Collections

The Interior Museum cares for two distinct collections. The Interior Museum collection is exhibited in the Museum and available to researchers. The Office of the Secretary Art Collection is displayed throughout the Stewart Lee Udall Main Interior Building in offices and meeting rooms.

Interior Museum Collection

The Interior Museum preserves artifacts and documents related to the history of the Department and the architecture of the 1930s Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building. Starting in 1936, the Interior Museum has collected over 6,000 objects of cultural, historic, and scientific importance, including a collection of over 800 North American Indian baskets. These were contributed by private donors who collected in the Southwest, California, and to a lesser extent the Northwest, and the Plains. The Interior Museum also has 1,500 items made in the United States insular areas of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Republic of Palau. Most of the artifacts are handicrafts such as storyboards, dolls, and baskets that date from the 1940s to present time.

Office of the Secretary Art Collection

The Office of the Secretary Art Collection is composed of two and three-dimensional artwork relating to the work of the Department of the Interior. The program places works of art into administrative office spaces in the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building. The artwork is intended to catalyze "moments of inspiration to employees, keeping them in touch with the resources they…manage" and "to serve a public relations function by communicating the mission of the [Department of the Interior] to its visitors." The collection includes works by Alvin Pimsler, John Schoenherr, and Donald Moss.