Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History

The Museum of Art and History at the McPherson Center will produce an exhibit focusing on Indigenous people and perspectives within conversations around socio-ecological challenges. In collaboration with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Amah Mutsun Land Trust and its young adult Native Stewardship Corps, and the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at UC Santa Cruz, the exhibit will seek to create space for ongoing conversations around community and creative ecologies to help visitors learn, connect, heal, and grow beyond societal challenges. It also will increase public awareness, dispel misunderstanding, and advance initiatives of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, which suffers from historical trauma and marginalization. The 3-year project includes two phases of collaborator-driven programming and multidisciplinary art commissions––the first emphasizing local Indigenous culture, and the second connecting into broader Indigenous experiences.