The Plains Indian Seminar started in 1977, during the period before the opening of the Plains Indian Museum in 1979. This annual conference highlighted the culture and arts of the Plains Indian peoples. An international effort to promote the considerate study of Plains Indians by the academic, archaeological, historical, and sociology fields, the Seminar continued until 2007. The brainchild of George Horse Capture of the Gros Ventres, the original intention was for an international annual Indian arts seminar. Horse Capture was appointed the Curator of the Plains Indian Museum, where he worked to further the general mission of promoting cultural awareness and understanding for eleven years.