Join the Autry Museum on Saturday, November 15, 2025, for the fourth annual Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge. This year’s convening will delve into Plains Indian pictographic drawing and tribal beadwork, examining how these distinctive styles inform the work of contemporary Plains artists, who draw inspiration from the creations of their tribal groups and Ancestors. Featuring knowledge keepers, Native artists, and museum experts, the seminar seeks to empower Native knowledge by valuing diverse voices and examining topical subjects that impact Native communities and beyond.

Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge | Plains Indian Art | Autry Museum of the American West  9am - 3:30pm

The Marshall McKay Seminar is named in honor of Marshall McKay, former chairman of the Yoche Dehe Wintun Nation Tribal Council and the first Native American to serve as chair of the Autry’s board. A primary objective of the seminar is to ensure equitable access to information, specifically for Native communities. To facilitate this knowledge sharing, the proceedings will be held in person at the Parks Research Center and streamed online. The McKay Seminar is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Creative Continuities: Family, Pride, and Community in Native Art, which opens on the same day at the Autry Museum’s Griffith Park Campus.

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