Department of the Interior

Department of the Interior Review

The outside of the building is plain, but inside there's art that reflects the department's work. Heroic oil paintings of dam construction, gold panning, and cattle drives line the hallways. Exhibits in the Department of the Interior Museum outline the work of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Park Service, and other department branches. The museum is currently undergoing a two-year modernization project. During this time, public programs will be offered in other parts of the main building on the first Wednesday of every month. On Tuesdays at 12 and Thursdays at 2, you can view more than 75 of the museum's dramatic murals created by photographer Ansel Adams and artists such as Maynard Dixon and John Steuart Curry. Reservations are required for the Murals Tour; call at least two weeks in advance. The Indian Craft Shop across the hall from the museum sells Native American pottery, dolls, carvings, jewelry, baskets, and books.