American Indian Cultural Center & Museum
At the center of the continent and in the heart of Indian Country, a dynamic center of history, culture and the arts is on the rise. Architecture, landscape, people and programs combine into a remarkable place for understanding, sharing and honoring the unique experience of the American Indian in Oklahoma. Envisioned as a world-class destination, the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum will stand as a vibrant forum where the values of American Indian life can be expressed through arts, language, dance, music, literature, crafts and other traditions that are alive today in the Indian communities throughout Oklahoma. Located on the Oklahoma River east of downtown Oklahoma City, the site is strategically positioned at the junction of Interstates 35 and 40, referred to as the “Crossroads of America.”
Exhibitions Smithsonian Quality Collections Family Discovery Center Film & Performance Venues Gathering & Performance Forum Orientation Theater Oral History Theater
Cultural Center & Museum Exhibitions
The American Indian Cultural Center & Museum's exhibits combine exceptional design, architecture, collections, living culture, and powerful multimedia experiences to deliver a one-of-a-kind educational and entertaining experience. Permanent exhibitions complement the dynamic educational and public programming while changing exhibitions offer a truly evocative, stimulating, and inspirational experience to all visitors.
Through Native voices and perspectives, the permanent core exhibits reflect upon the history, shared values, and contemporary culture of Oklahoma’s diverse and vibrant tribal community. Interactive elements allow visitors to listen to poignant oral histories and to share their own voices and experiences. Poetic but powerful multimedia experiences invite visitors to explore the spirit and ethos of Native cultures, imparting a message of integrity, respect and universal values.
Smithsonian Museum-Quality Collections
There is an opportunity for a unique array of artifacts to be selected by Oklahoma tribes from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian collection to serve as portals to the spirit and voice behind the important and continuing stories of Native American communities in Oklahoma.
Family Discovery Center
The immersive environments of the Discovery Center offer families an active setting to engage in exploratory learning. Opportunities abound for learning and using Native languages, understanding Native experiences, and connecting to the natural world. In the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum's Family Discovery Center children work with museum docents to create Indian crafts inspired by traditional and contemporary Native culture.Upstairs, a series of classrooms and an interactive resource library allow visitors and the local community to further explore their interests and local, regional, and national resources.
Film & Performance Venues
There are four film & performance venues in the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum. The North Gallery Theater offers a venue for the signature American Indian Cultural Center & Museum film as well as special film screenings and rotating programming. Additional film and performance spaces are available indoors in the South Gallery.
The North Gallery’s signature American Indian Cultural Center & Museum's film connects the indoor and outdoor visitor experience through its emotional and universal approach to the Native connection between humanity and nature. Lush images and sweeping panoramas of Indian Country combined with powerful narrative and provocative messages offer an unforgettable look at the spirit and ethos of traditional and contemporary Native life and perspective.
Gathering and Performance Forum
The East Wing’s Gathering Forum provides a venue for programmed and impromptu community performances, small-scale film screenings, presentations, and lectures. The Forum also provides a special display space for changing exhibits, children's artwork and pieces crafted in the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum's artist studios.
Orientation Theater
As the introduction to the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum, visitors can locate the features and site-wide elements of the Center on an interactive digital model representing the Cultural Center, Museum, and Cultural Park.
Complementing this physical orientation experience is an insightful film program that welcomes the visitor to the history, ethos, and themes of the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum project.
Oral History Theater
Integrated into the core exhibit experience is a moving production that captures the people and voices of Oklahoma’s tribal community. Through storytelling and reflection, these passionate voices tell a collective and poignant story, transcending and connecting their historical and contemporary experiences.
Museum Café
Nestled between the Family Discovery Center and the Forum, the Museum Café offers a space for families and visitors to rest and enjoy delicious and unique cuisine. A connecting outdoor patio allows visitors to experience the natural gardens and landscape.