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 …
In conjunction with the exhibition Western Wares, discover the diverse ways people adorn personal items. Learn the two-needle applique style of beadwork used by Southeastern tribes during the flourishing period of historic beadwork in the 18th century. Students will bead an iconic design popular during that period. Suitable for beginners to advanced. Led by Cherokee …
Explore the world of Wild West fashion! Find modern examples of classic Western style in the Western Wares exhibition. Discover all the bling and embellishments used on cowboy hats, trousers, blouses and even dentures! Compare and contrast how much fashion has changed since the early days of the cowboy. Design your own paper vest, bolo …
Focus on the fabulous fashions that are represented in Western Wares with Archivist and Exhibition Curator Samantha Schafer. Learn to identify key design elements by decade and how those fashions continue to find new life today. $5; free for Museum members. Click Here to Register.
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. …
When Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) returns home to Shinbone for the funeral of Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), he recounts to a local newspaper editor the story behind it all. He had come to town many years before, a lawyer by profession. The stage was robbed on its way in by the local ruffian, Liberty …
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 …
On the second Sunday of the month, explore your creative side in a fun and informal drawing session. Borrow drawing materials from the Visitor Services desk in the Museum Lobby (while supplies last) or bring your own! Gather with other art lovers to enjoy an afternoon of drawing. Can’t make it to Drop-In Drawing? Drop …
It is Spring Break! Drop by the Museum and participate in family-friendly activities and create a different make-and-take craft each day. No reservations required. Activities are available while supplies last. Free for Museum members or with Museum admission. From wagon trains to family road trips, movement is central to Western history. Design and build your …
It is Spring Break! Drop by the Museum and participate in family-friendly activities and create a different make-and-take craft each day. No reservations required. Activities are available while supplies last. Free for Museum members or with Museum admission.
Inspired by the mini-weavings found in Western Wares, create a pint-sized textile piece of art.
Surprise someone with an old-fashioned illustrated letter. You write the letter; we’ll provide a stamp!
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 …
Journals are a wonderful way to capture the things that are important to us — it can be drawings of our favorite pet or a list for Santa! Decorate and personalize a journal to record your thoughts and plans.
This book is composed of letters written by a young woman who lost her husband in a railroad accident and went to Denver to seek support for herself and her two-year-old daughter. Turning her hand to the nearest work, she went out by the day as house-cleaner and laundress. Later, seeking to better herself, she …
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 …
Join us for a professional development opportunity for teachers (best suited for grades 6 –12) at the National Cowboy Museum in collaboration with the College of Education and Professional Studies, University of Central Oklahoma. This educator workshop focuses on the untold stories of women in the West as featured in This Land Is Herland: Gendered …
Experience the old west in a new way! Watch history come alive as re-enactor Esther Bates shares the hopeful and sometimes harrowing story of the Exodusters and the Black migration from the south to points West in Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado following the Civil War. Send a text 1800s-style with Les Calger and his collection …
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 …
It’s time for a road trip! Open your maps and explore the different railroads, trails and roads of the wild West. Discover the history of the Santa Fe Trail. Create your passport and go on a trip along the famous Route 66 and be sure to collect as many stamps as possible! Take special note …
