This virtual talk explores the imagery and symbolism of Mississippian art and its relevance in ritual activities, cosmological vision, and ideology. This discussion is led by F. Kent Reilly III, Ph.D Professor of Anthropology at Texas State University and Adjunct Anthropology Professor at the University of Alabama, and Eric Singleton, Ph.D., Curator of Ethnology for […]
Mairin Odle, Ph.D., Assistant Professor for the Department of American Studies from the University of Alabama, highlights cross-cultural engagements in Indigenous culture and the role of narrative and memory-making in colonial projects (as well as in Indigenous resistance to those projects). This talk references our exhibition Voices So True: New Native American Art from the […]
On November 20, 2021 we celebrated the rich Indigenous cultural history of Alabama. This free family-oriented festival featured traditional Indigenous cuisine, storytelling, dance performances, various demonstrations from Indigenous makers across our state, gallery tours, art-making activities, animals presented by The Birmingham Zoo, and more family fun to immerse oneself into our region’s vibrant Native American […]
On this ArtBreak, educational and outreach coordinator for Moundville Archaeological Park, Lindsey Gordon shares her career path into archaeology excavation and the role it plays in the state park. ArtBreaks are presented in honor of Joyce Benington’s twenty five years as a docent at the Birmingham Museum of Art. These programs, which bring curators, educators, artists, and creatives […]
The BMA was pleased to welcome Kaywin Feldman, Director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC as the speaker of its 2021 Annual Chenoweth Lecture. Feldman presented Building a National Collection in a Changing Nation. The National Gallery of Art is an institution of intriguing paradox. Founded by millionaire Andrew Mellon to educate […]
Join Ansel Payne, PhD, Executive Director for Alabama Audubon, for an exploration of the bird motifs seen in Mississippian art and its relation to attributes of these native species. This talk suggests interpretation of these motifs by equating them with the nature of these creatures to suggest concepts that validate their symbolic representation in Mississippian […]
For our annual Edward M. and Hermione C. Friend Lecture, we welcomed Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project, an in-person performance of the traditional Jingle Dress Dance followed by a presentation and Q&A discussion with artist Eugene Tapahe and the dancers. “The jingle dance of the Ojibwe people originated during the influenza pandemic of 1918-19,” says […]
Join us for a conversation about how ever-changing ecology impacted southeastern indigenous art from Mississippian times to the present. Sehoy Thrower, an Environmental Protection Specialist for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and Jonathan Davis, a Native American textiles and weaving historian/conservator and weaving artisan, will discuss how these traditional arts have declined with land-use […]
Join curatorial assistant Hina Zaidi for an insider look of the Power Women rotation in the Asian galleries which explores the ways art can help us to look critically at the social standards to which women have been held.
Rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit with a Wellness Workshop by Bama Wellness Advocacy, yoga exercises with Yogi Adi Devta Kaur and a practice an artful approach to mindful meditation over selected art works.
