Exhibition to open in late August
The Watkins Museum of History will soon be the first Kansas site to host a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, “Americans,” after organizers jointly decided to move it from the Haskell museum.
The exhibition was planned to be hosted at the Haskell Indian Nations University Cultural Center and Museum, but plans have changed “after unfortunate federal cuts,” according to a joint news release from the Watkins, Haskell and Smithsonian museums as well as Humanities Kansas on Wednesday.
The exhibition “uncovers the many ways American Indian images, names, and stories have been part of the nation’s identity since before the country began,” according to a previous news release about the exhibition.
“Americans” is slated to be on display at the Watkins, 1047 Massachusetts St., from Aug. 23 through Oct. 25. It will be in the museum’s first floor Community Room.
“We would also like to encourage all of our friends and supporters to come visit the Watkins, where we believe that this exhibit will inspire and educate visitors about our shared heritage, thanks to the generous support of Humanities Kansas,” Travis Campbell, director of Haskell’s museum, said in the release.
The Watkins will also partner with Haskell on a companion exhibit, “A Question of Representation,” according to the release, and exhibition-related events will be hosted on Haskell’s campus.
Other companion exhibits will feature photos of Indigenous people of Franklin County, Kansas, and provide more information about the Sacred Red Rock’s return to the Kaw people, according to the release.
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