Eiteljorg Museum in Indiana, USA

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in downtown Indianapolis focuses on the art, histories, and cultures of Indigenous Peoples of North America and the American West. Its holdings bring together Native American art, Western American painting and sculpture, and contemporary works rather than presenting the West only through historical objects.

Native American Art and Cultural Objects

The Native American collection includes works by artists and communities from across the United States and Canada. Materials and techniques represented in the collection vary widely, reflecting the artistic traditions of many distinct Native nations rather than treating Native American art as a single category.

Named holdings include the Martin J. and Julie Klaper Collection of Arctic Art, the R. Terrance and Rebecca J. Rader Collection of Katsina Carvings, the Donald B. and Jean O. Korb Collection of Navajo Saddle Blankets, and the Helen Cox Kersting Collection of Southwestern Art.

The museum also gives particular attention to Native peoples connected with Indiana and the Great Lakes. Mihtohseenionki (The People’s Place) addresses the histories and living cultures of Native peoples who have called the region home, including Miami, Potawatomi, and Delaware communities. The museum works with Native artists and tribal communities when developing these presentations.

Western American Art

The Western art collection includes paintings, works on paper, and sculpture connected with the American West. Artists represented include Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, and Thomas Moran, along with artists whose work offers other perspectives on Western landscapes, people, and experiences.

Several major private collections have expanded these holdings. George Gund and his family donated Western paintings and bronzes, while later gifts from the estate of George Gund III added works on paper, watercolors, drawings, etchings, and paintings. The museum also received the Western and Native art collection of Kenneth “Bud” Adams.

Contemporary Art

Contemporary work forms a separate part of the Eiteljorg’s collecting activity. Its contemporary holdings include painting, sculpture, photography, beadwork, and other media by Native and non-Native artists whose work engages with Native experience, Western places, identity, history, and present-day life.

The museum’s Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship has contributed many works to this collection. The fellowship supports artists while also creating an ongoing record of developments in contemporary Native art.

How the Museum Developed

Businessman and collector Harrison Eiteljorg founded the museum, which opened in 1989. Michael Duty, hired by Eiteljorg in 1987, served as the institution’s founding director during the construction of the original building and its opening.

Architect Jonathan Hess of Browning Day designed the original museum. Hess later designed the Mel and Joan Perelman Wing, which opened as part of a 2005 expansion and doubled the museum’s public space.

The collections have continued to grow through purchases, donations, and bequests. This development has broadened the museum beyond Harrison Eiteljorg’s original holdings and strengthened its representation of Native American, Western, and contemporary art.

Indian Market and Museum Programs

The Eiteljorg has organized its Indian Market & Festival since 1993. The annual event brings Native American and First Nations artists to Indianapolis to present and sell work in media such as jewelry, pottery, painting, beadwork, and other art forms. Cultural performances and artist interactions are also part of the event.

The museum also presents temporary exhibitions, artist programs, gallery tours, educational activities, and community events. Because exhibition schedules and individual program dates change, the museum’s official website provides the current calendar.

Hours, Parking, and Admission Information

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, Friday hours extend from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The museum lists free admission from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on First Fridays. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

The Eiteljorg is located inside White River State Park. Museum visitors can use the park’s underground parking garage, entered from Washington Street, with free parking offered to museum visitors. The museum is currently a cashless institution for admission and store purchases.

Several admission programs apply to specific visitors. Enrolled members of Native American tribes receive free admission with tribal identification, and students attending Indiana colleges, universities, and trade schools receive free admission with a school ID. Visitors with disabilities are offered an $8 community admission rate, while companions or aides accompanying them are admitted free.

Accessibility and Research Resources

Accessible facilities include ramps and power-operated doors at the main and canal entrances, elevators serving museum levels, accessible parking, and a sensory room on the canal level. Manual wheelchairs and canes are available without charge at the admissions desk, subject to availability. Service animals are permitted.

The museum also maintains the Watanabe Family Library and Stephen and Sharon Zimmerman Resource Center. Its materials support research concerning Native Americans, the American West, and artists represented in the collections. The museum currently lists visits to the library and resource center by appointment, so researchers should confirm arrangements directly before arriving.