The objects in Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., are striking for both their beauty and the amazing intricacy of their craftsmanship.

Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection, which draws from the renowned Native American art collection at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., is making its traveling debut at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) before moving to Minneapolis and Indianapolis. Below, Susan Bergh, associate curator for art of the ancient Americas at CMA, talks about the origins of the exhibition and the relationships she developed with members of Cleveland’s Native American community.

Each of the 135 masterworks included in Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection, which runs through May 30 at the Cleveland Museum of Art, has a story to tell. They are stories of tradition, of innovation, and of the continued vibrancy of American Indian culture and art.

This weekend, the Cleveland Museum of Art will debut its first exhibition of Native American art since the 1970s.  Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection features 120 masterworks drawn from the renowned Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

On March 7, The Cleveland Museum of Art will open its first Native American exhibition in nearly 30 years, Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection, a major traveling exhibition developed by the Fenimore Art Museum.