As the first Native American Museum to be part of the Smithsonian Institution's Affiliate Program, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum is excited to continue its legacy by announcing inclusion in International Museum Day on May 18th, 2017 with a special open house from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Executive Director, Julia Bussinger announced, "Agua Caliente Cultural Museum will join the museum community around the globe to become a hub for promoting peaceful relationships among people, encouraging them to engage in a continuing dialogue about challenge, culture, and identity. International Council of Museums (ICOM) established International Museum Day in 1977 to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of our society."
This evening of free cultural heritage, with native singers, dancers and musicians performing both within the museum and outside on the Village Green, will be held in conjunction with VillageFest.
The evening will include an exclusive viewing of a Native work basket before it is sealed away in secure storage. "This basket has returned home to the Coachella Valley just in time for International Museum Day," said Julia Bussinger. "After a four month conservation project in conjunction with the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the Museum is truly excited to present a unique display of this precious artifact, along with a rare opportunity to meet and talk to its conservator, Marci Jefcoat Burton," Bussinger added. We hope that this free live celebration, rooted in cultural heritage, is slated to become an annual event here in Palm Springs, as well as a lasting part of the global platform for building bridges through the sharing and understanding of a broader cultural heritage.