| Dear Museum Friends,
As we welcome September at the Museum of Northern Arizona, we find ourselves in a season of celebration.
This month, we proudly mark the Museum’s 96th anniversary! Since opening its doors on September 6, 1928, in a modest two-room space at the Flagstaff Woman’s Club, MNA has blossomed into a leading educational and research institution. For nearly a century, we’ve been dedicated to highlighting the art, science, and culture of the Colorado Plateau, sharing life-enriching knowledge and experiences with visitors from around the world.
September also brings our annual Harvest Festival and MNA Science Day and Open House, events that promise to engage and inspire. There is no charge for either of these special events, so be sure to check out the details below and mark your calendar. Much thanks to APS for sponsoring our free days, including the Science Day and Open House.
As the days grow cooler and the aspens prepare for their golden display, I also invite you to explore our stunning campus. A walk along the half-mile trail beside the Rio de Flag, right across from the Museum’s doorstep, offers a serene experience of the natural beauty surrounding us.
I look forward to welcoming you to the Museum this month. See you soon! |
| Mary Kershaw
Executive Director & CEO
Museum of Northern Arizona |
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Harvest Festival at Colton Garden
September 14, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Join the Museum of Northern Arizona and Flagstaff Foodlink for a fun-filled harvest celebration. Enjoy a pueblo oven demonstration, food tastings, tea tastings, and kids’ activities. With free admission, this is a wonderful community event to celebrate the bounty of our region. Melons, squash, blue corn, and other special produce will be available. Indigenous growers from the Colorado Plateau are expected to bring a variety of food and produce for sale. |
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Hopi Harvey Project Cultural Talk
September 15, 1-2 p.m.
Colleen Lucero, founder of the Hopi Harvey Project, has spent a decade documenting the stories of Hopi elders who had worked for the Fred Harvey Company. She will discuss how conquest, commerce, and fictional narratives transformed Native American life during the 19th-century travel boom. The talk intersects with our Selling the Southwest exhibit. Free for Museum members; others pay the standard admission. |
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Stump the Botanist at Science in the Park September 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at Wheeler Park
Can an MNA botanist beat artificial intelligence apps at identifying plants in our region? Find out for yourself! Bring a fresh cutting from a native flowering plant to Science in the Park at Wheeler Park September 21. Our botanist will be on hand for sight identification, and an NAU genetics specialist will demonstrate how to extract and analyze DNA to confirm the identification. On September 28 we will reveal all of their findings at MNA’s Science Day and Open House. |
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Become a Museum Docent
Sessions begin October 17
All docents at the Museum of Northern Arizona are volunteers who go through an intensive learning experience. You too can study the history, culture, and art of the Colorado Plateau with the goal of giving guided tours at the Museum by graduation. Weekly training sessions meet Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., October 17-February 6. To join the docent program, email your interest to Volunteer Manager Mari Soliday at msoliday@musnaz.org. |
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Apply for Namingha Institute 2025
The Namingha Institute Master Class, led by Hopi-Tewa artists Dan Namingha and Arlo Namingha, provides a two-week residency learning experience for early-career artists. The institute is a paid residency held at the Museum of Northern Arizona April 27-May 11, 2025. The program is open to all artists 18 years of age or older. Completed applications must be received before 5 p.m. on January 13, 2025. Learn more. Or contact MNA Education Manager Sacha Siskonen at naminghainstitute@musnaz.org. |
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| Art Classes
Local artists will be teaching classes in ceramics, drawing, watercolor, and landscape painting in Discover Village at MNA. See our classes page for details. |
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This highly anticipated exhibition explores the origins, heritage, and ongoing use of an iconic geology map first published by MNA in 1976. Alongside a display of the original map are rocks from the Grand Canyon formations, descriptions of the geologic layers, and bygone map-making instruments. Copies of the map and other related collectibles are for sale in the Museum Gift Shop. |
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Horse & Rider: A Southwest Story
Closing October 28
The history of horses in North America is being rewritten as radiocarbon dating reveals that Indigenous people had ridden and cared for horses earlier than previously thought. The new research was the impetus for this exhibition that combines fine art and artifacts from our collections with first-person accounts of the cultural and spiritual importance of horses in Diné, Hopi, and Zuni culture. |
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Selling the Southwest
In the early 20th century, travel industry entrepreneurs employed artists to create a sense of wonder and mystery about the American Southwest that attracted tourists and established a romanticized vision that has remained to this day. Many of the artists are now prominent names in the canon of classic Southwest art. See works by Thomas Moran, Louis Akin, and Gunnar Widforss, alongside pottery, rugs, jewelry, and artwork by Indigenous artists. |
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This katsina doll by Hopi carver John Poleahla Jr. is handmade from cottonwood and stands 14 inches tall. See it and other authentic Native American works in our Gift Shop, open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. inside the Museum of Northern Arizona. Or shop online at shopmusnaz.org. All proceeds benefit the artists and the Museum. |
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