Crystal Bridges to host two-day Indigenous Art Symposium October 16-17

Crystal Bridges will host a free two-day Indigenous Art Symposium on October 16 and 17, bringing together leading artists, curators, scholars and educators for a national conversation about the present and future of Indigenous art.

Anchored by Crystal Bridges’ recent reinstallation and expansion, which features Indigenous art throughout all galleries, the symposium will examine how museums can re-envision American art history by more fully centering Indigenous sovereignty, materiality and artistic expression across time. Speakers will explore the connections between curatorial frameworks, arts education and broader museum practices, as well as how these evolving approaches can shape the present and future of Indigenous art.

“The Indigenous Art Symposium brings together some of the most influential voices working in the field today to explore how Indigenous art and cultural practices continue to transform our understanding of American art. We are honored to bring these voices together at Crystal Bridges and contribute to a national conversation about the future of museums,” said Jordan Poorman Cocker, curator of Indigenous art and NAGPRA officer. “Indigenous artists continue to create some of the most compelling and influential work of our time. This gathering celebrates their contributions while creating space for dialogue, relationship-building, and a deeper understanding of the knowledge and perspectives that Indigenous communities bring to the arts.”

Participating artists include Jeffrey Gibson, Lola Cody, Melissa Cody, Teri Greeves, Deborah Toyebo, Roy Boney, Bobby C. Martin, Anita Fields, Lehuauakea, Reuben Paterson and more. The symposium will also include curators and scholars from Crystal Bridges, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and other institutions.

The two-day program will open Friday, October 16, with a tour of Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection led by Poorman Cocker and Austen Barron Bailly, deputy director, curatorial and guest experience. Public programming will begin with an artist workshop led by Lehuauakea, followed by Matrilineal Monuments: Diné Textiles in Dialogue with Lola Cody and Melissa Cody, a conversation in which the artists explore intergenerational weaving practices and the lifetimes of knowledge reflected within the art form, moderated by curatorial scholar Alexandria Hawley.

Additional Friday programming will include an activation of Teri Greeves’ Crystal Bridges commission featuring a panel with Kiowa artist Deborah Toyebo discussing Kiowa history; a program exploring Indigenous art and language with Roy Boney, Chris Cote, Lehuauakea and Bobby C. Martin; and Indigenous Art: National Views, a conversation examining collecting practices and exhibition-making within the context of the museum’s expansion and reinstallation. 

Friday will conclude with a community dinner and an all-ages Handgame hosted by Chris Cote, Osage Nation language teacher and Yancey Redcorn, a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and Creative Native Artist Award recipient at the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville.

On Saturday, October 17, artist Jeffrey Gibson will join Poorman Cocker for the symposium’s keynote presentation. Their conversation will include an onstage beading demonstration, offering audiences a closer look at Gibson’s artistic process and the ideas that inform his work.

Saturday’s program will also feature a presentation from the Smithsonian’s Native Knowledge 360° cohort, created through a collaboration between the National Museum of the American Indian, Gibson, the Portland Art Museum, SITE Santa Fe and the Jeffrey Gibson Venice Biennale Teacher Cohort. The cohort, made up of 10 educators from Oregon and New Mexico with expertise in teaching Indigenous arts and cultures, developed accompanying K–12 lesson plans and Sources of Influence resources. 

Programming on Saturday will include a teacher workshop centered on Gibson’s curriculum, a conversation between Maia Nuku and Reuben Paterson offering global perspectives on Indigenous art, and an artist workshop led by Bobby C. Martin.

The Indigenous Art Symposium is free to attend, but advance registration is required. For the complete schedule and to register, please visit the museum’s website.

The Indigenous Art Symposium is sponsored by Trott Family Philanthropies, Mercedes-Benz of Northwest Arkansas | BMW of Northwest Arkansas (Superior Auto Group), Kelly and John David Rainey, Stella Boyle Smith Trust, Cathy and Mike Mayton, Trustees, Demara Titzer, 1828 Capital & Partners, AMP Sign & Banner, Rebecca Hurst and Jim Smith | Smith Hurst PLC, Andrea Albright and Patrick Bannon, James and Jana Ecrette, Jim and Susan von Gremp, Marsha and John Phillips and Evren and Omer Tore.

IMAGE CREDIT: Jeffrey Gibson, The Enforcer, 2024, Ceramic, glass beads, plastic beads, nylon grosgrain ribbon, tin jingles, nylon thread, canvas, acrylic felt, and cold rolled mild steel on a steel plate, 84 × 40 × 24 in., Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2025.1. © Jeffrey Gibson.

About Crystal Bridges

The mission of Crystal Bridges is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 15 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization by philanthropist Alice Walton. The museum’s expansive collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions and five miles of trails featuring public art installations from prominent artists.

The museum is nestled on 134 acres of Ozark landscape and was designed by the world-renowned Safdie Architects. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities, and is the home of the prestigious Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art and Tyson Scholars of American Art Program. Some 558,375 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools. 

Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), a venue for the music, art, and food of our time. Crystal Bridges’ 114,000 square foot expansion opened to the public June 6 and 7, 2026, allowing the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.