JAMES LUNA: "I do believe it doesn't have to look Indian to be Indian. It's the very fact that I am an Indian making art that it becomes Indian art."

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Many of the exhibits at the National Museum of the American Indian present modern history. "Vantage Point" is a good example. The exhibit includes not only paintings and sculpture but also digital video. Rebecca Trautmann is the exhibit curator.

REBECCA TRAUTMANN: "I think that people are often surprised when they come to this museum and see an exhibition of modern or contemporary native art. And that is something I hope this exhibition will do, is surprise and challenge people's notions of what Native American art is, what Native American artists do."

(MJUSIC: “Medicine Power”/Joseph FireCrow)

STEVE EMBER: Our program was written and produced by Brianna Blake, with additional reporting by Susan Logue Koster. I'm Steve Ember.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And I’m Shirley Griffith. You can find transcripts and MP3s of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.