11/08/2026
My ? Relational World
"For the National Museum of the American Indian, this is my interpretation of north, south, east, and west."—Tony Abeyta (Diné [Navajo])
We’re celebrating the Smithsonian's 180th birthday today! In 1989, Robert McCormick Adams (1926-2018), the ninth Secretary of the Smithsonian (1984-1994), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Museum of American Indian (MAI), Heye Foundation, making the National Museum of the American Indian a reality. Thanks to years of advocacy by Indigenous peoples and their allies around the United States, our museum, with its locations in New York City and Washington, D.C., continues to foster a richer shared human experience through a more informed understanding of Native peoples.
Ahead of the groundbreaking ceremony for our building on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in September 1999, supporters received a Save the Date postcard featuring this artwork by Tony Abeyta on the cover. The painting features representations of the four directions with a central beaded disk. When the museum officially opened in 2004, the celebration was the largest gathering of Native Americans—from north, south, east, and west—to date.
Tony Abeyta, the youngest of three children, pursued the arts just as his late sisters did, following in their parents’ footsteps. Their father, Narciso Abeyta, was a well-respected painter and code talker in World War II. Their mother, Sylvia Ann, was a Quaker ceramics artist who also learned Navajo weaving techniques. From painting and pottery, to weaving and silversmithing, the Abeyta family excelled across disciplines. Work by Tony and his family members can be found in museums, including ours, as well as many public and private collections.
Visitors to our location on the National Mall can see Abeyta’s painting of “The Grand Canyon” (2015) currently on view in “Stretching the Canvas: Ten Decades of Native Painting.” Plan your visit. https://s.si.edu/4eLgDfU
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Tony Abeyta (Navajo, b. 1965), “Gathering from Four Directions,” 1999. Mixed media on paper. 93.7 x 80 cm. Gift of the artist, 1999. 25/4996
