Highlands DO!Zeum Hosts Smithsonian Exhibit The Americans

Highlands DO!Zeum Hosts Smithsonian Exhibit The Americans

Gwen Akers

The Ashland Beacon

As America nears its 250th birthday, many of us are taking the time to think about what it means to be an “American.” The Highlands DO!zeum is asking us to think deeper and challenge what we know about the founding of America and the Native American people with their new travelling exhibit: “Americans.”

After a rigorous application process, the Highlands was selected as one of only seven institutions in Kentucky to host “Americans,” a travelling exhibit that originated at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.. The exhibit is a part of the Museum on Main Street project which aims to send travelling versions of museum exhibits to rural areas, bringing knowledge, excitement, and rare artifacts into everyone’s hometowns. This particular display originates from an exhibit curated by Paul Chaat Smith, a curator at the Smithsonian. Working together, the Smithsonian then partnered with Kentucky Humanities and the Kentucky Department of Transportation who have both been integral in making this a reality. The exhibit itself examines the view of Native Americans through media and culture, the founding of what we now call America and the term “American.”

“Indians are everywhere. They are 2% of the population, yet everywhere you go in the United States, you see images of American Indians. Why is that? That’s what this exhibit is trying to get us to answer, and also to think about,” explained Highlands Curator and Registrar, Heather Whitman.

  The exhibit centers around four main themes: Thanksgiving, the life of Pocahontas, the Trail of Tears and the Battle of Little Bighorn, asking viewers to think about the importance of these events in history and in contemporary American life. The exhibit includes artifacts such as toys bearing depictions of Native Americans over the years, art in response to the four themes and historical documents.

The exhibit also hosts a local component, focusing upon the Native American influence and presence in Ashland including the mounds located today in Ashland’s Central Park. Thought to have been created by the Adena people, a group of prehistoric Native Americans also known as the “mound builders,” the mounds are just one example of how Ashland has been influenced by the Native American people and a daily reminder of their impact here.

On Friday, May 29, the Highlands opened the exhibit with a performance by renowned Navajo storyteller, flute maker and musician, Fred Nez Keams. Keams provided audiences with traditional Native American songs, original music and stories from his experiences in a government boarding school and living as a contemporary Native American.

“The exhibit opening was such a moving experience, reading the exhibit panels, experiencing the Native American flute music and hearing the stories of his life growing up in a government boarding school,” commented attendee Teresa Hardesty. “Having this Smithsonian exhibit here in Ashland really opens up a world of new experiences and exposure for our local residents.”

Featuring hands-on activities, interviews, primary sources and more, the exhibit showcases new perspectives and asks us all to think deeply about our past.

“I think it’s important to ask the question, why is Native American imagery so substantial but a lot of them are out west now? Why are they a central part of our culture, and yet, they are not really here, sadly?” detailed Whitman.

To check out the Americans exhibit, visit the Highlands DOzeum Tuesday-Friday from 10a.m-5p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to view the exhibit through July 3, 2026.