The Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles is highlighting the role of religion in the city’s history with a new feature on Velma Jaggers, also known as Miss Velma. Jaggers was co-leader of the Universal World Church, which was established in Los Angeles in 1951.
Miss Velma is being showcased within the museum’s jewel box gallery, located in the Irene Helen Jones Parks Gallery as part of the Art of the West exhibit. The display is part of a broader effort to recognize Los Angeles as a center for both traditional faiths and emerging spiritual movements.
The museum regularly hosts cultural events such as the American Indian Arts Festival and provides educational initiatives to foster appreciation for diverse traditions (https://theautry.org). Its permanent exhibits include Imagined Wests and the Cowboy Gallery (https://theautry.org).
With more than 600,000 art and cultural objects—including significant Native American materials—the Autry maintains one of the largest collections related to Western heritage in the country (https://theautry.org). The institution aims to connect histories across different communities, bridging past and present experiences to promote shared understanding (https://theautry.org).
Located in Los Angeles, California, the museum also honors its site’s original caretakers, the Gabrielino/Tongva people (https://theautry.org). Through exhibitions like this one on Miss Velma and ongoing programming, it continues to highlight stories from many groups who have shaped life in the American West (https://theautry.org).
