Following a national search, the Autry Museum of the American West announced the appointment of curators Joe D. Horse Capture and Tyree A. Boyd-Pates.

Both bring deep knowledge in their respective areas of expertise and underscore the Autry’s commitment to advancing public understanding of the art, history and cultures of the American West. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Joe and Tyree to our curatorial team. I have watched their career paths and development into public intellectuals with great admiration, and I know that their visions and insights will immeasurably enhance the Autry’s ability to reveal the stories, experiences and perceptions of the diverse peoples of the American West,” said W. Richard West Jr., the museum’s president and CEO. 

Horse Capture, who will be appointed as vice president of Native Collections and the Ahmanson curator of Native American History and Culture, most recently served as director of Native American Initiatives at the Minnesota Historical Society in Saint Paul.

“I’m delighted to join the Autry. For over 20 years, my experience at cultural institutions has instilled in me the belief that museums like the Autry are positive forces for all communities,” Horse Capture said. “I am committed to a process of inclusion that ensures a diversity of voices are heard and honored and, to that end, I am excited to contribute to the museum’s growing focus on contemporary Native arts and social concerns, as well as to further explore its exemplary collection.”

Boyd-Pates, who will be associate curator of Western History, comes to the museum from the California African American Museum, where he was the history curator and public program manager, curating exhibitions about the history of African Americans in California and the West.

“Raised in Los Angeles, and as a child who regularly visited Griffith Park’s sites and attractions, this is undoubtedly a full-circle moment,” Boyd-Pates said. “I look forward to supporting the Autry in broadening our collective understanding of American Western history, not only in a national context, but globally. Through exhibitions and research, I will seek to examine histories through the lenses of diverse communities to understand what it means to be, truly, American.”

The Autry Museum of the American West is located in Griffith Park, 4700 Western Heritage Way. For information, call (323)667-2000, or visit theautry.org.