DC | Always Becoming: Next Chapter
Join artist Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owenge ([Santa Clara Pueblo]), creator of Always Becoming , and the community that cares for the museum's ephemeral outdoor sculpture family, to learn about the project's evolution over the past two decades, and what the future holds. Learn about the art of clay, traditions of sustainability in Pueblo building techniques, and more. Visitors can enjoy family-friendly art activities, dance performances by the Zuni Olla Maidens, watch a short film, and multiple opportunities to hear from the artist, her family, and museum experts that have contributed to the care and revitalization of the sculptures. *Portions of the day's programming will be streaming live online at americanindian.si.edu... SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Level 1, Outdoors 10:30 AM | Welcome Ceremony Join the artist, her family, museum leadership, and tribal elders for a ceremony to honor Always Becoming with a song and brief remarks. 11:30 AM | Closer Look: Caring for Always Becoming Join museum experts in Conservation and Collections Management as they discuss evolving techniques for the care and restoration of Always Becoming . Level 1, Potomac Atrium 11 AM‒4:30 PM | Always Becoming Cultural Connections Cart Museum educators will share the story behind the family of sculptures that make up Always Becoming with items from the museum's Teaching Collection. 11 AM‒1 PM, 2‒4 PM | Hands On: Pinch Pots Visitors will learn about pottery techniques and create their own clay pinch pot with help from museum educators. 11:15 AM, 1 PM, 3:30 PM | Zuni Olla Maidens* Enjoy performances by the Zuni Olla Maidens, a venerated dance troupe from Zuni Pueblo in western New Mexico, equally well-known for singing, drumming and their trademark dance balancing pottery on their heads, as well as being an all-female troupe. The Zuni Olla Maidens were honored by the National Endowment for the Arts as National Heritage Fellows in 2024. (ASL provided for interpretation between dances.) 12:15 PM | Art in Landscape: Redesigning Our Gardens* Landscape architects LaShannon Begay (Diné) and Lauren Brandes (Smithsonian Gardens) discuss native landscaping and share some of the inspiration behind the plans for the gardens surrounding Always Becoming over the coming year. 1:30 PM | Creating the Future: Next Chapter* Artist Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha'p'o Owenge ([Santa Clara Pueblo]) and artist and educator Eliza Naranjo Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo), reflect on creating the future and the lineage of Always Becoming . Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center 11:15 AM | Story Time Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring Shaped by Her Hands : Potter Maria Martinez by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales. Then they're invited to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. *Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3. **Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver. Level 1, Rasmuson Theater 11:30 AM | Film: Always Becoming (2007) Watch a short documentary film created during the initial construction of Always Becoming on the grounds of our museum in Washington, D.C. Runtime: 30 min., open captions 2:30 PM | Closer Look: Caring for Always Becoming Join museum experts in Conservation and Collections Management as they discuss evolving techniques for the care and restoration of Always Becoming . 3 PM | Behind the Lens: Podcast Screening & Talk Filmmaker Kalin "Panther" Steen and team discuss documenting the evolution of Always Becoming over the past year and share reflections on growing up alongside the sculptures and what comes next. Episodes of the newest documentary on the sculptures and the community around them will be screened publicly for the first time. This project received funding from the Smithsonian's "Our Shared Future: 250," a Smithsonian-wide initiative supported by private philanthropy and created to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary and advance the Smithsonian vision for the next 250 years.