05/08/2009
Museum of Native American Cultures and Spirituality
Poloz Architects will soon be exhibiting a monument/museum dedicated to Native Americans with the intent to encourage visitors to come to new appreciation of the American Indian. The monument/museum is to act in part as a monument to the tribes fallen at the time of European colonization and as a vehicle through which the strength of the modern Native American cultures can be more widely appreciated through the presentation of artifacts, contemporary artwork, celebrations, and teachings from the wide array of American Indian cultures encompassed by the phrase “Native American.” The beautiful cultures surrounding these First People express a powerful connection with the natural and spiritual world in a way that modern culture has become divorced from. Many museums have been erected to expose people to the cultural artifacts of the Native American people, but this museum seeks to go beyond the exhibition of an object to unveil the spiritual context they were created in within Native American life. “The most important aspect of the design is to create a striking city block characterizing a highly contemporary vision of the ancient culture and spirituality of Native Americans. My concept of the project involves the representation of a small tribal village where building, landscape and water are in harmonious balance. The design will reinforce both the scenic character and the cultural-historic face of the city and state, and will create a new identity for the city of Chicago,” says Paul N. Poloz. The museum building footprint will be approximately 55,000 sq.ft. and will be completed in 2013.
This museum will be highly sustainable to showcase green design and encourage visitors to explore ways in which they can help to preserve the natural world in the same manner that the First People maximized their readily available resources while minimizing their impact on the world. In modern society where people find themselves participating in an economy of thoughtless consumption and waste, an oasis of nature and spiritual contemplation of the human place in the world can significantly enhance many lives and revive the presence of the Native American as a source of wisdom instead of allowing these cultures to vanish.
Director of Design: Paul. N. Poloz
Project Team: Lauren Polhamus, David Lewis Krohn
Rendering: Vladimir Bulakh
