Museum of Northern Arizona announces opening of new exhibit looking at history of MNA archaeologists working in Glen Canyon

Message from Mary –

This weekend we open a new exhibition looking at the long history of MNA archaeologists working in Glen Canyon. The artifacts and information from initial surveys of Glen Canyon in the late 1950s continue to reveal new information and MNA archaeologists recently returned to the same locations to see how the sites have changed. All this reinforces the importance of the museum as a place where artifacts are cared for and continue to be studied. MNA Archaeologists in Glen Canyon complements the photography show in the Lockett Gallery, The Great Unknown: Artists at Glen Canyon.

MNA was started by community members who recognized how important it is to have a museum preserving and sharing information about the Colorado Plateau, and that community connection continues through our members and donors. You can help support the museum by participating in the virtual auction that is taking place right now. And if you aren’t yet a museum member, consider becoming one today in time to attend the upcoming Member Appreciation Day this Saturday.

I hope to see you soon at the museum,

Mary Kershaw

Executive Director & CEO

Museum of Northern Arizona

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Closed to the public on Saturday, August 27 for Member Appreciation Day

Purchase admission tickets online or at the door.

Visitor Experience staff

You’ll see some new faces in the exhibit building, as we’ve filled positions to bring the Visitor Experience team up to full staffing. Welcome Sacha Siskonen as the Visitor Experience Assistant Manager. Regan Foote and Brandon Evans are new Visitor Experience Associates, alongside Garold Johnson. Cindy DeAngelis continues to run the Gift Shop while Samantha Honanie leads the team as Visitor Experience Manager.

Gardens bursting

Thanks to the hard work of many volunteers and the tremendous rains we’ve seen this summer, the gardens at MNA have reached a new peak of abundance. The Moore Medicinal Garden and Colton Garden (including a new kids section) are both open to the public with no entry fee. Make sure to pick up one of the garden guides, so you can learn more about what you are seeing in the gardens. Those guides and additional garden signage were funded through a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.

Silent Auction to support MNA

Open now, closes noon on August 28

More than 80 donated items, ranging from fine art and jewelry to family fun packages and gift certificates, are waiting on the auction block. Anyone can participate by going to www.event.gives/mna22 or texting “mna22” to 843.606.5995. All proceeds benefit the museum. Items won can be picked up on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Happy Bidding!

Thirsty Thursdays – Knockabouts and Hops

August 25

5 – 8 pm, General admission $15, $8 for MNA members

For one last summer evening the museum will fill with music, as the Knockabouts play the best of authentic Celtic music. There will also be information about hops, hops tastings, and hops plants available. If it rains, this event will move indoors. There will be food and a cash bar, plus the museum galleries will be open late for you to browse!

Member Appreciation Day

August 27 (closed to nonmembers)

For one day we close the museum to the public and celebrate with our members. Members will enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at archaeology and anthropology at the museum. We will also have demonstrators in watercolor and neurographic art. In addition, Executive Director Mary Kershaw will give a presentation on the new strategic plan. Members will also be able to view the silent auction items. Become a member and join us!

Harvest Festival with Indigenous Farmers

September 17, 10 am – 2 pm

Come to Colton Garden to buy fresh produce directly from Indigenous farmers and enjoy demonstrations and activities for kids. This is the second year MNA has hosted this event in cooperation with Flagstaff Foodlink and it is a great way to enjoy the beauty and bounty of the season. All proceeds go directly to the growers.

Nature Sketching: Late Summer’s Beauty

Sundays

Learn about ecology and biology while mastering techniques for making satisfying watercolor sketches of wildflowers, mushrooms, butterflies, and miniature landscapes. Taught by biologist and nature artist Liz Blaker, these classes are held outdoors on the MNA Campus (indoors if it’s raining). Open to all levels. Each Sunday is $35, with limited scholarships available. Email elizabethblaker1@gmail.com for details.

