Opinion
Architect: NMAI suffers from flawed design, vision


"Whenever someone asks me what I think of the National Museum of the American Indian, I always give the same answer: It is one of the few museums I was eager to leave after a relatively short visit.

I find the museum's design flawed in many ways. Some of its flaws reflect in part the contentious process by which it was designed, in part the complexity of its challenging mission and in part the unique aesthetic credo of Native American architect Douglas Cardinal, the man responsible for the museum's design concept.

Best known for his design of the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, Cardinal's compositional ethos is predicated on expressing in architecture the organic patterns of nature. Using circular and curving forms, he persistently eschews the angular and the rectilinear."

Get the Story:
Roger K. Lewis: Indian Museum's Uneasy Presence Bespeaks Troubled Past (The Washington 6/11)
pwpwd

Relevant Links:
National Museum of the American Indian - http://www.nmai.si.edu

Related Stories:
Review: NMAI film 'contrived' and unmemorable (04/12)
NMAI receives singer's 'YMCA' famed gold record (01/13)
NMAI on track to see 4.2M visitors in first year (11/23)
The Nation: NMAI viewed as a 'starting point' (10/22)
Crow horses helped NMAI and Secret Service in DC (10/21)
Opinion: NMAI a testament to power of Natives (10/11)
NMAI not the only place to enjoy Native art in DC (10/01)
University adds museum track to Native program (9/30)
Tim Giago: I'm not a racist and I haven't seen NMAI yet (9/29)
Opinion: Indian museum shows us 'who we destroyed' (9/29)
Editorial: Indian museum needed in the West too (9/29)
NMAI survives big opening week in Washington (9/28)
Yellow Bird: First visit to NMAI proves exciting (9/28)
Bad Eagle: Not all 'Indians' belong in museum (9/28)
Column: Museum reflects change of attitudes (9/28)
Editorial: First Americans finally get due respect (9/28)
Jodi Rave: Mixed emotions surround NMAI opening (9/27)
Navajo Nation feels left out of NMAI festivities (9/27)
President of Peru says Native movement growing (9/27)
Mark Trahant: NMAI must change the story (9/27)
Pember: Opening of NMAI was a day to celebrate (9/27)
Editorial: NMAI honors cultures, past and present (9/27)
Opinion: NMAI exhibits barely scratch the surface (9/27)
Take a sneak peek at the new NMAI in Washington (9/16)
Natives get ready to descend on DC for NMAI fest (9/16)
Non-recognized Virginia tribes welcome NMAI opening (9/16)
NMAI curators seek to translate culture for visitors (9/15)
Agua Caliente Band among largest donors to NMAI (9/15)
Politics on tap for NMAI grand opening week (9/14)
New NMAI nears grand opening in Washington, DC (9/13)
Eastern Cherokees choose 10 events for NMAI exhibit (9/14)
New NMAI nears grand opening in Washington, DC (9/13)
Navajo ethnobotanist part of NMAI design team (9/9)
California tribe featured in opening NMAI exhibit (9/8)
Gaming tribes donated big money for new NMAI (9/8)
New Indian museum to be open to ceremonies (08/19)
NMAI prepares to welcome Native people to DC (08/10)
Use of pipestone at new NMAI prompts complaints (8/6)
New Indian museum in DC promises to be 'different' (8/2)
New NMAI includes focus on urban Indians (07/28)
NMAI: From saving Indians to honoring them (03/18)
Week long festival planned for NMAI opening in Sept. (01/16)