Many people visit EPCOT and the World Showcase, but a lot of people don’t realize that there are several museums located within the country pavilions. One of those galleries is located in the American Adventure building to the right hand side of the rotunda. Various exhibits featuring American history have been hosted there including the Creating Tradition: Innovation and Change in American Indian Art exhibit that opened in 2018.

Recently there have been some new additions to the exhibit that is featuring Native American artifacts and some contemporary American Indian art. Assistant Producer Jackie Herrera talked about a recently added “Camanche/Blackfeet regalia” from artist Jayne Myers.

“It is amazing to be able to showcase the artistry and culture of each of these different Indian tribes for our guests.”

“The Walt Disney Imagineering Collections Management team worked with the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington, D.C. to bring the current exhibit at EPCOT to life. They also continue to work closely with the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum which is nestled inside the Seminole tribal community.”

Curator Deb Van Horn discussed how important the partnerships have been to the museum:

“This exhibit would not have been possible without our partnerships with the many museums, tribes, and artists featured in the exhibition. These partnerships allowed us to bring the authentic stories to our guests and make sure we are representing the cultures in a respectful and engaging way.

It is really an honor for the Walt Disney Imagineering Collections team to be able to help share Native and Indigenous stories with our guests and allow these groups to really see their stories inside the parks for the first time.”

The museum offers interactive displays that currently feature Native communities from seven regions. This is just a small sampling from the 574 federally recognized tribes and 200+ state-recognized tribes in our country.

Some of the current featured artists include:

Fashion designer Loren Aragon (Acoma Pueblo), noted doll-maker Glenda McKay (Ingalik-Athabascan) and Juanita Growing Thunder (Assiniboine Sioux) from the Growing Thunder family of Montana.”

According to the Disney Parks Blog there will be some new Seminole tribe pieces coming in the new year.

Definitely check out this museum and some of the other ones you can find hidden in the various countries in the World Showcase.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

Source: Disney Parks Blog