Dance, art, storytelling highlighted at Eiteljorg on free admission day

Native Pride Productions Inc., led by Larry Yazzie (Meskwaki), performs at the Eiteljorg Indigenous Peoples Day Community Celebration on October 13. Image courtesy Native Pride Productions.

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025

INDIANAPOLIS – During the Eiteljorg Museum’s annual celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 13, visitors can participate in celebrating the vibrancy and resilience of North America’s first peoples. The free-admission event includes performances by the acclaimed dance group Native Pride Productions, curator-led gallery tours, art-making activities and more.

“Indigenous Peoples Day highlights the resilience and vibrancy of Native cultures across North America, reminding us that the first inhabitants of this land continue to thrive in contemporary society. At the Eiteljorg, our free Indigenous Peoples Day celebration invites the community to come together in a welcoming space to reflect on the histories and ongoing contributions of Native peoples,” Eiteljorg President and CEO Kathryn Haigh said.

Native Pride Productions, a dance collective based in Jacksonville, Florida, and founded by world champion powwow dancer Larry Yazzie (Meskwaki), will give three one-hour performances Oct. 13. In addition to storytelling and flute music, the group’s three members will perform various powwow dances, including the Fancy Dance, Grass Dance and Jingle Dress Dance, and share about the cultural meanings of each.

The Eiteljorg is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday Oct. 13; events that day are free. Here is the schedule:

• 11 a.m.: Native Pride Productions performs in the Clowes Sculpture Court
• 12:10 p.m.: Guided tour of the Native American Galleries exhibition, Expressions of Life: Native Art in North America, led by Monica Jo Raphael (Anishinaabe / Sičáŋğu Lakota), who is the Hoback curator of Great Lakes Native art, cultures and community engagement
• 1:20 p.m.: Native Pride Productions performs
• 2:30 p.m.: Guided tour of the exhibition Voices from the Arctic: Contemporary Inuit Art, led by Dorene Red Cloud (Oglala Lakota), curator of Native American art
• 2:30 p.m.: Photo opportunities for visitors with members of Native Pride Productions
• 3:40 p.m.: Native Pride Productions performs.

Throughout the day, visitors of all ages can enjoy volunteer-led art-making activities in the museum’s Eagle Commons. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the Watanabe Gardens and pick up free seed packets of perennials native to Indiana to plant at home.

In the Eiteljorg Museum Store, shoppers can purchase a copy of the Eiteljorg’s newly published book, In the Company of Our Relatives: The Richard Pohrt, Jr. Collection. Focusing on a remarkable collection of Great Lakes Native artworks and cultural belongings, the book features essays by descendants of the Native artists who created the works.

The Eiteljorg’s Indigenous Peoples Day Community Celebration is in partnership with the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis and Kimball Medical Solutions are sponsors.

About the Eiteljorg
For more than 36 years, the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has 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@eiteljorg.com

Tabby Fitzgerald
Digital Marketing Coordinator
317.275.1388
tfitzgerald@eiteljorg.com