Current Exhibition
Voices of the Plateau: Commemorating America’s Semiquincentennial
In 2026, the Moab Museum will participate in the nationwide commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary with a year-long exhibition series titled Voices of the Plateau: Commemorating America’s Semiquincentennial.
This special series will highlight the diverse stories of the Colorado Plateau region, offering artists, Tribal communities, local organizations, and residents—past and present—an opportunity to share their experiences of identity, culture, and home. Throughout the year, the Museum will serve as a platform to elevate these voices, with art as the central medium for expression and reflection. Current Exhibition: Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Trail!
Breaking 100 Years of Silence
The series will launch with Breaking 100 Years of Silence, an art exhibition that promotes healing and remembrance by commemorating the 101st anniversary of the the Aniknuche Incarceration, formerly known as the “Posey War,” which began on March 19, 1923. Through the work of Ute Elders, storytellers, artists, and musicians, the exhibit shares the enduring spirit and legacy of the Ute Mountain Ute people—bringing to light a century of silence surrounding this historic event.
The Aniknuche Incarceration led to the weeks-long forcible internment of approximately 80 Ute men, women, and children in a barbed-wire enclosure in the streets of Blanding; the deaths of two Ute men; the loss of traditional Ute lands in the Bears Ears region; and the coerced enrollment of Ute children in federal boarding schools. 100 Years of Silence aims to amplify the Ute perspective, foster understanding, and offer space for healing through art and storytelling. Exhibition on display through late April 2026.
Aldean Ketchum | March 3, 2026 (opens in new tab)
Featured artist in the Breaking 100 Years of Silence exhibition, Aldean Ketchum learned to make and play traditional flutes from his grandfather, a tradition he has carried on for over forty years. Join the Moab Museum in an evening with Aldean, as he discusses the importance of the flute in healing and Ute tradition, demonstrates his process of flute making, and shares songs. Learn more about the event here!
Zachariah Ben: Cradle Board Workshop | March 10, 2026
This cradleboard class is rooted in the understanding that birth is not just a medical event, but a sacred cultural transition. In this hands-on workshop, folks learn the traditional teachings behind the Navajo cradleboard (its connection to protection, balance, and early childhood development). Thanks to the Native Students Club and Ricky Begaye for putting this program on at the Museum.
Cultura Lowrider en el suroeste de Estados Unidos
Exhibition Opens April 24th, 2026– Presented in collaboration with the National Hispanic Cultural Center and renowned artists, the exhibition opens with a special presentation by Art Limon, founder of the Los Angeles Lowrider Alliance.
From 4-7 pm, guests can celebrate lowrider culture with food, music, and complimentary Museum admission. Members of Duke’s Car Club of Salt Lake City, UT and other local participants will showcase their vehicles along Center Street.
Emerging from Mexican American communities in the 1940s, lowriding is a vibrant expression of Chicano identity, blending artistry, engineering, and community pride. The broader region, including nearby San Juan County, has a long history of Hispanic influence in cattle driving, with vaqueros working alongside other cowboys to shape the ranching traditions of the American Southwest.
The Museum is working with photographer Bobby Gutierrez from Rio Rancho, New Mexico for this exhibition. A selection of Gutierrez's photos are below:
Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Trail
Exhibit on display: July 28th, 2026–The history of the Buffalo Soldiers is one of resilience, achievement, and lasting contribution to the United States. Shortly after the Civil War, the story of the Buffalo Soldiers follows the country's westward expansion; the struggle for racial equality; relationships and conflicts with Native Americans and non-native settlers; and perseverance. The Buffalo Soldier Heritage Trail links together all the unique pieces of this story and connects it to the places where it all happened.
Moab has a distinct and local connection to the Buffalo Soldiers via the 9th Cavalry. The 9th Cavalry’s first expedition into Utah Territory took place in the fall of 1878, when Troop K, led by 2nd Lieutenant Ballard S. Humphrey, departed from Animas City, Colorado. They entered Utah south of Moab, traveled along the Old Spanish Trail through Spanish Valley, moved north to the southern base of the Book Cliffs, and then returned east to Fort Garland, Colorado.
During their 12-week patrol, the 9th Cavalry scouted for Ute Tribal members in and around the Abajo Mountains while extensively exploring eastern Utah. Their route was recorded in remarkable detail, documenting campsites, geographical landmarks, and even man-made structures along the way. Notable locations included Kane Springs, a critical water source along the Old Spanish Trail, and the “Old Mormon Fort” at Elk Mountain Mission in present-day Moab.
Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Trail Sign– Thanks to our partners at the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), we have a NEW SIGN on the lawn at the Museum, interpreting the Buffalo Soldiers' UT/CO border survey. Check it out today!
How Did We Get Here? Stories of Migration and Home
We will conclude the year with a community exhibition inviting artists and makers, both local and from afar, to submit work in any medium under the theme: "How Did We Get Here? Stories of Migration and Home." Submissions are due September 13th!
We encourage you to explore themes of movement, connection across time, migration routes, and the idea of home. Consider drawing from your own family history—journeys to and from the Moab Valley, throughout Utah, across the United States, or around the world.
The only spatial requirement is that submitted works or objects must fit through the Museum’s main entrance doors (70” × 78”). We welcome participants of all backgrounds and experiences to help shape this exhibition, which celebrates the many ways movement and home are understood and remembered. All submissions will be reviewed by a community committee to ensure alignment with the exhibition’s theme and the Museum’s mission.
Submissions are DUE BY SEPTEMBER 1. Selected works will be notified by September 20. If selected, pieces must be delivered to the Moab Museum by October 17. The exhibition will open on October 22, and run until August 2027.
Submission examples may include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, or mixed-media artworks
- Sculptures or three-dimensional artworks
- Textile works such as quilts, clothing, or fiber art
- Family photographs or photo albums
- Letters, postcards, journals, or written stories
- Maps showing migration routes or places lived
- Heirlooms or everyday objects brought during a move
- Tools, household items, or work-related objects connected to settling in Moab
- Documents such as passports, visas, or travel papers (originals or reproductions)
- Audio or video works, oral histories, or recorded interviews