Father Peter J. Powell Celebration

Celebrating the legacy and impact of Father Peter J. Powell (July 2, 1928 – December 15, 2022).

A long-time friend of the museum and an original board member since its inception as The Brinton Museum in 2013, Father Peter Powell’s importance to this institution cannot be overstated. As President of the Foundation for the Preservation of American Indian Art and Culture Father Powell oversaw the donation of the Gallatin Collection to the museum, which secured the backing of Forrest E. Mars, Jr. thereby enabling the transition from the Bradford Brinton Memorial to our present status. Father Powell was also a major donor and benefactor, and, as liaison to the museum’s American Indian Advisory Council, he was the guiding force behind the inclusion of our Native People into the interpretation of the museum’s American Indian Collection. Father Powell was a well-known scholar, ethnohistorian, author, and Anglo-Catholic priest. He was a scholar at the Newberry Library since the founding (1972) of the D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies.

To view the May 20th, 2023 Celebration held at The Briton Museum, please follow the link HERE.