(January 8th, 2025 Los Angeles, CA) -The Autry Museum of the American West is proud to announce its slate of 2026 exhibition. The museum will be opening five new exhibitions in the new year. From February 14th through March 29th, view Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents on display in the Marilyn and Calvin Gross Gallery. Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents traces the parallel rise of Southern California and the Southwest as hubs of artistic innovation—and the lasting impact of these legacies on how we see and experience these places still.

Around the turn of the twentieth century, artists seeking subject matter that felt at once recognizably American yet untainted by the industrial modernism of East Coast cities flocked to places like Laguna Beach in Southern California, or Taos and Santa Fe in Northern New Mexico. By showcasing historical work alongside contemporary art that reimagines these traditions, Desert Dreams and Coastal Currents speaks to the ongoing exchange between art and place that continues to influence how we see the West today.

In March of 2026, the Irene Helen Jones Parks Gallery of Art will house Miss Velma in the City of Angels. The installation will be situated within the "Religion and Ritual" section of the ongoing Art of the West exhibition the exhibition will display two custom-made dresses designed for and worn by Miss Velma, who was a co-founder of the Universal World Church in Los Angeles.

Famous for her theatrical sermons that captured the imagination, Miss Velma is an example in a long line of charismatic individuals with media-savvy showmanship who have been a hallmark of LA’s new religious movements.

On May 30th, as a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the declaration of independence, Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles will open in the Marilyn and Calvin Gross Gallery. The exhibition is a collection of stories and histories and how the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness have manifested throughout these histories. Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles shares the stories of diverse Angelenos and how their ideas of life, liberty and happiness inspired the city’s growth and amplified the opportunities and contradictions expressed in the nation’s founding principles. Historical and contemporary objects, media, and art combine with community collaborations to bring this history alive.

In September Promised Lands: California's Unratified Treaties and Native Resilience opens in the Samuel & Minna Grodin Gallery. Promised Lands: California's Unratified Treaties and Native Resilience explores the history of federal treaties and the complexities of treaty history in California. Through archival materials, contemporary objects, images, and voices from local tribal communities, visitors will gain a more nuanced understanding of our state's history as well as an appreciation for the strong sense of place felt by community members.

In November Takes Care of Them will open. Dyani White Hawk’s (Sicangu Lakota) 2019 print series, Takes Care of Them, reflects on Lakota women’s roles in four areas: Wówahokuŋkiya (Lead); Wókaǧe (Create); Nakíčižiŋ (Protect); and Wačháŋtognaka (Nurture). Each large-scale print features a Lakota dress adorned differently, emphasizing uniformity while celebrating the complexity of this important garment.

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