@InteriorMuseum

People, Land, and Water - Sharing the history and activities of the Department of the Interior since 1938.

 Washington, DC
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Joined April 2013
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Thanks for following along on our artistic journey for National Park Week. The final stop on our virtual tour is at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park with this piece: 🪶"Mamo Hawai‘i Ali‘i" by Rick Makanaaloha Kia‘imeaokekanaka San Nicolas, 2022; pheasant feathers, mesh netting, braided sennit, cotton fiber, koa. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2024. Collection of the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07428. Native Hawaiian artist Rick Makanaaloha Kia‘imeaokekanaka San Nicolas is a recognized kumu hulu nui, a master of ancient Hawaiian featherwork. Self-taught, he has been practicing this artistry since 1997 and upholding the legacy of his ancestors in making Hawaiian feather cloaks (‘ahu ‘ula) and helmets (mahiole). Traditionally, this regalia would have been meticulously crafted with feathers harvested from such bird species as the ‘i‘iwi, mamo, ‘ō‘ō, ‘apapane, and ‘akialoa—all of which are now either rare or extinct—and worn by the men of the ali’i, the highest ranking chiefly class of Hawai‘i. Today, San Nicolas takes an eco-honorable approach; in this piece, he uses feathers from Lady Amherst and Chinese Golden pheasants instead.
"Mamo Hawai‘i Ali‘i" by Rick Makanaaloha Kia‘imeaokekanaka San Nicolas, 2022; pheasant feathers, mesh netting, braided sennit, cotton fiber, koa. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2024. Bright yellow feathered cape with red and black feather accents around the neckline and edges, tied with a string at the neck.

ALT "Mamo Hawai‘i Ali‘i" by Rick Makanaaloha Kia‘imeaokekanaka San Nicolas, 2022; pheasant feathers, mesh netting, braided sennit, cotton fiber, koa. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2024. Bright yellow feathered cape with red and black feather accents around the neckline and edges, tied with a string at the neck.

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If you've been following along for National Park Week, our artistic summer road trip continues! Today we head to the American Southwest with: 🎨"Arid" by Chelsea Bighorn, 2024. Beads, jingle cones, fiber reactive dye on canvas. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07532. Chelsea Bighorn considers her art an expressive blend of her Lakota, Dakota, Shoshone-Paiute, and Irish-American heritage. She built upon her undergraduate degree from The Institute of American Indian Arts with a master’s of fine arts degree in fiber and material studies from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. For her 2024 residency at Arizona’s Saguaro National Park via the National Parks Arts Foundation, Bighorn envisioned producing works that would not only embody “the colors and monumental presence of the [saguaro cacti] and the surrounding landscapes” but also create “a moment of stillness and reflection for the viewer.” This piece, says Bighorn, “serves as a reminder of my time spent in the park and a celebration of the land and its people.” She utilizes layered shapes to convey stars and dyes for the skyline and silhouetted mountains she saw each morning. The fringe, jingle cones, and beaded embellishments are elements she frequently includes as references to traditional dance and body adornment.
"Arid" by Chelsea Bighorn, 2024, is mixed media consisting of beads, jingle cones, and fiber reactive dye on canvas. There are shades of blue and black. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07532.

ALT "Arid" by Chelsea Bighorn, 2024, is mixed media consisting of beads, jingle cones, and fiber reactive dye on canvas. There are shades of blue and black. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07532.

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We're heading into the weekend of National Park Week with a virtual stop on our art tour at : 📷 "Alcove House, 2014" by David Halpern, pigment ink print on EPSON Exhibition Fiber Paper, © David Halpern, 2014. Gift of the artist, 2022. Collection of the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07443. As part of his 2014 artist in residency at New Mexico’s Bandelier National Monument, award-winning photographer David Halpern wanted to capture with a wide angle lens the expansive view from the iconic Alcove House. This 12th-century Ancestral Puebloan dwelling hand-carved out of volcanic tuff is only accessible by ascending stone steps and four wooden ladders 140 feet above the canyon floor. To avoid the crowds, Halpern hiked just after dawn. As Halpern has ultimately served 13 times as a National Park Service artist in residence (AiR) and has drawn upon those experiences to establish two AiR programs at park sites in his adopted home state of New Mexico. His career includes 17 years in advertising and 27 years as a commercial photographer. A prolific author and much-sought instructor, Halpern is a life member of the American Society of Media Photographers and an inductee in the Tulsa Historical Society’s Hall of Fame.
"Alcove House, 2014" by David Halpen, pigment ink print on EPSON Exhibition Fiber Paper, © David Halpern, 2014. Gift of the artist, 2022. Collection of the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07443. Black and white photograph shows a view from inside a large, ancient dwelling dug out of a cliff.

