INDIANAPOLIS — A major new exhibition coming to Indianapolis explores how diverse religious influences shaped the cultures of the American West, and how the West itself impacted people’s beliefs. Organized by the New-York Historical Society, the exhibition Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West opens April 20 at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, and remains on view through Aug. 4.
Featuring thought-provoking artworks, cultural belongings, exhibit panels and displays evoking historic sites and scenes, Acts of Faith is an exploration of many religious beliefs and spiritual practices of the peoples who lived in or moved to the American West, spanning more than 200 years and connecting to the present day. Protestant missionaries and Catholic communities, African American migrants who were formerly enslaved and started new lives in the West, Jewish traders in the West, Latter-day Saints bound for Utah, Chinese immigrants honoring their ancestral religious practices, and a Muslim community today — their stories and those of numerous other groups are interwoven through the exhibition.
Supplementing the New-York Historical Society’s works will be art from the Eiteljorg’s own collections reflecting how diverse religious beliefs in the West have been maintained and yet adapted through the 19th and 20th centuries until today.
Further enlivening the New-York Historical Society’s acclaimed traveling exhibition are several artworks the Eiteljorg Museum acquired recently — some of which have not been on exhibit before. They include works by Angela Ellsworth, Thomas Kiefer, Ivan McClellan, and Rupy C. Tut.
Through the wide-ranging Acts of Faith exhibition, Eiteljorg visitors will see parts of their own stories, ancestries or practices reflected — and learn something new about other traditions and spiritualities. Although religion can be a contentious topic, the exhibition engages with the sincerely-held beliefs of many groups, and emphasizes the importance of respectful dialogue. The Eiteljorg worked with a local advisory committee comprised of representatives of many different faith traditions who have provided valuable guidance to the Eiteljorg in serving as the local venue for the New-York Historical Society’s traveling exhibition.
One local component of the exhibition is a new ceiling mobile installation, Signs of Life, created by artist Kyle Ragsdale in partnership with the Harrison Center for the Arts. As part of a community art project, the installation includes art created by museum visitors, who painted representations of their faiths and spiritualities onto cardboard circles that are attached to the mobile.
A companion book, Religion and the American West, is available in the Eiteljorg Museum Store.
While on view in the museum’s special exhibitions gallery, Acts of Faith will be included with regular Eiteljorg Museum admission; members have free admission. Pre-purchase tickets online are $20 for general admission, $16 for seniors, and $12 for youth admissions. Tickets are purchased for a particular day and time.
For more details of the programs and exhibition, visit Eiteljorg.org/ActsofFaith.
