Permanent American Indian exhibit at Alcatraz
- November 21, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (AP) -- A permanent American Indian cultural center at Alcatraz is in place some 40 years after Indian occupation of the San Francisco Bay landmark.
Creation of a exhibit was one of the demands during the 19-month American Indian occupation that ended in 1971.
The San Francisco Chronicle () says former prison's band practice room in the cellblock basement has been transformed into a multimedia exhibit. The prison shut down in 1963.
The prison and the island is now part of a national park that draws 1.4 million visitors a year.
Activists had seized the island with hopes of turning it into an Indian or cultural center. Up to 800 activists occupied the island.
The photos, videos and sound recordings were compiled by faculty and students at San Francisco State University and California State University East Bay and will become part of Alcatraz's permanent exhibit.