The Journey Museum and Learning Center, in partnership with the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit, Painted Lodges of the Blackfeet Nation. The exhibit will open to the public on February 16 and will be on view through May 5, 2024. Admission to this exhibit is free.

This exhibition explores the rich history and art of Blackfeet painted lodges, or tipis. Blackfeet artists Victor Pepion and Cecile Last Star (Black Boy) created paintings depicting dozens of traditional painted tipis during the 1930’s -1940’s. Cecile Black Boy collected and transcribed the traditional stories of many Blackfeet painted tipis as part the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Writers’ Project. Both the original paintings and the manuscripts are now held in the collection of the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning, MT.

Presenting the vibrant and detailed paintings side by side with the stories full of traditional indigenous knowledge allows the public to appreciate the complex and deeply rooted meaning behind these traditions. The exhibition seeks to cultivate a deep respect and appreciation for the work of talented artists and culture bearers who have continued this tradition for centuries.

The Journey Museum and Learning Center is home to the Sioux Indian Museum, operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board. The Sioux Indian Museum displays an extensive array of historic clothing plus horse gear, weapons, household implements, cradleboards, and toys. A series of promotional sales exhibitions introduce unsurpassed contemporary Sioux Indian arts and crafts by emerging artist. The museum was founded in 1939 through the cooperation of the Federal and Rapid City governments.