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Maggie Rice Cunningham Highlight
Own [your story]. Talk about it and live from that place confidently.
About Maggie
- I’m part of the Pawnee Nation and grew up in Oklahoma.
- I earned my bachelor’s degree in studio art from Dartmouth College with a minor in Native American studies—college was a culture shock and Native American studies really grounded me.
- I interned at the Hood Museum of Art, where I decided to pursue a career as a Native curator.
- After a few years, I went back to school for my master’s degree in museum studies.
- I wrote my thesis and interned at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and was blown away by the dedication to Indigenous experiences and collections.
- Inspired by that experience, I came back home and utilized my education to work for my tribe as a NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) project coordinator.
- I started to become discouraged by the lack of opportunity to really make an impact in the museum world within the context of cultural heritage.
- I jumped at the opportunity to become a producer for “Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People,” which filled the missing impact piece that I was looking for in my career.
