-12 educators and student teachers. Educators may bring one guest.
Find out more
Grab a stool and listen to invited artisans discuss their craft. Artist Anita Fields creates works of clay and textile that reflect the worldview of her Native Osage culture. Field’s practice explores the complexities of cultural influences and the intersections of balance and chaos. Her art creates narratives that asks viewers to consider other ways of seeing and being in an effort to understand our shared existence. Landscapes, environment and the influences of nature are themes found throughout the work…
Find out more
York: Explorer is the story of the enslaved man who traveled west with the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1803. As a member of the Corps of Discovery, York discovered his spirit of freedom and was an important member of the team. That new spirit nearly killed him when he returned to “civilization” at the conclusion of the expedition. York was never permitted to tell his story but the expedition journals, William Clark’s letters and other accounts provide a sketch…
Find out more
Take a break from your day and enjoy a series of virtual presentations over the lunch hour, Thursdays, March 4 – May 6. Hear subject experts discuss various topics related to the National Cowboy Museum Exhibition Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World. In this presentation, Elizabeth T. Horton, Ph.D., paleoethnobotanist and archaeologist, explores what is known about the fabric traditions and technologies of weavers at Spiro Mounds as well as the broader Southeastern United States. She discusses the…
Find out moreMay 2021
From deep jungles to ocean depths to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, humans have always been explorers, searching out the unknown and making it known. In that same tradition, come explore the Museum and all that it has to offer. Make your own binoculars and learn to use a compass. Make your own map of Liichokoshkomo’, your home or neighborhood. Enjoy storytime at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Free for members or with Museum admission. Activities available while supplies…
Find out more
Take a break from your day and enjoy a series of virtual presentations over the lunch hour, Thursdays, March 4 – May 6. Hear subject experts discuss various topics related to the National Cowboy Museum Exhibition Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World. The Craig Mound Lodge is a tableau of powerful living spirit forces. The people of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico, and the people of the lowland Maya world to the east of them, also created…
Find out more
Artist Demonstrations
Category
Explore artist demonstration stations and learn more about traditional and contemporary native craft. Participating artists include: Martha Berry, Cherokee Beadwork Artist, Jereldine Redcorn, Caddo Potter, Margaret Roach Wheeler, Chickasaw/Choctaw weaver and Native American fashion designer, and Matthew Anderson, Cherokee shell carver.
Find out more
Grab a stool and listen to invited artisans discuss their craft. Martha Berry is a Cherokee beadwork artist who creates beaded art inspired by traditional Southeastern Woodlands Native American Indians. Her beadwork often illustrates the stories and lore of her Cherokee ancestors, allowing the observer to experience the power of their knowledge and the richness of their experience. Designated a Cherokee National Living Treasure by the Cherokee Nation for traditional Cherokee beadwork, Berry will share about her pieces included in…
Find out more
June 2021
Sometimes it is hard to catch a glimpse of wild animals in the flesh. But they always leave behind some sign that they have been there. Join us as we investigate what animals leave behind. Follow animal tracks through Liichokoshkomo’ and make tracks of your own! Enjoy storytime at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Free for members or with Museum admission. Activities available while supplies last.
Find out more
Artist Andrew Peters will explain his process in preparing his canvas and setting up his equipment to begin a painting. Each student will then begin painting a subject of their own choosing. Through daily presentations and demonstrations, Peters will describe how to truly see the subject and provide individual instruction to assist students with their painting through each stage to completion. Students will work on one or two paintings throughout the week. Instructor: Prix de West Artist Andrew Peters. Skill…
Find out more