ALT "Alcove House, 2014" by David Halpen, pigment ink print on EPSON Exhibition Fiber Paper, © David Halpern, 2014. Gift of the artist, 2022. Collection of the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07443. Black and white photograph shows a view from inside a large, ancient dwelling dug out of a cliff.

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Just a few days left in our whirlwind National Park Week artistic road trip, and it's on to New Mexico: 🎨Untitled oil on canvas by Diego Medina, 2023. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07516. Diego Medina is a visual artist, poet, and educator who also serves as the Tribal Historical Preservation Officer for his tribe, the Piro/Manso/Tiwa, in New Mexico. His works are often metaphorical and meld cultural knowledge with elements of mythology and fantasy. This piece is a product of his 2023 residency through the National Parks Arts Foundation during which he painted en plein air for a month at Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. Depicted here is Fajada Butte, a dramatic rock formation that rises 442 feet above the canyon floor. It is the site of an Ancestral Puebloan solar calendar known as the Sun Dagger. Consisting of three sandstone slabs that rest against the cliff face and align with two carved spiral petroglyphs, it marks the annual solstices and equinoxes.
🎨Untitled oil on canvas by Diego Medina, 2023. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07516. A large, fluffy cloud glows softly above a dark, flat-topped butte at sunset with a clear blue sky.

ALT 🎨Untitled oil on canvas by Diego Medina, 2023. Gift of the artist, in association with the National Parks Arts Foundation, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07516. A large, fluffy cloud glows softly above a dark, flat-topped butte at sunset with a clear blue sky.

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Today's National Park Week artistic highlight takes us to Idaho for: 📷 "Volcanic Desire" by Evan Nelson, 2024, photographic art print. Gift of the artist, in association with Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07553. The “wild and scenic” landscape of Idaho’s Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is second only to its exceptional views of the night sky. It has served as a NASA astronaut training site—particularly during the Apollo era—and is also officially certified as one of more than 90 International Dark Sky Parks in the United States. Photographer Evan Nelson’s 2024 artist in residency at Craters of the Moon coincided with the park’s centennial. For this image, he spent a day scouting locations that would encompass his vision: “The unsettling beauty of this volcanic landscape has captivated my imagination. The alluringly violent past, the undeniable contrast of wildflowers against dark cinders, and the unimaginable night skies seem to beckon to my very soul. When the sky goes dark, Craters of the Moon is just waking up.” To achieve this evocative image, he ultimately composited two photos taken at the same spot just seconds apart with two different lenses. The first photo was of the foreground: a field of buckwheat and blue penstemon along the Wilderness Trail in the backcountry. The second shot is of the Milky Way.
"Volcanic Desire" by Evan Nelson, 2024, photographic art print. Gift of the artist, in association with Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07553. Image shows a starry night sky with the Milky Way glowing above a field of wildflowers and rolling hills in the distance.

ALT "Volcanic Desire" by Evan Nelson, 2024, photographic art print. Gift of the artist, in association with Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07553. Image shows a starry night sky with the Milky Way glowing above a field of wildflowers and rolling hills in the distance.

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Happy 110th birthday to the National Park Service! As part of National Park Week, we've been paying tribute with park-themed art from our collection . . . and here's from the start of it all. Thomas Moran's 1872 "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" was the result of his accompanying the 1871 Hayden Survey. Moran created several images of Yellowstone that would appear in magazines and in the expedition's official report to Congress. Moran debuted this 7' x 12' painting just two months after President Grant signed the legislation making Yellowstone our first national park on March 1, 1872. See this masterpiece on view in the museum! (INTR 03001)
Large 19th-century oil painting shows a vast canyon landscape with four people on a precipice and a waterfall in the distance. Plumes of steam from geysers are visible on the horizon.

