| Dear Museum Friends,
With the arrival of spring, the Museum of Northern Arizona is filled with beauty and activity from our gardens to our galleries.
The MNA gardens are waking from their winter slumber, and we’re excited to see our native plants flourishing once again. At Colton Garden, we’re kicking off the growing season with a free Garden Starts Workshop this Saturday, April 5th.
As we embrace the season of renewal, we invite you to mark Slow Art Day with us. The April 5th global event encourages us to slow down, look deeply, and genuinely appreciate the beauty and complexity of art. In a world that often moves too fast, Slow Art Day reminds us to pause, reflect, and connect with creativity more meaningfully. We hope you’ll join us in taking a closer look at some of the remarkable works in our galleries.
At the end of April, we are thrilled to welcome six talented emerging artists to MNA for the Namingha Institute, an annual two-week residency program led by master artists Dan and Arlo Namingha.
We look forward to sharing this beautiful time of year with you. Thank you for being part of our MNA community.
Mary Kershaw
Executive Director & CEO
Museum of Northern Arizona |
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April 5, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Slow Art Day is a global event celebrating the beauty of taking your time with art. When you arrive at the Museum, pick up a Slow Art Day guide and explore the galleries at your own pace. Two timed programs give you the chance to further immerse yourself in the power of art. At 2 p.m., join Fine Arts Curator Alan Petersen for a discussion. And at 3 p.m., join local writers for a poetry workshop using slow art as inspiration. |
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Garden Starts Workshop
April 5, 10 a.m., at Colton Garden
It’s time to awaken the gardens! Join us for a hands-on workshop where you’ll help sow the first seeds for MNA’s Colton Garden while discovering the secrets to nurturing vibrant seedlings. Learn how to craft the perfect starting mix, shape eco-friendly pots, and care for tender sprouts as they grow. This is a wonderful way to welcome the season and learn about volunteer opportunities in the MNA gardens. Free event. |
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Save the Date!
Immerse yourself in the vibrant artistic traditions of the Colorado Plateau at MNA’s 2025 Heritage Festival of Arts and Culture June 28-29. Featuring 100 Native American artists, this annual celebration highlights a stunning array of works from pottery to fine art and textiles to jewelry. More than an art market, the Heritage Festival is a beloved community event that honors Indigenous artistry and heritage. |
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Think like a scientist. Create like an artist. Play like a kid! Our 2025 Discovery Camps for children ages 5-11 will be held for three weeks, July 7-11, July 14-18, and July 21-25.
The day camps immerse children in the arts, sciences, cultures, and environment of the region, appeal to varied learning styles, and engage children with authentic experiences. Camps are filling up! Visit our Discovery Camps page for details and to register. |
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Easton Collection Center Tours
April 11, 3-4 p.m. and
Take a rare behind-the-scenes tour of MNA’s Easton Collection Center. Learn about the impressive piece of environmentally friendly architecture and see part of the Museum’s extraordinary collection of cultural artifacts, natural specimens, and fine art. This tour is led by seasoned guides, providing art and cultural enthusiasts a closer look at pottery, jewelry, artifacts, paintings, weavings, and more. Space is limited; be sure to register today. |
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| Painting and Nature Journaling
Local artists teach classes in landscape painting and nature journaling in Discover Village at MNA. See our classes page for details. |
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Highlighting newer MNA acquisitions, this exhibit explores the stories behind the additions and reveals how they contribute to advancing knowledge, preserving heritage, and shaping future exhibits. Some objects are visually striking, others are less conspicuous yet hold value for their scientific or cultural significance. The show includes pottery, kachinas, paintings, natural specimens, and more. |
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Poetry Maps
Showcasing fine art from our collections and poems from our community, the exhibition brings together many viewpoints, expressed in visual art and verse. These paintings and poems serve as a map through place and time, revealing perspectives that form a collective connection to the extraordinary landscapes of the Colorado Plateau. We’re now accepting poetry submissions through April 30 for Poetry Maps: Volume II. Click here to learn more. |
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Explore the captivating paintings of Flagstaff artist Debra Edgerton. Utilizing the microscopic imagery of local algae, Edgerton creates ethereal watercolors that serve as a metaphorical lens to explore social structures and the African American experience. Through her work, the artist examines themes of race, identity, and hierarchical relationships. |
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| Bear/Wolf Katsina Doll
This fascinating katsina doll, carved from cottonwood by Hopi artist Ted Pavatea, stands nearly a foot tall and features a wolf figure on one side and a bear on the flip side. See it and other authentic Native American works for sale in our Museum Gift Shop and online at shopmusnaz.org. All proceeds benefit the artists and the Museum of Northern Arizona. |
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