Autry Museum of the American West facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Former name | Autry National Center |
|---|---|
| Established | 2003 |
| Location | 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park Los Angeles, California |
| Type | Western and American Indian |
.jpg)
The Autry Museum of the American West is a cool place in Los Angeles, California. It's a museum that teaches everyone about the history of the American West. It opened in 1988 and shows many different exhibits and fun programs. You can see lectures, movies, plays, festivals, family events, and music here. The museum also does important research and helps with education. About 150,000 people visit the Autry Museum every year.
In 2013, the museum updated its art galleries. The new design lets them show art in new ways. Paintings are now displayed next to crafts, photos, and videos. This helps visitors see how different art forms connect to each other.
Contents
Where to Find the Autry Museum
The Autry Museum of the American West has two main spots. They are about 8 miles apart:
- Griffith Park – This is the main museum building. It's located at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, California, 90027.
- Mt. Washington – This spot used to be the Southwest Museum of the American Indian building. It also has a special garden with plants used by Native Americans. This location is now closed to the public.
- Resources Center – This is a storage building in Burbank. It has a special room for Native American people to use items from the collection in their ceremonies.
History of the Autry Museum
The Autry Museum was started in 1988 by a famous actor and businessman named Gene Autry. He wanted to create a place to explore the full story of the American West. This includes its many different cultures and how important the West has been.
The museum's collection in Griffith Park is huge! It has 21,000 paintings, sculptures, costumes, and other cool items. You can also see firearms, tools, toys, and musical instruments. The museum features both old and new exhibits. It also has programs for kids all year long. Plus, there's a special theater series called Native Voices at the Autry.
In 2003, the Autry Museum took over the Southwest Museum of the American Indian. This added many more Native American artifacts to its collection.
In 2010, the Autry Museum received important historical records about rodeo events. This made it a top place for learning about rodeo history.
The museum is right across from the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park. In 2013, the Parks Gallery was updated. It now has three main themes: Religion and Ritual, Land and Landscape, and Migration and Movement. The museum also has two smaller galleries that change their exhibits often.
The Gamble Firearms Gallery was also updated in 2013. It now shows how firearms were used in the Old West. The guns are grouped by themes like hunting, new technology, and how the West is shown in movies. This gallery is part of a bigger exhibit called Western Frontiers: Stories of Fact and Fiction.
From 2004 to 2015, the museum was known as the "Autry National Center of the American West." But in October 2015, it changed its name back to "Autry Museum of the American West." This was to show that its main focus is being a museum.
Since 2019, the Autry Museum has hosted events for Indigenous Pride LA. These events celebrate LGBT+ Pride within Indigenous communities.
Amazing Collections at the Autry
The Autry has an incredible collection of Native American art. It's called the Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection. It's one of the biggest and most important collections of Native culture in the United States. Only the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian has more.
This collection has 238,000 pieces! This includes 14,000 baskets, 10,000 ceramic items, and over 6,300 textiles. There are also more than 1,100 pieces of jewelry. These items come from Indigenous peoples all the way from Alaska to South America. The collection especially focuses on cultures from California and the Southwestern United States.
The Library and Archives of the Autry is also a great resource. It includes the Braun Research Library and the Autry Library. This part of the museum helps people do research on Western history and art. In 2002, the Women of the West Museum from Colorado joined the Autry. This added more focus on the experiences of women in the American West.
Special Programs
Since 1995, Native Voices at the Autry has been a unique theater program. It's the only one that focuses only on new plays written by Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nation playwrights. Randy Reinholz, who is a member of Oklahoma's Choctaw Nation, and his wife Jean Bruce Scott have led this program for 20 years.
Native Voices has put on over 34 full plays. They have also gone on more than 20 tours. They have held 23 new play festivals and helped 13 Native playwrights. This program is a very important part of the Autry's goal. It helps share the art, history, and cultures of the American West.