Beginning Watercolor

Fridays and Saturdays

Painter Lisa Lee Pearce teaches fundamental skills and techniques for painting with watercolor, with classes for absolute beginners as well as continuing students. Lisa has more than 40 years fine art experience, including illustration, graphic design, enamel watercolor, and mixed media.$25 per class. For details or to register, email Lleearrist@gmail.com

Ceramics

Mondays and Wednesdays

Potter Chas Frisco introduces students to wheel throwing techniques; glazing and decorating pots (low fire) including electric kiln and raku/pit firing. All levels are welcome and each class is limited to 6 students. Chas has been working with clay for 30 years and has an MFA in Ceramics from Wichita State University. To register email chasfrisco@yahoo.com

Tour of Meteor Crater

September 18, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

 Get an unusually up-close introduction to the world’s best-preserved asteroid impact sites with one of its leading geologists, Dr. David Kring. Dr. Kring has been conducting research at the crater for about 30 years and is also one of the well-known discoverers of the Chicxulub impact crater in Mexico,linked to the extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

Tour of Red Mountain Volcanic Cinder Cone

September 24, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

This easy, 2.5 mile guided hike takes you into the Red Mountain amphitheater, a gash into the side of a 600,000-year-old volcano. The trip is led by geologist Dr. Kent Colbath, who will share insights into the dramatic rock features you will see.

Petrified Forest National Park

October 22, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

The Petrified Forest is one of the most evocative destinations in Northern Arizona for bringing life to the ancient geologic past. Led by Dr. Kent Colbath, this trip will include a guided hike with park paleontologist Dr. Adam Marsh.

MNA Archaeologists in Glen Canyon

From 1957-1963, MNA archaeologists were part of a multi-year project to record the human history of Glen Canyon before a dam flooded 153,000 acres, creating Lake Powell. At the time everyone expected these archaeological sites would be destroyed forever, but recently MNA archaeologists returned on another multi-year project to reassess the sites they could reach. This new exhibition looks at both projects and the responsibility we all share to protect the past.

Bursting with color, this retrospective exhibit presents the full spectrum of art by Baje Whitethorne Sr., a visual storyteller acclaimed for his colorful paintings full of life and energy. Born and raised on the Navajo Reservation, his art often depicts the landscape around his family home near Shonto and the harmony of the Navajo way of life. Click here to watch Baje explain the meaning behind the title of his exhition.

For hundreds of years people have responded to the beauty of Glen Canyon by creating beauty of their own. This exhibition presents an artistic narrative crafted around human responses to the natural world, focusing on the photographers who recorded the canyon and lake as the dammed waters rose to create Lake Powell.

These tracks were discovered in November 2020 at a construction site just a couple miles down the road from the museum. The prints are preserved in red sandstone from the Moenkopi Formation, which is estimated to be early to middle Triassic in age (252 to 235 million years). Now they are on view in the Jaime Major Golightly Courtyard.

Nature Journal Club

September 11, 1:30 – 3:30 pm

This free club is open to all ages and anyone interested in connecting to nature. No need to be able to draw. Nature journaling is observing nature and recording what you see using words, drawings, and numbers. Led by wildlife biologist, author, and artist Liz Blaker, this is a fun activity for all ages. At this meeting participants will take a fieldtrip to the Arboretum. Learn more about the club here and email Liz to join.

Commemorative Pendleton Blanket

This unique wool blanket was created for the museum’s 90th anniversary. It features the Sunset Crater Kachina, carved by Jimmy Kewanwytewa. Jimmy K, as he was commonly known, was an early member of the museum staff who was also a Hopi artist and the first to begin signing his kachinas. Each of the limited-edition blankets is numbered. Find more unique items, including pottery, jewelry, baskets,and books at the Museum Giftshop, where every purchase supports MNA and the artists.

Select Museum of Northern Arizona to support MNA with every purchase when you buy through Amazonsmile.