AMERICANS

“What we choose to remember and what we choose to forget makes us who we are.”

The exhibition “Americans” at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., is a dynamic multimedia display of history and popular culture that encourages visitors to interrogate the deep and complex relationship America has with native peoples.

Organized as a series of history galleries surrounding a central hall, this 9,200-square-foot space is planned around the location of massive concrete columns, bringing coherence to the circulation and allowing for a big impact moment upon entry. Within the central gallery entitled “Indians Everywhere,” a massive steel armature embraces objects, graphics and media. From Navajo Barbie to the Tomahawk missile to sports merchandise, the diversity and magnitude of objects on display illustrates the ubiquity of American Indian iconography in every aspect of American life. 

Individual galleries entering off the central gallery address familiar, yet often misunderstood historical topics—Pocahontas, the Battle of Little Bighorn, Thanksgiving, and the Trail of Tears. 

The exhibition begins a dialogue, encouraging visitors to question the past, their feelings and personal history, thereby defining America’s future.