San Francisco’s de Young Museum will unveil its newly reinstalled galleries of Native American art on Sunday (24 August). The years-long overhaul project was spearheaded by a group of predominantly Native curators, with contemporary works appearing next to historical pieces—some of them more than 1,000 years old. The galleries will also feature recent acquisitions, as well as new works specially commissioned for the occasion.
“The re-conceived Arts of Indigenous America galleries embody our ongoing commitment to building lasting collaborative partnerships with Indigenous communities to better care for and share our collections,” Thomas P. Campbell, the director and chief executive of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (which oversees the de Young and Legion of Honor museums), said in a statement. “The Bay Area has long been an axis for Indigenous activism, and we are proud that this project honours that legacy by centring the voices of our Indigenous partners.”
The new display replaces an exhibition of Native American art that had been on view since 2017. Two galleries were fully re-envisioned by five curators—Joseph Aguilar, Meyokeeskow Marrufo, Hillary C. Olcott, Will Riding In and Sherrie Smith-Ferri—with help from an advisory group.
“We have opted for a multi-vocal interpretative framework instead of a single curatorial perspective,” Olcott said in a statement. “Our hope is that this will bring a liveliness to the galleries and will re-centre people within the stories of this art.”
A Cup’ig carver’s Wound plug (around 1870-90) Courtesy the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
One of the newly reinstalled galleries focuses on Native California, with rotating exhibits highlighting a specific geographical region. The first of these zooms in on the Hupa, Karuk, Tolowa, Wiyot and Yurok communities of northwestern California (until 6 December 2026). The second gallery widens its scope to all of North America. Ceramics, textiles, paintings, beadwork, carvings, works on paper and basketry are arranged thematically alongside special commissions by Melissa Cody and Cannupa Hanska Luger, among other contemporary artists.
The museum specifically contacted the communities from which the historical pieces on view originate, asking permission to display them—now a requirement under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act—and inviting members to consult on their interpretation.
The two remaining Arts of Indigenous America galleries at the de Young—dedicated to Ancestral Maya art and mural fragments from Teotihuacan—have also been “refreshed”, according to the museum.
Soon after the galleries reopen, the de Young will present its first solo exhibition by a contemporary Indigenous artist, Rose B. Simpson: Lexicon (30 August–2 August 2026). A free, daylong opening celebration for the new galleries will take place on 13 September.
