EXHIBITIONS

Engaging exhibitions at Agua Caliente Cultural Museum portray the history and culture of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and other indigenous people. Exhibitions draw from extensive collections of archaelogical material, objects of material culture, art, crafts, documents, publications, photographs, and audiovisual media -- historic and contemporary.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS:

What's the Score? American Indians in Sports
Through October 17, 2010

Sports played a prominent role in the traditional life of most Indian communities. Games such as shinny, lacrosse, footracing, archery, swimming, hoop and pole, and various types of football taught survival skills. This exhibition offers a look at Indian sports through the years, including traditional, boarding school, reservation, and professional sports. Notable Indian athletes, local reservation teams, and heroes such as Cahuilla baseball player John Tortes Meyers, catcher for the New York Giants, are spotlighted.  

This exhibition is sponsored by Robert & Renona Pennington.

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Raw Earth and Fire Clouds
Through October 17, 2010

Pottery began with the Cahuilla people long after basketry had reached a high level of artistry. At least 500 years ago, pottery techniques were adopted to supplement baskets as utensils for storage and cooking. Local clays were processed and coiled in shapes to hold water, seeds, and pigments. This exhibition interprets the full spectrum of pottery from clay sources, manufacture, pigments and painting, to firing the finished product.

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PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS:

A Woman of Influence: Flora Patencio – This exhibition is a study of Flora Patencio, a strong leader in the history of the Agua Caliente people. Flora participated in some of  the most important political and cultural decisions of her time.

Cahuilla Culture & History - Photographs, maps, and text tell the story of the early times of the Cahuilla people.  A five minute film entitled Indian Family of the California Desert re-enacts the early Cahuilla traditional life.

Bighorn Sculpture - View Pemtemwhaha, painted by the Museum's Director of Education O'Jay Vanegas, as part of the Path of the Bighorn community art project. The mission of this project is to increase awareness of the plight of the endangered peninsular bighorn sheep of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains.

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OFF-SITE EXHIBITIONS:

Agua Caliente Cultural Museum shares its resources through collaborations with CSU/San Bernardino (Palm Desert Campus), the City of Palm Springs, and othe institutions. Off-site exhibitions offer a unique glimpse of local history for university students and staff, Coachella Valley residents, and visitors.

Facts & Fictions of Ancient Lake Cahuilla - Spanish galleons, fish traps, and a stripe on the mountainside? What do they have to do with the ancient lake that filled the southern Coachella Valley prior to the formation of the Salton Sea? Learn this and more when you visit this exhibition at the Salton Sea History Museum in North Shore, California.

• Salton Sea History Museum
  99-155 Sea View Drive, North Shore

Tahquitz Country - Explore symbols and artwork of the Cahuilla people through designs used in pottery, basketry, and rock art. Take a photographic journey through the heart of Cahuilla territory - home of shaman Tahquitz.

• California State University/San Bernardino
  Palm Desert Campus
  37500 Cook Street, Palm Desert

Since Time Immemorial - This exhibition highlights major events and milestones in the history of the Cahuilla people.

• Palm Springs City Hall
  3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs

Dream of the Blue Frog - This exhibition focuses on the history and lore of the Agua Caleinte Hot Spring from ancient times to the present. Blue Frog is one of the nukatem (spiritual beings) residing in the spring.

• Spa Resort Casino Hotel (location of the hot spring)
  100 N. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs

Additional displays of artifacts and archival photographs are displayed in the hotel lobby of the Spa Resort Casino and the Tahquitz Canyon Visitors Center.

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