Museum to examine impacts of religion and spirituality in Native cultures and the West

Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, front exterior, downtown Indianapolis
File image

Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

INDIANAPOLIS – Expressions of religion and spirituality among Native peoples and within the American West will be the focus of major projects at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, thanks to a $2.5 million grant the museum received from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment made the grant through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. With the support, the museum will:

• Launch an exhibition about the fascinating variety of Native American tattoo practices and styles that will be on view at the Eiteljorg in late 2026 or early 2027 and then possibly travel to other museums.
• Reinstall the artworks in the Western Art Galleries, which were last renovated in 2018.
• Continue to uphold the highest standards of caring for the Native artworks and cultural belongings that are in the museum’s collections. Having worked to build relationships with Native communities from the Great Lakes region and beyond, the Eiteljorg plans to host convenings of tribal representatives so those tribes can conduct traditional observations of their items and aid in repatriation research.
• Enhance museum guest experiences through conducting evaluation surveys and focus groups about exhibitions.
• Create a dedicated endowment that will earn investment income, from which proceeds can fund future public programs and projects related to religion and spirituality.

“The Eiteljorg Museum will continue to engage our audiences in the exploration of religious and cultural expressions in the American West and among the Indigenous Peoples of North America, developing a better understanding of this complex subject,” Eiteljorg President and CEO Kathryn Haigh said. “We are grateful to Lilly Endowment Inc. for generously supporting this effort that will make an impact for years to come.”

In 2019, Lilly Endowment launched the Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. Its aim is to support museums and other cultural organizations as they strengthen their capacity to provide fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the role religion has played and continues to play in the United States and around the world.

“The United States is widely considered to be one of the most religiously diverse nations today,” Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion, said. “Many individuals and families trust museums and other cultural institutions and visit them to learn about their communities and the world. We are excited to support these organizations as they continue to develop their capacities to help visitors understand and appreciate the diverse religious beliefs, practices and perspectives of their neighbors and others in communities around the globe.”

An earlier $2.5 million Lilly Endowment grant the Eiteljorg received in 2020 through the Religion and Cultural Institution’s first phase enabled the museum to: present the 2024 traveling exhibition, Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West; create a new position for a director of religion and cultural initiatives; host a symposium of religion scholars with the Clements Center for Southwest Studies; and incorporate religion and spirituality into the museum’s reinstalled Native American Galleries that opened in 2022. The newly announced funding is an additional $2.5 million, a second phase of the same grant program.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana, it also funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. While the primary aim of its religion grantmaking focuses on strengthening the leadership and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States, the Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the contributions that people of all faiths and diverse religious communities make to our greater civic well-being.

About the Eiteljorg Museum
For more than 35 years, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art been an integral part of the cultural fabric of Indianapolis and scenic White River State Park. The Eiteljorg Museum explores the intersection of the arts, histories and cultures of the past and present by sharing the diverse stories of the American West and the Indigenous Peoples of North America. Located on the Central Canal at 500 West Washington St., the Eiteljorg is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

Media Contacts
Bryan Corbin
Public Relations Manager
317.275.1315
bcorbin@eiteljorg.com

Katie Warthan
Director of Communications and Marketing
317.275.1317
kwarthan@eitejorg.com