Your Interior Museum Newsletter is HERE!

U.S. Department of the Interior sent this bulletin at 02/27/2021 02:54 PM EST

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Catch up on the latest happenings at the Interior Museum

What's New

Women's History Month

Grid collage of 9 artworks by women artists in the Interior Museum's collection

With March being Women's History Month, we are once again joining cultural organizations around the world in embracing the #5WomenArtists social media initiative begun in 2016 by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The challenge to "name 5 women artists" amplifies the premise of promoting gender equity in the arts.

Throughout the month we'll be featuring women whose works are represented in our Interior Museum collection. Follow along on our Twitter and Facebook accounts, and we guarantee that by the end of March, you'll be able to name many more than five women artists!

29th Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital

Since 2011, the Interior Museum has served as one of many community venues for the world's largest environmental film festival. With this year's Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital (DCEFF) going completely virtual March 18–28, we're continuing the tradition … only this time as a virtual host. Out of more than 100 films, we're pleased to be showcasing via DCEFF a free screening of thought-provoking film shorts exploring diverse themes in conservation and wildlife management.

Visit the festival portal for updates, viewing details, and the complete film guide.

Collections Spotlight

Oil on canvas painting of Scotts Bluff by Robert Tompkins Handville

Scotts Bluff: On the Oregon Trail
Robert Tompkins Handville (1924–1993), n.d.
Oil on canvas
U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 00102

A striking geological formation on an otherwise flat Nebraska prairie, Scotts Bluff has witnessed centuries of human activity. Native American tribes first lived in the area and hunted bison on the land near the bluff. Between 1843 and 1869, this view of a covered wagon passing in the shadow of Eagle Rock would have been a common one, as a half million settlers journeyed westward on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails. Years of wagon travel etched a path into the soft sandstone that is still visible today. In 1869, the completion of the transcontinental railroad all but ended overland wagon travel. However, in the 1870s, the Scotts Bluff area saw a new influx of Japanese, Mexican, and German-Russian immigrants coming to work in the sugar beet fields of the newly productive agricultural area.

In 1919, Scotts Bluff National Monument was established under the Antiquities Act by President Woodrow Wilson, who cited its historical and geological significance. Today, this site managed by the National Park Service spans 3,000 acres, encompassing bluffs, badlands, ancient fossils, archaeological sites, and the historical trails of westward migration.

Artist Robert Tompkins Handville had a storied career with advertising agencies and designing magazine covers, but he also had a strong professional connection to the National Park Service. He served as chairman of its Artists in the Park program from 1968 to 1970, and his illustration of Yellowstone's Old Faithful was selected for a 1972 U.S. postage stamp.

1849 C Street, NW, MS1251-MIB, Washington, DC 20240

Update subscription | Unsubscribe | Help | Contact Us