ALT Large 19th-century oil painting shows a vast canyon landscape with four people on a precipice and a waterfall in the distance. Plumes of steam from geysers are visible on the horizon.

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Our virtual National Park Week sojourn continues with this artistic highlight from our collection . . . 🎨"Ancient Gaze" by Jing Zhou, 2006, archival inkjet print, photomontage and digital painting. Gift of the artist, in association with Everglades National Park and Artists in Residence in Everglades, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07551. Providing protected habitat for myriad orchids, birds, reptiles, and rare species like the manatee and Florida panther, Everglades National Park in southern Florida is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Its brackish ecosystem makes it the only place where alligators and American crocodiles coexist. For these reasons, Jing Zhou was profoundly impacted by all she saw and felt during her two weeks as an artist in residence there in July 2006. Yet, she struggled with how best to express the Everglades’ complexity. Several pastel drawings, watercolor paintings, and photographs later, her solution was to create this piece combining photomontage with digital painting. The approach ultimately allowed her to integrate multiple visual vocabularies. Says Zhou, “Through a narrow vertical window, this carefully crafted image provides a glimpse of the Everglades at a moment when the ancient gaze intertwines with the present breeze. Guarded by cypress trees, the boundless space of marsh and water forms the endless horizon, where the many-colored ocean and the raindrops of the golden sunset are one on summer days of dead calm.”
"Ancient Gaze" by Jing Zhou, 2006, archival inkjet print, photomontage and digital painting. Gift of the artist, in association with Everglades National Park and Artists in Residence in Everglades, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07551. Framed image is of a marshy expanse at sunset. Cypress trees are silhouetted along the horizon line. A submerged reptile is in the foreground.

ALT "Ancient Gaze" by Jing Zhou, 2006, archival inkjet print, photomontage and digital painting. Gift of the artist, in association with Everglades National Park and Artists in Residence in Everglades, 2025. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07551. Framed image is of a marshy expanse at sunset. Cypress trees are silhouetted along the horizon line. A submerged reptile is in the foreground.

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Join us on our National Park Week virtual road trip where we're sharing national park-themed contemporary works of art from our collection! Next up: 🎨"Tree Looking Towards Burlingham House" by Alissa Siegal, 2019, charcoal, acrylic, and oil on canvas. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07480. Alissa Siegal is an artist and arts educator who completed this piece as part of her month-long residency in 2019, during which she lived and worked at Weir Farm National Historical Park in Wilton, Connecticut. The park preserves the home and studio of American Impressionist artist J. Alden Weir (1852–1919) and continues to foster contemporary artistic expression. The tree in this painting grows towards the Burlingham House where Weir’s youngest daughter, Cora Weir Burlingham, lived from 1931 to 1986, cultivating her interests in interior design and horticulture. Today, the house serves as the park’s visitor center and museum shop. Says Siegal, “As I painted, I thought of the landscape that surrounded me and about Weir and his family, who created an intergenerational community of art in nature. The family’s lives across generations felt so tangible and present. I was feeling as if I had been given a great gift—an intimacy with history and invitation to join it.”
"Tree Looking Towards Burlingham House" by Alissa Siegal, 2019, charcoal, acrylic, and oil on canvas. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07480. Framed painting shows a large tree in the foreground of a colorful landscape. The branches arc toward the background where a red, residential structure stands.

ALT "Tree Looking Towards Burlingham House" by Alissa Siegal, 2019, charcoal, acrylic, and oil on canvas. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07480. Framed painting shows a large tree in the foreground of a colorful landscape. The branches arc toward the background where a red, residential structure stands.

