James Pepper Henry facts for kids

James Pepper Henry is a Native American museum director. He is also a leader in the Kaw Nation. He was the executive director of the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This important museum opened on September 18, 2021.

Before this, James Pepper Henry led other major museums. He was the director of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. He also led the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was the first enrolled Native American to lead the Heard Museum. He was also the first Native American, besides Thomas Gilcrease himself, to lead the Gilcrease Museum.

Early Life and Family

James Pepper Henry's mother has Kaw and Muscogee Creek family roots. He is an official member of the Kaw Nation. He has always felt a strong connection to Oklahoma and the Gilcrease Museum.

His grandfather, Gilbert Pepper, was a Kaw tribal member. He met his grandmother, Floy Childers, who was Muscogee Creek. They met at Haskell Indian School in Lawrence, Kansas. Gilbert was from Washunga, Oklahoma, and Floy was from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

After they married, they moved to Chemawa Indian Boarding School in Salem, Oregon. During World War II, Gilbert worked as a welder in Portland, Oregon. James's mother was born there.

James Pepper Henry spent much of his childhood with his grandparents. Every summer, they visited relatives in North Tulsa, Oklahoma. His great-grandfather knew Thomas Gilcrease, who started the Gilcrease Museum. Both were members of the Muscogee Creek Nation. James saw Gilcrease's art collection early in life. This experience inspired him to study art in college.

Education and Art Studies

James Pepper Henry went to the University of Oregon. He studied fine arts and art history. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988. At that time, he planned to become a sculptor.

Museum Career Highlights

James Pepper Henry has had a long and successful career in museums. He has helped many museums grow and connect with more people.

Anchorage Museum, Alaska

The Anchorage Museum in Alaska reopened in 2010. James Pepper Henry was its director. This big project took over ten years and cost $110 million. The museum now has a planetarium. It includes a special simulator that shows the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. The museum focuses on Alaska's history and culture. It has both old artifacts and new, interactive displays. These displays show things like the effects of earthquakes. The changes helped the museum show more of its collection. Visitors now spend more time exploring the museum.

Heard Museum, Phoenix

While at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, James Pepper Henry helped create a very popular exhibit. It was called "BUILD! Toy Brick Art at the Heard." This exhibit showed how artists used LEGO bricks to make amazing art. Both Native American and non-Native American artists created pieces. It was the most successful summer exhibit in the museum's history. It made museum attendance go up by 58 percent. Memberships also increased by 150 percent.

Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa

When James Pepper Henry became director of the Gilcrease Museum, he wanted to make it more famous. He also wanted to attract younger visitors. He had plans to improve the museum.

These plans included:

• Adding two new art galleries. One was for the museum's own collection. The other was for special traveling exhibits.
• Building a new main entrance and a large hall. This would welcome many visitors at once.
• Adding underground parking.
• Building a restaurant that would be elevated.

James Pepper Henry resigned from the Gilcrease Museum on April 14, 2017.

First Americans Museum, Oklahoma City

After leaving Gilcrease, James Pepper Henry was hired by the American Indian Cultural Center & Museum in Oklahoma City. He became the director of the Indian Cultural Center (ICC). He also became the chief executive officer of its foundation. He started this new role on June 19, 2017.

The ICC project had been in the works for over 20 years. Construction started in 2006. A visitor center was finished in 2008. The outside of the main building was partly done. But construction stopped for four years because there wasn't enough money. Later, agreements between the state, Oklahoma City, and the Chickasaw Nation helped solve the funding problem. The museum, now called the First Americans Museum, officially opened in 2021.