The Strand Theater will host the Smithsonian traveling exhibition “Americans” from September 16 through November 4, 2026, bringing a nationally recognized museum experience to Atmore and the surrounding region.
Presented through a partnership between Pride of Atmore and the Poarch Creek Indians, the exhibition is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program. It offers visitors an opportunity to explore the significant and sometimes complicated ways American Indian images, names, stories and cultures have shaped U.S. history and popular culture.
“This is an amazing opportunity for those like me who have never visited the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.,” Pride of Atmore volunteer Dale Ash said. “Having an actual Smithsonian exhibit come to the Encore at the Strand on Main Street in a small town like Atmore, Alabama, is truly a ‘big deal.’ Participants will see how the earliest Americans shaped America, and Alabama will be an educational experience. The Poarch Creek Indian exhibit will bring the national narrative home to the native soil of the Poarch Creek Indian community and honor its local heritage through a national lens at Atmore’s Encore at the Strand.”
The exhibition was developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and is touring communities across the country through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, or SITES. Museum on Main Street is designed to bring high-quality Smithsonian exhibitions and educational experiences to rural and small-town communities.
“This exhibition gives our community an important opportunity to explore the stories, images and traditions that have shaped how American Indians are understood across our nation,” Poarch Creek Indians Tribal Vice Chair and Chief Governmental Affairs Officer Robbie McGhee said. “As Alabama’s only federally recognized tribe, we are proud to partner with Pride of Atmore to bring the Smithsonian’s ‘Americans’ exhibition to our community. We are also grateful to the Alabama Humanities Alliance for making this exhibit possible and for its commitment to bringing meaningful humanities programming to communities across our state. We hope this exhibition inspires meaningful conversations, greater understanding of Native history and culture, and a more thoughtful perspective on these important stories.”
“Americans” explores the enduring presence of American Indians in the American story through place names, commercial imagery, sports mascots, historic events and familiar stories such as Pocahontas, the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Battle of Little Bighorn and Thanksgiving. Through photographs, objects, videos and interactive experiences, the exhibition invites visitors to look beyond those familiar narratives and gain a deeper understanding of how Native American history and representation have shaped American identity and popular culture.
In addition to the Smithsonian exhibition, visitors can enhance their experience by viewing the award-winning Forgotten Creeks documentary, which traces the tribe’s history from Spanish contact in the 1500s through the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to its modern success as a sovereign nation. Film screenings are available by request only.
Pride of Atmore and the Poarch Creek Indians are encouraging residents, schools, churches, community groups and visitors from throughout the region to make plans to experience the exhibition. The partnership aims to make the Atmore presentation a regional attraction, drawing visitors from beyond Escambia County and creating opportunities for conversations about Native American history, culture and representation.
The Museum on Main Street program represents a national, state and local partnership dedicated to expanding access to Smithsonian-quality cultural experiences in communities across the country. Through “Americans,” Atmore joins communities nationwide in exploring the many ways American Indian history and culture are woven into the American experience.
Admission to “Americans” is free. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 5-7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Weekend visits are available by appointment. For more information or to book a group, call Encore at the Strand at 251-237-1112.
