First Americans Museum

[Laramie]

Pete what is the approximate indoor square footage?

The $175 million, 175,000-square-foot museum is designed to Smithsonian Institution standards. Features will include a Smithsonian and Tribal Nations galleries; artifacts from the Smithsonian collections will be displayed.--Oklahoman, December 12, 2019

[Pete]

From the FB page of Teitsort, the glass manufacturer:

[Laramie]

Thank you Pete, for these impressive pics. Really want to see how impressive this museum will look at night. Also what the Chickasaws will do with those 100 acres given them by OKC for completion of FAM.

[btmec]

I'm ¼ Cherokee. My dad's mom was full Cherokee. Growing up with my heritage, family stories, etc was great but this museum has to be interesting to non-native Americans, or else it will fail. Look at what makes a museum interesting for white people, mummies, fossils, weapons, things that take you back in time like old TVs, furniture, etc. This museum needs things like that or else it will fail and will become a huge money pit that taxpayers must support because of white guilt. Looking at a headdress or traditional dress on a mannequin won't pay the bills.

[mugofbeer]

I agree with you, somewhat, but telling the histories of tribes would also be fascinating.

[dankrutka]

I'm ¼ Cherokee. My dad's mom was full Cherokee. Growing up with my heritage, family stories, etc was great but this museum has to be interesting to non-native Americans, or else it will fail. Look at what makes a museum interesting for white people, mummies, fossils, weapons, things that take you back in time like old TVs, furniture, etc. This museum needs things like that or else it will fail and will become a huge money pit that taxpayers must support because of white guilt. Looking at a headdress or traditional dress on a mannequin won't pay the bills.

I'm honestly not sure what you're saying should be include or excluded in the museum based on your post. I can't speak for others, but as a white, non-Native guy, I would prefer to learn about the nations on their terms, as they see fit, not as spectacle or some exotic other. Maybe that's not what you're saying at all, so I'm just sharing what I'm hoping for. We already have one museum in town that does a disservice to Indigenous peoples and nations (National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum). I don't expect we'll get another though.

[LakeEffect]

I'm honestly not sure what you're saying should be include or excluded in the museum based on your post. I can't speak for others, but as a white, non-Native guy, I would prefer to learn about the nations on their terms, as they see fit, not as spectacle or some exotic other. Maybe that's not what you're saying at all, so I'm just sharing what I'm hoping for. We already have one museum in town that does a disservice to Indigenous peoples and nations (National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum). I don't expect we'll get another though.

Ditto.

[Rover]

I'm ¼ Cherokee. My dad's mom was full Cherokee. Growing up with my heritage, family stories, etc was great but this museum has to be interesting to non-native Americans, or else it will fail. Look at what makes a museum interesting for white people, mummies, fossils, weapons, things that take you back in time like old TVs, furniture, etc. This museum needs things like that or else it will fail and will become a huge money pit that taxpayers must support because of white guilt. Looking at a headdress or traditional dress on a mannequin won't pay the bills.

I’ve gone to cultural museums in many countries. It seems like the most popular ones do show artifacts that show how people lived, including dress, food, shelter, transportation, methods of governing, how they defended or attacked others, how they dealt with nature and how they changed in these things through their history. To say that white people just want to see tv stuff is insulting to all those seeking to better understand history and civilizations.

[dankrutka]

Also, it's really important to show the nation's today. A lot of Oklahomans have been deeply miseducated about Indigenous peoples and nations. I know I was and I've had to unlearn so much. I have a college educated friend who grew up in Norman and seriously said to me, "it's not like Native Americans are still around." He had ingested years of stereotypes of Native Americans as wearing feathers and living in teepees to the point that he thought that's what it meant to be Native. Social studies standards and textbooks basically ignore Indigenous histories after 1890 and—like the crappy End of the Trail statue at NCWHM (the museum had to add a plaque clarifying why the statue is messed up)—treat Indigenous nations as defeated relics of the past, not as surviving and thriving sovereign nations in the present. I've recommended it before, but if you haven't read Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz' (she grew up in Harrah, Oklahoma) An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States here's a free PDF of the entire book.

[Rover]

Yes, the ignorance of how recent the cruelty was is just astounding. In my lifetime, I remember going as a grade school kid on a field trip to Chilocco Indian School up by Newkirk where tribal youth were TAKEN after being stolen from their families on the reservation and brought to this isolated boarding school where they were to be taught white-man ways and skills. I remember the talk about how they kept them from running away.... like a prison. But then again, discrimination against African Americans was legal in the US until 1964 also. People in the US who are younger than about 60 tend to believe the whitewash they hear because they didn't witness it personally and they seemingly only hear the history written by the dominants.

[dankrutka]

Unfortunately, the state of Oklahoma has completely failed to be a leader on developing, adopting, and teaching accurate Indigenous social studies curriculum. Instead, states like Washington, Oregon, and Montana have led. There's a lot of quality curriculum being developed by those states, Indigenous social studies scholars, and the National Museum of the American Indian, but I do not see that curriculum making it's way into enough Oklahoma classrooms.

[mugofbeer]

Maybe l missed it but about when is this planned to open?

[Pete]

Maybe l missed it but about when is this planned to open?

September 2021.

[Plutonic Panda]

6 months out from opening:

“ Opening Day

September 18, 2021 The 175,000 square foot museum will showcase state-of-the-art exhibitions in First American history, culture, and art; live public and educational programs; a family discovery center with immersive family-friendly activities; a full-service restaurant presenting unique Native inspired cuisine; and a museum store featuring authentic one-of-a-kind hand-made items or products by premiere First American artists.”

- https://www.visitokc.com/listings/fi...n&utm_term=fam

[Oski]

Pete, do you have new photos of the venue?

[5alive]

That area needs a planting of trees, trees and then more trees!!!

[bigsmooth]

That area needs a planting of trees, trees and then more trees!!!

I agree. Imagine what it would be like now if they would've planted trees within the first few years of starting the project.

[Pete]

Pete, do you have new photos of the venue?

Not much has changed on the outside since my last drone shots.

I'll keep my eyes open for interior progress photos.

[Plutonic Panda]

Pete, has anything regarding commercial development around the museum moved forward?

[Pete]

Pete, has anything regarding commercial development around the museum moved forward?

No, that is merely conceptual at this point.

We'll see if that changes once the museum opens this fall.

[Pete]

This is from Mayor Holt's Twitter account:

[Anonymous.]

Imagine the heating and cooling bills here! lol

[Rover]

Imagine the heating and cooling bills here! lol

There's a lot of mitigation with different glasses these days. Some are pretty energy efficient.

[catch22]

There's a lot of mitigation with different glasses these days. Some are pretty energy efficient.

Since you do HVAC (I think) in a space like this, where the upper portion is not used, will the cool air naturally stay near the occupied space in the bottom? Or would they have to spec the system to cool that entire volume? Is it large enough for thermodynamics to keep the cooler air low without having to cool the whole space?

[Rover]

Since you do HVAC (I think) in a space like this, where the upper portion is not used, will the cool air naturally stay near the occupied space in the bottom? Or would they have to spec the system to cool that entire volume? Is it large enough for thermodynamics to keep the cooler air low without having to cool the whole space?

Hotter air will always rise, but a mass of hot air sitting above can be a problem too.... like when heat builds up in your attic. That's why they have attic ventilation. I am sure they have a pretty robust re-circulation and fresh air system.