Autry Museum of the American West facts for kids
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| Former name | Autry National Center |
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| Established | 2003 |
| Location | 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park Los Angeles, California |
| Type | Western and American Indian |
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The Autry Museum of the American West is a cool museum in Los Angeles, California. It's all about exploring the rich and diverse history of the American West.
Opened in 1988, the museum offers many exciting things to see and do. You can explore different exhibits, enjoy public programs, and even attend special events. These events include lectures, movies, theater shows, festivals, and music. The museum also does important research and educational outreach. About 150,000 people visit the Autry Museum each year.
In 2013, the museum updated some of its main art galleries. They redesigned the Irene Helen Jones Parks Gallery of Art and the Gamble Firearms Gallery. In the Parks Gallery, art is now shown by themes, not just by when it was made. This means you might see paintings next to crafts, photos, or videos.
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Where is the Autry Museum?
The Autry Museum of the American West has two main locations in Los Angeles:
- Griffith Park: This is the main museum building. You can find it at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, California, 90027. It's right across from the Los Angeles Zoo.
- Mt. Washington: This location used to be the Southwest Museum of the American Indian building. It also had an ethnobotanical garden, but it is now closed to the public.
In 2022, the museum opened a special storage building in Burbank, California. This facility holds all the museum's collections, including items from the Southwest Museum of the American Indian. It even has a special space for indigenous people to use items from the collection in their ceremonies.
A Look Back: Museum History
The Autry Museum was started in 1988 by the famous actor and businessman Gene Autry. It was first called the "Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum." His goal was to share the full story of the American West and its many cultures. He also wanted to show how important the West is.
The museum's collection in Griffith Park is huge! It includes 21,000 items like paintings, sculptures, costumes, and old tools. You can also see toys, musical instruments, and more. The museum has both old and new exhibits. It also offers 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 important Native American artifacts to its collection.
The Parks Gallery, which is 4,000 square feet, was updated in 2013. It's now divided into three main themes:
- Religion and Ritual
- Land and Landscape
- Migration and Movement
The main museum also has two smaller galleries with changing exhibits.
The Gamble Firearms Gallery was also renovated in 2013. It now helps visitors understand how firearms were used in the Old West. Guns are grouped by themes like hunting, new technology, and how the West is shown in movies. This gallery is part of a larger exhibit called "Western Frontiers: Stories of Fact and Fiction Gallery."
Amazing Collections to Explore
- Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection: This collection of Native American art is one of the most important in the United States. It's second only to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian. It 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 from Alaska all the way to South America. It especially focuses on cultures from California and the Southwestern United States.
- Library and Archives of the Autry: This is a research center for people who want to study Western history and art. It includes the Braun Research Library and the Autry Library. In 2002, the Women of the West Museum joined the Autry. This helped the museum focus more on the experiences of women in the American West.
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 job is being a museum.
Exciting Programs and Shows
Since 1995, Native Voices at the Autry has been a unique theater program. It's the only theater group that focuses only on new plays written by Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nation playwrights. Randy Reinholz, who is part 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 and gone on more than 20 tours. They have also held 23 new play festivals and supported 13 Native playwrights. This program is a very important part of the Autry's goal to share the art, history, and cultures of the American West.
