Brooklyn Museum

Purpose: Sustaining Cultural Heritage The Brooklyn Museum of Art will use this grant to support two thematic sections of the reinstallation of its world-renowned holdings of pre-Columbian and Native American art. The exhibit, "Living Legacies: The Arts of the Americas," will bring new life to the museum by rejuvenating the 12,000-square-foot Hall of the Americas and will strengthen the museum's connections with its vast multicultural audience. The project will employ innovative interpretive strategies and an array of educational and public programs to greatly enhance public access to the museum's collections. The first section of the exhibit to be supported by this grant is "Ceremonies and Social Traditions," which will present materials associated with religious and traditional celebrations from throughout the Americas, including video footage of a Native American powwow, and indigenous performances and artistic demonstrations. The grant will also support "Creations from the Earth," which will use the museum's outstanding ceramic collections to explore the vital role of clay over the past 5,000 years, with numerous public demonstrations by contemporary potters and a video of Native American artists at work.