| On December 2, 1998, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) will host a major gala in New York City-the museum's first large fund-raising event since 1994 when the George Gustav Heye Center (GGHC) opened in lower Manhattan. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the endowment fund of the GGHC. The gala was initiated by the Board of Directors of the Heye Center. The board provides counsel to the museum and is responsible for meeting the $5-million goal to endow the GGHC. "The success of this major event will generate a substantial portion of our endowment goal," says Charles Diker, who with his wife Valerie, chairs the GGHC Board of Directors. "It will also create excitement and expose a new audience to the magnificent Native art and culture available in New York at the Heye Center." More than 700 people are expected to attend the December benefit at the Pierre Hotel. The event will honor three individuals for their contributions to the creation of the National Museum of the American Indian: The Honorable Daniel Inouye, U.S. Senate (HI); Richard "Skip" Hayward, Chairman, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation; and Ted Turner, Vice Chairman, Time-Warner, Inc. All three honorees will attend and take part in a Native American honoring ceremony. NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw will serve as master of ceremonies. The benefit is being organized by a volunteer committee, which has worked for nearly a year on planning the event. The committee has created a number of projects to raise funds for the museum, including the "Honor a Treasure" program, which invited individuals to sponsor rare, beautiful, and culturally significant objects from the museum's collection. |
 |
Welcome to "NMAI Report," a special section of native peoples designed to inform you of the progress and activities of the National Museum of the American Indian.
W. Richard West |
|
NMAI curators selected "treasures" that come from tribes and nations throughout the hemisphere, and illustrate the stories of Native peoples from ten thousand years ago until the present day. Most of the objects have not been published or exhibited for many years, if ever. All of the treasures will be on view at the NMAI on the National Mall when it opens in 2002. Museum-quality photographs of the treasures will be given to sponsors in a special limited-edition portfolio. Many of the treasures will be exhibited at the December benefit. Also produced for the gala is the third in a series of limited-edition photographic journals. The 1998 fund-raising journal, entitled Native American Voices, contains approximately 100 rarely seen historic images from the Museum's photographic archives, each of which will be sponsored by a contributor. Additionally, the hardbound journal which measures 11 inches by 14 inches, contains Native American lyrics collected by ethnomusicologist Frances Densmore (1867-1957) and an essay by renowned flutist R. Carlos Nakai (Navajo). Native American Voices will be distributed to journal sponsors and to guests at the December benefit. The benefit also will include silent and live auctions of works by some of the nation's premier Native American artists (see details on preceding pages). Tickets and tables are still available. Individual tickets are being sold for $1,000 each. Tables are available at $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000 levels. For more information, contact Todd Cain, NMAI, P.O. Box 23473, Washington, D.C. 20026, . |
