Mitchell Museum Gallery Tour to Trace Changes in Native Art

Laura McDowell, assistant curator of collections at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston, will lead a tour of the Mitchell's permanent galleries at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 5. The event will survey Native American art forms across North America --  and the forces that have shaped them.

McDowell, an Evanston resident, says the hour-long presentation on the theme "Artistic Changes" will focus on Native art from the Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, Northwest Coast, and Arctic cultural regions.

The tour will touch on the influences of climate and geography, contact with European cultures, forced removal from ancestral homelands to reservations, and developments leading to today's vibrant contemporary Native art scene.

Admission to the gallery tour is included with museum admission, but participation is limited to 30 visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.

Museum admission is $5 for adults, $2.50 for seniors, students, teachers (with valid school ID), and children. Maximum admission per family is $10.

Admission is free for Mitchell members and tribal members. The independent, nonprofit Mitchell Museum is at 3001 Central St., Evanston. For information, phone (847) 475-1030. On the Net: http://www.mitchellmuseum.org.