The 2026 Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge will explore the life and work of Autry President and CEO Emeritus W. Richard West Jr. (Southern Cheyenne). West was the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) for nearly two decades and served as president and CEO of the Autry for nearly nine years. Before becoming director of NMAI, West practiced law at the Native-owned law firm of Gover, Stetson, Williams & West, where he served as counsel to numerous Indian tribes and organizations.

West recently transferred his archives to the Autry for stewardship, and this year’s McKay Seminar will focus on what those records reveal about how West’s career as a lawyer and museum director reshaped Indian Country and museums in the United States and abroad. The two-day seminar will feature local, regional, national, and international experts in the field.