| Dear Museum Friends,
As the warmth of summer settles in, there’s no better time to step into the cool and captivating spaces of the Museum of Northern Arizona. July brings a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in our latest exhibits. Explore the fascinating connection between Indigenous people and horses in Horse and Rider: A Southwest Story. And journey through the layers of the Grand Canyon’s alluring geology in the Grand Canyon Dragon Map exhibition. There’s so much to experience!
We also invite you to a relaxing and enjoyable late afternoon treat this week at Thirsty Thursday, from 5-7:30 pm. Enjoy harmonious tunes from the Colton House Sessions while sipping on wine and local beer and savoring delicious Pizzicletta fare. It’s the perfect way to unwind, feel at ease, and connect with friends old and new.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Museum this summer. |
| Mary Kershaw
Executive Director & CEO
Museum of Northern Arizona |
|
|
Membership Offer for New Members
Membership with the Museum of Northern Arizona offers unique opportunities and value year-round. Benefits include free admission to the Museum, invitations to special member-only exhibit previews and events, discounted tickets for Museum festivals and tours, a discount on select Museum Gift Shop items, and more. Take 10% off the full price of any membership through July 31. Offer is for new members only. Use code SUMMER2024 at checkout. Join onlineor call us at (928) 774-5211 x285. |
|
|
Horse & Rider Exhibit Art Swap
The Horse & Rider: A Southwest Story exhibit is halfway through its appearance at the Museum, and it’s getting a refresh. Nearly half of the art on paper will be swapped out with other works. This is happening for preservation reasons, as works on paper, especially watercolors, are particularly sensitive to light. The swap enables the Museum to showcase additional pieces from our collections, where works depicting horses in Indigenous culture are numerous. See the first set of artwork in the exhibit through July 15. |
|
|
Festival Wrap Up & Awards
Thank you to all who attended our 2024 Heritage Festival. We also extend our gratitude to the artists, dance groups, volunteers, vendors, cultural speakers, and sponsors. You helped make this year’s festival a grand success. See the winners of the festival’s juried art competitionand images from the event on our website. And don’t forget to mark your 2025 calendar. The Heritage Festival takes place June 27-29 next year, again featuring Indigenous art and culture from across the Colorado Plateau. |
|
|
It’s Grow Time at Colton Garden
Guided Tour: July 20, 10 am.
Plants are thriving in the Colton Garden vegetable plots, greenhouse, and research beds. Stroll the garden on your own during daylight hours or take the free guided tour July 20 at 10 a.m. Colton Garden is located near the Discovery Village on MNA’s Research Center campus. To reach the garden from Fort Valley Road, turn right onto Winding Brook Road, which leads to the Peaks Senior Living Community. Park at MNA’s Discovery Village just past the stop sign. |
|
|
Art Conservation Work
Technicians Isabella Lowery and Thomas Amodeo are meticulously working on conservation efforts in the Easton Collection Center this summer, part of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant project to upgrade storage of MNA fine art. The project includes adding acid-free matboards, removing old tape and adhesives, and assessing works on paper for future treatment. So far, conservation technicians have attended to 900 works, ensuring their protection for viewing by researchers, artists, and MNA visitors. |
|
|
Easton Collection Center Open House
August 24, 10 am-2 pm
Join us for a free, unique opportunity to see art normally kept in protective spaces. Museum of Northern Arizona collections staff and curators will be on hand for discussions and to answer your questions. The MNA fine art collection contains more than 2,000 works with a focus on Indigenous artists and Anglo-American artists who were among the first to visit and record the landscapes and people of the Colorado Plateau. |
|
| Art Classes Return this Fall
Local artists will be teaching classes in ceramics, drawing, watercolor, and landscape painting in Discover Village at MNA starting in September. See our classes page and social media for coming details. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
Horse & Rider: A Southwest Story
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 the Museum’s collections with first-person accounts of the cultural and spiritual importance of horses in Diné, Hopi, and Zuni culture. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
This stamped sterling silver and Bisbee turquoise bracelet is handmade by Diné silversmith Jeanette Dale. See the bracelet and other unique items in the Museum Shop, open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Or browse our online shop at shopmusnaz.org. Every shop purchase helps support the Museum of Northern Arizona and Native American artists. |
|
|
|
|
