Native American & Indigenous Studies at PennSaturday, October 10, 2026 - 10:00am
Penn Museum 3260 South Street on the Penn Campus
Indigenous People's Day is a Free Community Day at the Penn Museum! Special programs suitable for families will run from 11 AM to 4 PM. (Regular Museum hours on Saturdays extend from 10 AM to 5 PM)
Honor the nation’s first inhabitants and celebrate the vibrant cultures and enduring traditions of Indigenous communities rooted in Philadelphia. Explore Indigenous art, history, and contemporary perspectives through free programming for all ages, including artist presentations, film, hands-on activities, and more.
Explore the recently opened Native North America Gallery, showcasing more than 250 items from the Museum’s North American collections alongside contemporary Native art pieces. Shaped in partnership with eight Indigenous Consulting Curators and spotlighting first-person perspectives from four areas in the United States, the Native-led stories explored in the gallery offer nuance and complexity to the nation’s story as it celebrates its 250th year. At 10:30, all are invited to an Artist Talk, Multidisciplinary artist Holly Wilson, Delaware Nation Lenape and Descendent of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, was commissioned to transform the Museum’s East Entrance lobby with a large-scale mixed-media installation themed “Native Futurism.” Meet the artist and learn how the artwork weaves her personal history and Lenape heritage and encompasses many aspects of her artistic practice: photography, painting, and metal casting.
At 3:00 there will be a film screening of In Pursuit followed by a panel discussion with Jeremy Johnson, Cultural Education Director, Delaware Tribe of Indians, and Megan Kassabaum, Ph.D., Weingarten Associate Curator of the American Section, and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. See the listing for June 3, 2026 for more information.
For Teachers: sign up to reserve a free Native North American Gallery Educator Resource and teaching poster for your classroom. Pick up during our Free Community Day, 10 am-1 pm (while supplies last).