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Campaign

The Campaign

Campaign Overview

For the past seventeen years, it has been the ambition of Agua Caliente Cultural Museum to build a state-of-the-art bilingual cultural center that will preserve and revive many aspects of the Agua Caliente and other Native cultures. Scheduled to break ground in early 2009, the new Museum will offer thought-provoking and exciting exhibitions, lectures, and workshops.

A Celebration of History, Culture, and Environment

PR402_1.jpgOffering breathtaking views of the desert and mountains, the new Agua Caliente Cultural Museum will welcome annually over 150,000 visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Located on 8.65 acres of leased tribal land at the southeast corner of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Hermosa Drive, the new Museum will be situated one block east of the Palm Springs Convention Center and seven blocks west of the Palm Springs International Airport. Designed by Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects of Seattle, the new Museum and its gardens will make a spectacular architectural contribution to the city in what is to be the cultural heart of Palm Springs. Architect Johnpaul Jones (Cherokee/Choctaw), lead designer for the National Museum of the American Indian of the Smithsonian Institution, is known for creating environmentally-friendly buildings. Using natural materials, the building will reflect elements from Cahuilla culture, including traditional architecture, pottery and basketry. Its setting will offer visitors a glimpse of how the environment has shaped our history and culture.

Just as it was the role of the tribal elders to hold and pass on traditions, the new Agua Caliente Cultural Museum will serve as a new kind of "tribal elder" - preserving the past, documenting the present, and nourishing native culture for the future.  The Museum will be a place of both local and national significance; it will be a place to teach new generations of the rich cultural history of the region.

"Green" Energy-Efficient Building

PR402_C.jpgThe desire of the Board of Directors and the staff of Agua Caliente Cultural Museum to have a "green" building is for two very inter-related reasons. Native Americans are the traditional keepers of the natural resources of our lands. To be a green building is to affect the least impact on the natural resources. The second reason is one of economics. With the escalating energy costs in the US and, in particular, California, all institutions should be seeking ways to curtail this expense. Dollars saved in energy costs will enable the educational programs to be further enriched as those saved funds will further our mission.

A Smithsonian Affiliation

Reflecting the new museum's role as an important regional and national resource, the Smithsonian Institution has welcomed Agua Caliente Cultural Museum as a Smithsonian Affiliate. As one of two tribal cultural institutions in the country affiliated with the Smithsonian, the Museum is poised to become a world-class institution, acting as the west coast educational resource for native and non-native scholars. As an affiliate, the Museum will be able to receive the long-term loan of objects from the vast Smithsonian collections, access the richness of the Smithsonian's vast collections, access the richness of its educational programs and technical expertise, and bring its world-acclaimed exhibitions to the Coachella Valley.

A Multi-Sensory Experience

Designed to create an immersion experience, the Museum will tell the rich and complex story of the Cahuilla cultural heritage.

In the permanent exhibit gallery, visitors will explore ancient, historical, and contemporary Cahuilla culture through multi-media and interactive displays. Visitors will handle intricate baskets, go inside a palm frond house ("kish"), listen to tribal elders tell stories, sit in the Tribal Council chamber, and learn in an Indian school classroom.

Changing exhibits from the Agua Caliente Cutural Museum and from other institutions will feature topics from ancient artifacts to contemporary Native American art. Visitors will enjoy demonstrations of traditional crafts and skills, films, dance performances, storytelling, and lectures. Young people will discover books by Indian authors in the Children's Library, and students of Cahuilla culture will have access to the Museum's collections and archives through digital images in the Audiovisual Lab and Reference Library.

A Crossroads of Past, Present, and Future

With every step taken to bring this remarkable museum to life, the Cahuilla people weave together the many strands of their history; they stand tall at this crossroads of past, present, and future and look forward to sharing this experience with visitors from across the country and around the world.

Museum Features

Tribe Pledges Matching Gift Challenge

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians has contributed $5 million outright to the campaign and offered a challenge pledge of an additional $15 million dollars, matching dollar for dollar all contributions up to $15 million.
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