Dr. Gwen Saul will discuss the unique foundational history of the New York State Museum’s ethnology collections and present a preview of recent art acquisitions to the contemporary Indigenous art collection. In 1996, the NYS Museum began an initiative to collect Indigenous artwork from artists whose ancestral lands lie within what is now New York. Twenty-six years later, the contemporary Native Art collection numbers over 150 artworks that speak to Indigenous histories and artistic practices. This talk is presented alongside the exhibition opening of “Hobby to History.”

Bio: Dr. Gwen Saul curates the ethnographic collections at the New York State Museum (NYSM). Over the past 18 years, Gwen’s research has encompassed collaborations with Indigenous communities on multi-method community engaged and museum collection-based projects. Currently, she works with Indigenous artists, communities and Nations across what is now New York to curate and develop the state museum’s contemporary Native American art collection.