Native American Heritage Month Family Day at Greenwich's Bruce Museum

November is Native American Heritage Month, and the Bruce Museum will celebrate with a special Family Day dedicated to Native American traditions on Sunday, Nov. 23. In addition to family activities and crafts about Native American life, a live performance by traditional Native American dancers is planned.

“Family days are a longstanding and happy tradition at the Bruce,” says Julie Harrington, Manager of Youth & Family Programs at the Bruce Museum. “Family days provide us with opportunities to not only augment our exhibitions with activities and educational information, but also to celebrate special things like Native American Heritage Month with the community. We are especially excited about the Native American dancers coming to the Bruce for this one!”

The Bruce Museum’s Native American Heritage Month Family Day will begin at 1:00 p.m. and continue until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 23, and will take place at the Museum. The Redhawk Dance Troupe, performing artists from the Redhawk Native American Arts Council who have also performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, will perform from 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m., and will showcase traditional Native American dances from the Eastern Woodlands region as well as from the Southwest.

The traditional Southwestern dances will complement what is the Museum’s newest exhibition at that time, Native American Pottery from the Bruce Museum’s Collection, a noteworthy collection of Native American pottery which includes pieces created by the legendary potter Maria Martinez and her family who are from New Mexico. The Museum’s pottery exhibition opens the day before Native American Heritage Month Family Day, on Saturday, November 22. The exhibition is generously underwritten by Gabelli Funds and the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund.

The Redhawk dancers’ performance will be followed by a question and answer session with the dancers, and families will have an opportunity to create traditional Native American crafts in the Museum’s Education Workshop before and after the performance. All activities are inclusive, suitable for children 5 years and up, and are free with Museum admission. Museum galleries will be open.

The Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for students up to 22 years, $6 for seniors and free for members and children less than five years. Individual admission is free on Tuesday. Free on-site parking is available and the Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities. For additional information, call the Bruce Museum at (203) 869-0376 or visit the website at brucemuseum.org

Contributed photo: A dancer from Redhawk Dance Troupe, Redhawk Native American Arts Council.