Skip to content

Read the West Book Club: The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman

In 1851 Olive Oatman was a 13-year-old pioneer traveling west, with her Mormon family. Within a decade, she was a white Indian with a chin tattoo, caught between cultures. The Blue Tattoo tells the harrowing story of this forgotten heroine of frontier America. Oatman’s story has become legend, inspiring artworks, fiction, film and radio plays. …

Sunday Spotlight: Tattoo Artist Richard Curtis

Explore the traditions and artistic expressions in Tattooing: Religion, Reality and Regret. Grab a stool and listen to invited artisans discuss their craft. Hear from tattoo artists and tattooed living canvases as they discuss their art, influences and inspiration. From there venture into the galleries and enjoy the exhibition at your own pace. Free for …

Brown Bag Lunch Series: Tattooing: Religion, Reality and Regret

Tattooing is a custom dating back thousands of years in North America. Traditionally, women and men used them to visually express tribal affiliation and war honors, as well as connections to divine beings, maturity rites and social and religious affiliation. These expressions of identity continued with the person after death — ensuring their place in …

Brown Bag Lunch Series: A Brief Overview of Body Modification and Tattoos

All cultures practice some type of body modification, be it body painting, piercing, tattooing, scarring or re-shaping. In many cultures, body modification is done to indicate social position, family affiliation, marital status, identify with a particular ethnic or gender group, perform a rite of passage, ward off or invoke the spirits, or to transfer information. …

Sunday Spotlight: Living Canvas Jabee, musical artist, EMMY Award winner, entrepreneur and community activist

Explore the traditions and artistic expressions in Tattooing: Religion, Reality and Regret. Grab a stool and listen to invited artisans discuss their craft. Hear from tattoo artists and tattooed living canvases as they discuss their art, influences and inspiration. From there venture into the galleries and enjoy the exhibition at your own pace. Free for …

Brown Bag Lunch Series: Southeastern Tattoo Traditions

An Indigenous tattoo revival is in full swing all over the world. J.P. Johnson will discuss the importance of ceremonial tattoo traditions amongst tribal peoples of the Southeast but, more specifically, Cherokee tattooing and the reclaiming of Cherokee identity through ceremony. J.P. Johnson has worked with the Cherokee nation for 13 years teaching language and …

Brown Bag Lunch Series: Inuit Traditional Skin Markings

Traditional Tattooer Holly Mititquq Nordlum discusses Inuit people, place, history, colonization, healing and wearing sacred markings in a modern context. Nordlum is one of a few women internationally bringing back Inuit markings to her people and working with the next generation. (Nordlum will speak via Zoom from Anchorage, Alaska.) Bring your lunch or purchase one …

Homeschool Day

Enjoy an exciting day of learning and exploring! See galleries filled with Western art and artifacts. Explore Liichokoshkomo’, an outdoor interactive, multi-cultural education space that introduces the American West through science, technology, engineering, arts, math and citizenship in an immersive hands-on, minds-on environment. Students can: Visit Native American dwellingsView Western vistasExplore the playgroundLearn about ancient …

Sunday Spotlight – Living Canvas

Explore the traditions and artistic expressions in Tattooing: Religion, Reality and Regret. Grab a stool and listen to invited artisans discuss their craft. Hear from tattoo artists and tattooed living canvases as they discuss their art, influences and inspiration. From there, venture into the galleries and enjoy the exhibition at your own pace. Free for …

Tattoo Artist in Residence: Richard Curtis

Explore the traditions and artistic expressions in Tattooing: Religion, Reality and Regret. Grab a stool and watch invited artisans in action. Artist-in-Residence Richard Curtis will tattoo a living canvas. Observe the tattoo process and watch artwork come to life! From there venture into the galleries and enjoy the exhibition at your own pace. Free for …

Stay Connected

Sign up for our e-newsletter