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In honor of National Park Week, we're going on an virtual road trip and sharing contemporary works of art from our collection featuring national parks! First up: 🎨"Amongst Friends" by Amy Hook-Therrien and Dale Broholm, 2022, watercolor on paper in a handcrafted ash wood frame. Gift of the artists, 2023. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07472 As the 2022 artist in residence at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, Vermont, Abenaki artist Amy Hook-Therrien felt a strong connection to the landscape, which is a small portion of N’Dakinna, the homeland of the Abenaki people. She noted, “All of my life I have wandered these woods. I have taken in the quiet beauty, the understated grandeur, the unheard ancestral voices. I have watched the mist gather around the trees, blanket the ferns and fungi, lift and then burn off.” She created this piece to reflect the tranquility of the forest, where a person can stand alone and still be “amongst friends,” as the title suggests. Acclaimed woodworker Dale Broholm crafted the accompanying frame from ash, a tree culturally significant to the Abenaki and yet critically threatened by invasive beetles, the emerald ash borers. Broholm harvested this wood from the park, which has a tradition of conservation stewardship and encompasses the oldest continuously managed forest in the United States.
"Amongst Friends" by Amy Hook-Therrien and Dale Broholm, 2022, watercolor in handcrafted ash wood frame. Gift of the artists, 2023. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07472. Watercolor is of a forest shrouded in mist.

ALT "Amongst Friends" by Amy Hook-Therrien and Dale Broholm, 2022, watercolor in handcrafted ash wood frame. Gift of the artists, 2023. U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, OSAC 07472. Watercolor is of a forest shrouded in mist.

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It's National Intern Day, and we're delighted to shine the spotlight on our current intern! Carrie recently earned her Master's degree in museum studies, and we're excited that she's joined our team. She's already having an impact on a variety of our collections-based projects, and she's also contributing her knowledge and enthusiasm to our public tour program.
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We're about to celebrate America's 250th birthday, but check out how the U.S. Department of the Interior was celebrating the nation's 150th birthday in 1926! The bronze medallion seen here was specially designed by Albert Laessle for the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial International Exposition. Notice Independence Hall in the background behind the eagle! The Interior was one of several departments exhibiting in the Exposition's government pavilion from May to November 1926. We showcased maps, models, surveying equipment and more to highlight the work of our General Land Office, U.S. Geological Survey, and National Park Service. The 20-page brochure was produced by what was then our Office of Education. Selling for 5 cents, this commemorative souvenir included the full text of the Declaration of Independence, brief biographies of six of the signers, and a historical essay about the road to independence. (INTR 03205, INTR 07972)
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Did you know that some architectural details on our headquarters in Washington, DC, provide a history lesson? If you look closely at the frieze on the southern facade of the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building, you can see the seals of the original 13 colonies! These were incorporated into the design when the structure was built in 1936-1937.
Exterior facade of the Department of the Interior's headquarters building. Flags fly from the roof.

ALT Exterior facade of the Department of the Interior's headquarters building. Flags fly from the roof.

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On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, opening the door to land ownership across the American frontier. The Act granted up to 160 acres of public land to anyone willing to live on and improve it for five years. Millions answered the call, building farms, towns, and communities that would shape the nation. This monumental effort was led by the U.S. General Land Office, which merged with the U.S. Grazing Service nearly 80 years ago to form the Bureau of Land Management! 📸 A family poses for a picture in Loup Valley, Nebraska, on their journey to a homestead in 1886; Courtesy of the National Archives
A family of four stands beside a covered wagon hitched to two horses in an open prairie landscape.

ALT A family of four stands beside a covered wagon hitched to two horses in an open prairie landscape.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Office of Law Enforcement is responsible for upholding federal laws to safeguard plants and wildlife. Key collaborations are with conservation groups and local, State, Federal, Tribal, and international law enforcement officers. Their work includes combating wildlife trafficking, recovering endangered species, conserving migratory birds, preventing the spread of invasive species, preserving habitats, and securing fisheries. For our final National Police Week post, here are examples of items seized by special agents for violating wildlife trafficking regulations. 📷 Boots made with sea turtle leather (INTR 07275), a caiman handbag (INTR 07268) and a display of butterfly specimens (INTR 07287)
Illegal pair of dark green cowboy boots with intricate stitching and sea turtle leather.

ALT Illegal pair of dark green cowboy boots with intricate stitching and sea turtle leather.

Handbag made with illegal caiman.

ALT Handbag made with illegal caiman.

Illegal display of framed butterflies.

ALT Illegal display of framed butterflies.

