Prints of Watercolors by Pueblo Artists
Featured Exhibit
In the early 20th century, tourists visiting the Southwest sparked a new interest in Pueblo art. Native American arts and crafts such as pottery, basket making, and painting made specifically for non-native patrons provided Pueblo artists with a new source of income. At the same time tourists were buying Native American art, Indian Schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) worked to suppress expression of Native American heritage to assimilate students into an Anglo-American lifestyle. Even with efforts by the US government to erase them, Pueblo artists continued to preserve traditional customs and create work that celebrated their culture.
The prints featured in this exhibit are from a portfolio first produced in 1936 and show the watercolors of several of the artists who are associated with the San Ildefonso and Santa Fe Indian Schools. They referred to themselves as the San Ildefonso Self Taught.
Continuous Exhibits
Our Mission: To broaden understanding of what it means to be human both in the past and the present.
Early Humans
Biological anthropology studies everything from human origins to how skeletal structures change based on influencing factors such as environment, disease, and occupation.
This exhibit only goes back in hominin history 5 million years and shows both cranial and post-cranial differences between early hominins and Homo sapiens/humans. The earliest known tools, the development of the early human toolkit through the Upper Paleolithic, and the advent of cultural materials in the archaeological record is examined as well.
Archaeology
This exhibit looks at the four different time periods attributed to objects from the modern-day Missouri region (Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian), and highlights advancements in the technology and materials used as well as the lifestyle of the peoples and their culture. This exhibit has been made in consultation with regional tribes to ensure accuracy of text and understanding of the objects displayed.
Archery
The MoA's archery collection is one of the largest in the world consisting of several thousand pieces of archery and archery-related objects, as well as cultural items depicting archery in one form or another, from six continents. The portion on exhibit highlights pieces from China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia and Oceania, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and the North American Arctic. The exhibit focuses on archery as a common tool used globally for thousands of years, and communicates how different peoples' resources, traditions, and beliefs are combined to create unique material objects.
North America
The largest exhibit area is dedicated to Native American communities in North America. Objects are arranged by geographic region and include both historic objects as well as contemporary/modern ones. This is a space to examine and reflect on the rich traditions of Native Americans. Regions included are the Southwest, Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Northwest Coast and Arctic.
A special exhibit space is devoted specifically to objects related to the Osage Nation whose traditional homelands (among others) the museum sits upon. The labels for this exhibit title each object in both Wahzhezhe and English. The labels and exhibit were developed in collaboration with the Osage Nation.
Rotating Exhibits
Rotating exhibits are on display for a limited time. They feature objects from our Global, North American, and Archaeological collections and touch on a variety of themes.
The Framing of Tanzania and Kenya: The Early 20th Century Safari Experience
The exhibit highlights objects and photographs from the MoA's Sutton Collection. Collected during safari in the early 20th century, the collection is a unique look at African peoples and colonialism. On exhibit through December 2026.
Southwest Prints
These prints of original watercolors by artists of the San Ildefonso Pueblo and Zia Pueblo, are a new acquisition of the Museum of Anthropology collections. They are a snapshot into the era of schools run by Bureau of Indian Affairs and show resilience in the face of attempted cultural erasure. A new set of prints from the collection will be installed in July 2026.
One exhibit through January 2027.
Sport and Play
On exhibit through December 2026.
Explore More
Online Exhibits
Past Exhibits
Covid Heart, print by Norman Akers.
Contemporary Osage Artists
Spring 2024 to Summer 2025
Works by two Osage artists, Norman Akers (Professor of Art, University of Kansas) and Joe Don Brave, blend Osage tradition with imagery personal to their own experiences as members of the Osage Nation reminding viewers that the Native American experience is contemporary and remains rich in history. Both artists work in a variety of mediums, ranging from paint to print and everything in between.
An additional contemporary Osage mural by Yatika Starr Fields can be viewed currently in the MU Student Union.
Mask from Guatamala, 20th century.
Construction of a Persona
Summer 2024 - Winter 2025
In many cultures around the world masks are used to portray who we want to be in a moment. Masks have found a place in performance, ritual, and celebration. This exhibit explored the idea that masks serve as a form of self-portaiture. Masks included ranged from around the globe.
Please Note: The Museum of Anthropology works directly with Tribal Nations to preserve the history of Indigenous peoples whose relationship to this land continues to this day. Although we undertake the care of the material, we do not own the vast knowledge, history, or story they contain.