Southern Plains Beadwork Project
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) holds an exceptional collection of Southern Plains beadwork, with particular strength in Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa belongings.
The Southern Plains Beadwork Project is a collaborative partnership with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, First Americans Museum (FAM), and Texas Tech University. This multi-year initiative reconnects these belongings with originating communities and centers Tribal partners in guiding how the collection is studied, cared for, and shared.
About the Project
Our goal is to activate the beadwork collections to support the intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge through the study, conservation, and exhibition of these belongings. Guided by cultural protocols established by Tribal partners, the project prioritizes access—creating meaningful opportunities for Tribal citizens in both Denver and Oklahoma to engage directly with the collection and explore its relevance to ongoing cultural and artistic practices.
The project began with a 2019 collections survey and expanded with the creation of the Avenir Conservation Center into a community-centered initiative grounded in collaboration and shared authority.
In 2023 DMNS curators and conservators, as well as Texas Tech partner Dr. Michael P. Jordan (pictured to the left, in the foreground), visited Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Kiowa communities to introduce the collection and develop the Beadwork Project. In summer 2024, Tribal partners visited DMNS to select 45 belongings to travel to Oklahoma, where they were placed “in residence” at First Americans Museum (FAM). While in Oklahoma, they were the focus of community sharing sessions, were exhibited in remote Tribal communities, and inspired beading workshops led by Tribal artists. A selection of these belongings was featured in the FAM exhibition Sewn Symmetry.
