Two scholars from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. will visit Kansas City area schools, March 22-24, 2010 to bring to life the Native American traditions of basket weaving and storytelling.  Students and faculty will learn from Native American scholars Patricia Gold and Dovie Thomason as they utilize the culture of their tribes to create an interactive learning experience.
Patricia Gold is a basket weaver who combines traditional and contemporary techniques to preserve the art of her tribe, the Wasco Indians. Gold has mastered the art of full-turn twining which allows her to create geometric images and motifs in her weaving.  Dovie Thomason is an author, lecturer, recording artist and storyteller who has shared her Lakota and Kiowa Apache culture with people throughout the world.  Thomason’s stories combine personal experience with untold history to weave a contemporary narrative of indigenous North America.  A list of the schools, times and dates for each program is below.
In addition to visiting schools, Gold will offer a public lecture at Union Station, 30 West Pershing Rd., as part of the Community Curator Lecture Series presented by the Kansas City Museum.  The lecture, titled “Native American Woven Baskets,” will be presented on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 6:00 p.m., and is free of charge.  Gold will explain the importance baskets have to the culture of Northwest Native American tribes using basketry examples from the Kansas City Museum’s Dyer Collection of Native American artifacts.
The Kansas City presentations are organized by The Smithsonian Associates and the Kansas City Museum and are made possible by support from the Haverty Family Foundation and The Kansas City Southern Charitable Fund.  The presentations are part of the “Smithsonian Scholars in the Schools” program coordinated by the Regional Programs department of The Smithsonian Associates. The goal is to take the Institution’s scholars and researchers into local communities where they can share their knowledge and enthusiasm for learning with students.  For more information about The Smithsonian Associates’ Regional Programs, call 202-633-8631 or visit smithsonianassociates.org