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Perry Center for Native American Art at Shelburne Museum
The Perry Center for Native American Art will be devoted to the exhibition and care of the Museum’s collection of more than 500 Indigenous items from 389 Tribal Nations. In planning for the Perry Center, Shelburne Museum was intentional in collaborating with Tribal Nations and culture bearers whose works are represented in the collection. The result is a building and integrated landscape design that honors the traditional stewards of the site and is referential to the many cultures whose items will be housed in the Center.
The Perry Center for Native American Art is planned to be an 11,200 square-foot, highly sustainable structure designed to serve as a welcoming space for Tribal members and scholars to study and engage with the collection and that will reimagine the museum experience for all visitors.
The Perry Center is being designed by Annum Architects of Boston and Two Row Architect of Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, joining together firms with depth of experience in both major museum and Indigenous projects. Landscape design is by Reed Hilderbrand of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a practice with extensive experience designing landscapes that seamlessly integrate with architecture.
Integral to the project is collaboration with over 50 Indigenous partners, who advised on cultural protocols and design considerations and care and conservation of the collection. In addition, insight and guidance about the building and landscape design were taken from listening sessions—a series of Talking Circles—led by Indigenous-owned Two Row Architect that included leadership and culture bearers of the local Abenaki, the traditional stewards of the site, along with Tribal Nations represented in the Museum’s collection of more than 500 items.
Plans call for construction to begin in spring of 2025.
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Support for the Perry Center for Native American Art and Native American Initiative at Shelburne Museum is generously provided by:
The design of the Perry Center for Native American Art building is influenced by traditional Native American structures, and the landscape surrounding the Center is intentionally integrated into the overall design of the building. The building itself is curvilinear referencing Indigenous building types. The interior is responsive to the changing elevation of the landscape with a floor that gently ramps down on the north end, allowing for visitors to move onto the upper landscape terrace without requiring stairs.
Features of the Perry Center that reflect the needs of Indigenous cultures include:
Aerial view looking west, Perry Center for Native American Art at Shelburne Museum. Image: Annum Architects.
The Perry Center will nestle on the forest’s edge, visible as visitors first enter the Museum campus and across from the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education. Considerations for the landscape design include:
Design of the Perry Center for Native American Art is headed up by a collaboration between Annum Architects and Two Row Architect; together, Annum and Two Row represent a 100% minority- and Native-owned design team.
The design and construction team includes:
Architect: Annum Architects, Boston, Massachusetts;
Architect: Two Row Architect, Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation;
Landscape Architect: Reed Hilderbrand, Cambridge, Massachusetts; New Haven, Connecticut;
Civil Engineering: Civil Engineering Associates, South Burlington, Vermont;
Construction Management: PC Construction, South Burlington, Vermont.
Viewing Shelburne Museum’s role as partners rather than arbiters, the Museum is committed to continuous strengthening and building of authentic relationships with Native American communities across the continent and dedicated to reciprocity between the Museum and these Tribal Nations.
The Perry Center will exhibit and house Native American art from the Museum’s collection as well as the recently gifted, nationally important Perry Collection of Native American Art. Together the collections represent 387 Tribal Nations across the continent and more than 500 items.
Key to the success of the project is the intentional collaboration with more than 75 Indigenous partners and other authorities. In support of this objective, a series of Talking Circles has been led by Indigenous-owned firm Two Row Architect based in Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation. The process comprises Two Row facilitating and framing questions, Indigenous partners speaking, and Museum staff and the design team listening. The result has been profound in helping to understand Indigenous perspectives and to reset assumptions. Another critical component of planning for the Perry Center has been travel for research and relationship building. Museum staff have traveled across the Midwest, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and to Washington D.C. meeting with culture bearers and museum directors, conservators, educators, artists, and curators.
The Native American Collection
The Museum collection is comprised of over 500 Indigenous items from 389 Tribal Nations across the continent. Many of the items were on display until the 1990s when evolving professional standards prompted deinstallation for reinterpretation with appropriate cultural sensitivity. The collection includes baskets, clothing, and textiles primarily created by Plains and Northwest Coast Tribal Nations during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Recently, the Perry Collection was gifted to Shelburne Museum by Teressa “Teri” Perry in memory of her late husband Anthony “Tony” Perry, a restauranteur and businessman with close ties to Vermont and Colorado. The Perry Collection is remarkable for its depth, breadth, and quality. Including pottery, garments, footwear, dolls, and other items predominantly from Plains, Prairie, and Southwest peoples. The Perry Collection amplifies and diversifies the Native American materials already stewarded by the Museum. Together, the collections represent more than 389 Tribal Nations, presenting an opportunity to collaborate with these and other Tribal Nations in the study of both historical and contemporary Indigenous material culture and art in a manner intentionally accessible to students, scholars, and visitors.
Maker formerly known [Haak’u (Acoma Pueblo)], Polychrome Water Jar, ca. 1880 – 90. Clay and pigment, 16 x 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 in. Collection of Shelburne Museum, Anthony and Teressa Perry Collection of Native American Art. 2022 – 16.4. Photography by Pitkin Studio, Rockford, IL,
USA.