Join us for a screening of the films Petyarre and Atnangkere, two related short films both depicting the search by the artist Gloria Petyarre and her family for a cave that has great significance in the culture of her people. The filmmaker Viviana Petyarre, an Alyawarre filmmaker, shares personal and cultural stories connected to her family and their land. These short documentaries give a heartfelt look into the strength of family, culture, and connection to the land in Aboriginal Australia. 

Embark on a journey through Australia’s cultural landscape with two poignant documentaries that illuminate Indigenous perspectives on art, history, and identity. Mr. Patterns chronicles the transformative impact of Geoff Bardon, an art teacher who, in the early 1970s, introduced Western desert Aboriginal communities to the medium of dot painting. Working alongside the Papunya artists, Bardon facilitated the resurgence of traditional designs, intertwining cultural expression with economic independence. In Too Many Captain Cooks, Rembarrnga elder Paddy Fordham Wainburranga offers a critical retelling of Captain James Cook’s arrival from an Aboriginal perspective.

Mr. Patterns generously provided by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

Too Many Captain Cooks generously provided by Ronin Films

Join Museum volunteer docents for a discussion of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross making connections a selection of artworks and artists featured at the Museum. Participants should have completed the book prior to meeting. Register online for guiding questions that will be discussed at the book club. Arrive early to place a lunch order with the Café! Space is limited, advanced reservations are recommended.

Join us for a compelling conversation featuring William L. Fox, Peter E. Pool Director of the Institute for Art + Environment and Aspara DiQuinzio, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art and the curator of Eternal Signs: Indigenous Australian Art from the Kaplan and Levi Collection. This program explores the deep connections between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork, ancestral knowledge, and the environment. Together, our speakers will discuss how these works communicated timeless cultural narratives, cosmologies, and relationships to land – offering powerful insights into art’s role in sustaining identity, memory, and ecological understanding. Audiences will gain a richer appreciation for how Indigenous artists express ancestral wisdom through symbol, gesture, and tradition in ways that resonate across generations and continents. 

Image: 

Ginger Riley Munduwalawala, Limen Bight River During the Wet, 1995-96. Acrylic on canvas, 53 1/8 x 95 3/8 in. (135 x 242 cm). Collection of the Nevada Museum of Art, gift of Robert Kaplan and Margaret Levi. © Estate of Ginger Riley. Courtesy of Alcaston Gallery, Melbourne. Photo: Zocalo Studios

The Museum is closed today in observance of the holiday. 

Every plant in the surrounding landscape has fought, migrated, and evolved to survive. In the Great Basin, plant communities are diverse and resilient, and Elizabeth Leger’s research lab is focused on understanding what enables individual plants to thrive despite drought, invasion, fire, and grazing pressure. Join Dr. Leger as she shares some of the most surprising discoveries from her work, including moments when her assumptions were challenged.

Enjoy a free screening of this short documentary film exploring the life and work of Carmen Herrera, a pioneering abstract painter in the 40s and 50s. A discussion with Aspara DiQuinzio, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, to follow the screening. 

The Museum is closed on Friday, September 26 in celebration of The Love of Art event.