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Current Exhibits
 
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Tsate Kongia: Walking in Two Worlds, the Life of Blackbear Bosin

Exhibit Dates: permanent exhibit

The exhibit gives an in-depth look into the personal and professional life of Bosin, one of the founders of the Indian Center and the man behind Wichita's iconic Keeper of the Plains sculpture. Tsate Kongia was Bosin's Kiowa name. It means "Blackbear" and belonged to his great-grandfather, a Kiowa chief. The exhibit includes paintings, photographs, vintage film footage, live audio tapes made by Bosin and interviews with people who were close to him. Bosin was an internationally recognized Comanche-Kiowa sculptor and acrylic/watercolor painter from Oklahoma who adopted Wichita as his home in 1940. Primarily a self-taught artist, Bosin helped enhance a better understanding of his culture by presenting scenes and tales of his beloved Indian heritage beautifully to the world. National Geographic gave Bosin his first national recognition in March 1955 with the publication of his painting "Prairie Fire".​​​​

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    Away From Home

    ​The Mid-America All-Indian Center Museum with a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities is honored to bring to Wichita, KS, Away From Home, a long standing exhibit from the Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ. The show examines an important and often unknown period of American history. Beginning in the 1870s the U.S. government aimed to assimilate American Indians into "civilized" society by placing them in government-operated boarding schools. Children were taken from families and transported to far-away schools where all signs of "Indian-ness" were stripped away. Students were trained for servitude and many went for years without familial contact - events that still have an impact on Native communities today, often with a complex and nuanced response.

    Please join us for a closer look into the experience of the American Indian people and boarding schools.

    The exhibit will remain on display from April 11, 2020 - May 22, 2020.


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    People of the Ice and Snow

    In collaboration with the Wichita Art Museum and one of America's premiere glass artists, Preston Singletary's exhibit, Raven and the Box of Daylight, the Mid-America All-Indian Museum sheds light on their extensive Alaskan art collection donated by the late Mildred Manty. Join us in celebrating the exquisitely rich and vibrant culture of Native Alaska! This exhibit will open to the public on February 1, 2020.​

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    Life in Miniature

    ​A display of dolls in Mid-America All-Indian Center Museum's collection. Opens to the public November 23, 2019.

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    From the Vault

    An exhibit of curated works from the Mid-America All-Indian Center Museum's unique collection. Opens October 5, 2019 to the public.​

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    Objects of Cultural (Mis)appropriation

    ​A gentle reminder that a culture is not a costume. Open to the public Saturday, April 13, 2019.


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    Home

    ​Opening date: November 17, 2018

    An exhibit on Indigenous housing and objects from our collection that remind us of home.


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    Walk a Mile in Our Moccasins

    Opening date: October 4, 2018

    An exhibit in accordance with Rock Your Mocs - a worldwide Native American & Indigenous Peoples movement held annually, and the remembrance of Trail of Tears, "Walk a Mile in Our Moccasins" is a retrospective show of MAAIC's outstanding moccasin collection.​


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    Adorned in Silver

    The original Native American silver smith, a Navajo, learned to work silver and iron, from Mexicans hired by a Trading Post owner in the late 19th Century. Modern jewelers still use many of these early methods. The adaptability of tribes, like the Navajos, who quickly learned from the Mexicans the art of the silver smith, brought the Native Americans to become the most productive, skilled turquoise artisans of the jewelry world. Their products serve as symbolic messengers of the Native American ideals and ways.


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    5th Anniversary of Indians in Aviation

    Join us for the 5th year anniversary of our collected stories that need to be told to the world of how American Indians moved here during the war years to make airplanes for the war effort and then over the years developed a vibrant American Indian community that ultimately became the Indian Center.

About Us

Mid-America All-Indian Center
650 N Seneca | Wichita, KS 67203
P: (316) 350-3340

Hours & Admission | Get Directions

Mission Statement

The Mid-America All-Indian Center serves as a cultural center and museum dedicated to educating people about and preserving the heritage of the American Indian.

This organization received funding for general operational support from the City of Wichita.