A grant from the American Art Program to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City will support Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World, an exhibition that will shed light on the history and culture of the ancient Spiro people, “one of the most unique civilizations in all the Americas.”

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is excited to announce that it has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support the exhibition, Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World and the accompanying publication, Recovering Ancient Spiro: Native American Art, Ritual, and Cosmic Renewal.

The grant has been approved through the Foundation’s American Art Program, which was established in 1982 to support museums, universities and arts organizations in their efforts to advance the understanding and experience of American and Native American visual arts through research, exhibitions, publications and collection projects.

“Here at The Cowboy we are extremely honored to be awarded a Henry Luce Foundation grant in support of our Spiro and the Art of the Mississippian World exhibition and the accompanying publication,” said Museum President & CEO Natalie Shirley. “The uniqueness and vast social importance of Spiro needs to be shared with the world, and the support and generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation will help make that possible.”

The Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma is one of the United States’ most important ancient sites, and this exhibition will be the first major presentation on the Spiro Mounds ever undertaken by a museum. It will share the art, history and culture of the Spiro people from humble beginnings to its rise as one of the most highly developed societies in all of the Americas.

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