The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis will present "re-MARK-able Perseverance: Tattoos – Survival and Innovation of North American Indigenous Tattoo Practice" from 13 November 2026 to 21 February 2027. The special exhibition traces Indigenous tattooing across North America, from ancestral practices to the artists who are reviving and reimagining them today.
According to the museum, tattoos can express identity, honour spiritual beliefs, mark rites of passage, signal social status and carry stories from one generation to the next. Visitors can look closely at the tools, techniques and designs used by Native tattoo artists and see how practices differ between communities and regions. The exhibition also considers how these traditions survived generations of disruption and suppression, and how many Native people are now reclaiming a practice that was once discouraged and, in some cases, prohibited. Historic objects are shown alongside contemporary artwork, photography and immersive displays, with the aim of drawing attention beyond the tattoo itself to the stories, beliefs and cultural knowledge it holds.
Ten artists take part: Corey Bulpitt (Haida), Antonio Chee (Diné/Navajo Nation), Nipinet Landsem (Manitoba Métis Federation – Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa), Missy Mahan (Tohono O'odham–Yuchi Nation), David Martin (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi), Antonio, Citlamina and Xiucoatl Mejia (Indigenous Mexican), Caitlin Newago (Bad River Ojibwe) and Sarah Ayaqi Whalen-Lunn (Inupiaq-Inuit).
The public opening day is Saturday, 14 November, when all ten artists will take part in a panel discussion in the afternoon, followed by a live tattoo drum demonstration with David Martin. Airbrush tattoo artists will also be at the museum on 12 and 19 December, and further programmes are planned for early 2027.
The exhibition is supported by Lilly Endowment Inc., with additional support from the museum's Special Exhibition Gallery Fund and private donors.