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Our National Police Week salute continues with this 1960s protective helmet. While intended for motorcyclists, it was ultimately used by some of the original equestrian riders in Virginia’s Manassas National Battlefield Park Mounted Patrol Unit. Today, it’s the only National Park Service entity in the eastern United States that uses horses for law enforcement. The equine program not only patrols the park’s extensive 5,000 acres but also supports educational and interpretive programs. (INTR 07942)
Vintage two-tone motorcycle helmet with green and creampanels and a gold decorative band.

ALT Vintage two-tone motorcycle helmet with green and creampanels and a gold decorative band.

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We’re sharing more of the museum’s law enforcement artifacts in honor of National Police Week: From 1931 through 2017, the Hoover Dam Police Department protected the dam ecosystem that straddles the Arizona-Nevada border. Today, National Park Service law enforcement rangers provide area security, and a separate Bureau of Reclamation Security Response Force stationed at Hoover Dam itself ensures the uninterrupted delivery of water and hydropower. 📷 Eight badges from the former Bureau of Reclamation Hoover Dam Police Department, INTR 07932 – INTR 07939.
Eight police badges from the former Bureau of Reclamation Hoover Dam Police Department, each labeled with different ranks including Chief, Major, Lieutenant, and Sergeant.

ALT Eight police badges from the former Bureau of Reclamation Hoover Dam Police Department, each labeled with different ranks including Chief, Major, Lieutenant, and Sergeant.

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Our National Police Week focus on our law enforcement-related objects continues! This 2017 depiction of “Ranger Ryan” is believed to be the first instance of a National Park Service law enforcement ranger in a Junior Ranger activity guide. It was produced for the Kahuku Unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. (INTR 07931)
Illustration of Ranger Ryan standing by a tree with an owl, next to a sign listing seven park rules about safety and respect.

ALT Illustration of Ranger Ryan standing by a tree with an owl, next to a sign listing seven park rules about safety and respect.

Illustrated cover of Kahuku Junior Ranger Activity Guide featuring five children happily posing in front of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park sign. Guidebook is in the Interior Museum's collection, Interior Museum, INTR 07931, gift of Ryan Deacy and the staff of the Kahuku Unit of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

ALT Illustrated cover of Kahuku Junior Ranger Activity Guide featuring five children happily posing in front of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park sign. Guidebook is in the Interior Museum's collection, Interior Museum, INTR 07931, gift of Ryan Deacy and the staff of the Kahuku Unit of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

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For National Police Week, we're sharing objects from our collection related to law enforcement history at the U.S. Department of the Interior. This stirrup is from the U.S. Park Police Horse Mounted Patrol. Long considered “ambassadors for safety,” the Mounted Patrol was formally established in 1934, making it one of the oldest equestrian units in the country. Learn more: doi.gov/blog/ambassadors-saf… (INTR 07944)
Metal horse stirrup with a simple, rounded design and a worn patina, from the Interior Museum's collection.

ALT Metal horse stirrup with a simple, rounded design and a worn patina, from the Interior Museum's collection.

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During Police Week, we honor the courage and sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who protect America’s public lands and communities. From some of the most remote and challenging landscapes in the country, Interior law enforcement officers serve every day to keep visitors safe and safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources. Their service reflects a commitment to safety and stewardship. We’re grateful for all they do.
A mounted law enforcement ranger rides a brown horse across dry grassland in a mountainous landscape under a blue sky. The ranger wears a wide-brimmed hat and carries gear while patrolling public lands in a remote area.

ALT A mounted law enforcement ranger rides a brown horse across dry grassland in a mountainous landscape under a blue sky. The ranger wears a wide-brimmed hat and carries gear while patrolling public lands in a remote area.

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Ninety years ago today was the dedication ceremony for our present-day @Interior headquarters building (Federal Works Project No. 4)! President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke at the event, calling the building "symbolical of the Nation's vast resources." With the same trowel that George Washington used to lay the U.S. Capitol's cornerstone in 1793, Roosevelt sealed in our cornerstone a time capsule containing mementos and documents related to the Department's history. (INTR 07466)
Black and white aerial image of a large crowd attending a cornerstone-laying ceremony in Washington, DC, on April 16, 1936. (INTR 07449)

ALT Black and white aerial image of a large crowd attending a cornerstone-laying ceremony in Washington, DC, on April 16, 1936. (INTR 07449)

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