Department of the Interior Murals

Created as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the Depression-era murals at the Department of the Interior building depict both social and ceremonial aspects of Native American life.

Kiowa painter James Auchiah (1906-1974), also known as Tse Koy Ate, was one of the most prominent artists commissioned to construct murals in the Department of the Interior building in 1939. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Auchiah rose to international acclaim as a member of the Kiowa artist group known as the Kiowa Six. Auchiah's works helped to spread Native American, and specifically Kiowa, art to global audiences. He went on to study art at the University of Oklahoma and completed commissions for the Department of the Interior, the Oklahoma Historical Society, and St. Patrick's Mission School; his work remains in collections around the country.

Get Driving/Transit/Walking/Biking Directions

Explore Sources:

https://jacobsonhouse.org/kiowa-five/

https://www.doi.gov/interiormuseum/Online-Murals-Tour