10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Family Drop-In Zone and Self-Guided Museum Tour

Museum Lobby

Spend some time in the Drop-in Zone for hands-on learning with Museum Educators and pick up a self-guided museum tour to learn more about California Native peoples and art.

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Arts Festival  

Festival tent on the museum grounds

Functional works of art created by Native peoples have long been appreciated for their craftsmanship and beauty. Contemporary Native artists continue to innovate on tradition, exploring what it means to be Native American in a contemporary American society, creating works that are innovative and modern, as well as works that honor tribal traditions and cultures. The festival is an opportunity to purchase art directly from elite Native artists.

The Autry encourages Native youth artists and the inter-generational sharing of culture and artistic tradition. Look in the artist directory to find youth artists participating in the festival.

In the Festival tent, meet culture bearers from the Ti’at Society and the Tongva Basketweavers Collective to learn more about cultural preservation and revitalization from descendents of the original inhabitants of Los Angeles and Orange Counties and the Southern Channel Islands off California’s coast (Booth C1 and B2)

10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Linoleum Block Printing Workshop and Live Paint with River Garza

Ethnobotanical Garden (enter from museum lower level)

Discover the art of linoleum block printing, using designs created by artist River Tikwi Garza (Tongva), who was inspired by Tongva iconography, basket patterns and elements of his own artistic practice.  

River will be live painting a new art piece on site throughout the festival and you can also see some of his completed work in our exhibitions California Continued: Human Nature and Reclaiming El Camino: Native Resistance in the Missions and Beyond.  

11:30 a.m. | Storytime with Cindi Alvitre

Family Drop In Zone in the Museum Lobby

Cindi Alvitre is a mother and grandmother, and she has been an educator and artist-activist for over three decades. She is a descendant of the original inhabitants of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Cindi currently teaches American Indian Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Cindi will share a reading from her children’s book Waa’aka’: The Bird Who Fell in Love with the Sun.

12:30 p.m. | Tongva Flute Music

Heritage Court (inside the museum)

Tongva culture bearer and artist Lazaro Arvizu opens the afternoon performances on our Festival Stage. Lazaro plays musical instruments that originate in the Los Angeles Basin Tovaangar. His indigenous music expresses the experience of being on this land for many generations and all of his instruments are made of local natural materials.  

1 p.m. | Wildhorse Singers and Dancers  

Heritage Court (inside the museum)

Since 1989, Wildhorse Native American Association has been assisting urban Native American children and adolescents with cultural preservation. Gather around the drum with these talented youth as they demonstrate traditional powwow dance styles and traditional songs.

2 p.m. | EMBERS Young Native Playwrights Festival  (suitable for ages 10 and up)

Autry Theater

For eight weeks, Native students (Grades 7-12) from across the United States and Canada have been learning the art of playwriting. Join Native Voices as they share the works created during this process, ranging from short plays to selected scenes. We invite you to celebrate this next generation of Indigenous Storytellers.

2 p.m. | Hoop Dance Workshop  

Heritage Court (inside the museum)

The art of hoop dance honors cultural traditions from multiple Indigenous communities that first employed hoop dance as a healing ceremony. Today, hoop dance is shared as an artistic expression to celebrate, share, and honor Indigenous traditions. Try your skills in a workshop with world champion hoop dancer Terry L. Goedel (Yakama/Tulalip).  

3 p.m. | Wildhorse Singers and Dancers

Heritage Court (inside the museum)

Since 1989, Wildhorse Native American Association has been assisting urban Native American children and adolescents with cultural preservation. Gather around the drum with these talented youth as they demonstrate traditional powwow dance styles and traditional songs.

4 p.m. | Hoop Dancing with Terry L Goedel (Yakama/Tulalip) and n8tivehoop  

Heritage Court (inside the museum)

See an extraordinary display of artistry, athleticism, and tradition in a multigenerational performance by renowned hoop dancers from the Goedel Family. Each dancer presents their own variation of the intertribal hoop dance, weaving in aspects of tradition and culture. Following the performance, Terry will sell and sign copies of his new memoir “The Circle of Light: A World Champion Hoop Dancer’s Journey to Embracing His Native Roots.”