Heard Museum, Phoenix

In a beautiful setting, The Heard Museum is a very nice museum dedicated to Native American art and culture in the U.S. This is one of the best Native American museum we have ever visited. Visit it when you are in town! See the art and learn about the culture of the tribes that have lived here in Arizona for generations. They have a wonderful collection of Kachina dolls,baskets,pottery, art and jewelry to name a few exhibits. Very nicely done museum!

If you visit in Feb. Don't miss the Hoop Dancing Contest-it is incredible!

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The museum of here is filled up, and there is it.
There are many documents such as the geographical history, the animals and plants of Arizona, the mineral, too.

The history from each native American tribal ancient times, the lifestyle are explained intelligibly.

I bought the sand picture of the Navaho at a stand of here.
(It is over good thought of Arizona.)

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While my husband was attending his business conference, Helene and I made plans to see the Heard Museum. We met Helene and her husband at a dinner gathering the night before.

The Heard Museum was founded by Dwight and Maie Bartlett Heard in 1929 to house their collection of American Indian artifacts and art. The original museum was 1/8th the size of today's building. It has grown to more than 2,000 pieces of 'sweeping landscapes, poetry and person recollections'.

There is a fantastic permanent exhibit on Native People in the Southwest. It features art, crafts and the history of the American Indian culture. There was so much to see that a couple of hours passed quickly!

Free docent led tours are scheduled each day at 1:30pm and 3:00 pm. We thought it would be wise to have a guide point out the highlights, since the collection was so vast.

Here are some of the things you'll find here:

Katsina Dolls from the 1800's and up to the present time (picture 2)

Handmade Comanche Moccasins from the late 1800's (picture 3)

A Navajo Woven Blanket (picture 4)

Torquoise and Silver Handcrafted Jewelry (picture 5)

Admission is $10 for adults; $9 for seniors;$5 for students with ID; $3 for children 6-12.
Hours are daily from 9:30 am-5pm. The museum is closed on major holidays.

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For anyone interested in understanding the American Indian culture better, I'd certainly suggest a visit to The Heard Museum. It's hard for me to pass a museum by--there's just so much history waiting to be passed on to those who enter in.

As the guide led us through the museum, this Coming of Age outfit caught my interest. Just look at the fringing! We were told that this ceremony is more important than a wedding or the birth of a baby to Indian culture.

Other points of interest were:

A replica of a pueblo oven (picture 2)

Displays, oral histories and distinctive characteristics of the Native American groups (picture 3)

Time passed quickly and before we knew it our stomachs told us it was time for a quick bite. The Arcadia Farms cafe had a delicious selection of Southwest lunch entrees and desserts. I ordered Strawberry Chicken Salad with Poppyseed Dressing ($11.99)--it was great! The cafe is open daily from 9;30 pm-3:00 pm. (picture 4)

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The Heard Museum developed from the passion that pioneer settlers Dwight B. and Maie Bartlett Heard felt for the Southwest, its inhabitants and its history. The Heard’s dream of sharing the beauty of their private collection with the public was realized in 1929 when the Heard Museum first opened its doors.

Today, the Heard's collections include approximately 39,000 works of cultural and fine art. The collections remain at the core of the museum’s mission and serve as an internationally known resource for learning about the rich cultural heritage of Native peoples. While maintaining an emphasis on the cultures of the greater Southwest, the Heard collections also include American Indian fine art from throughout North America including drawings, paintings and sculpture.

Key collections areas feature textiles, katsina dolls, pottery, jewelry, baskets, cradleboards, paintings, sculpture and World Cultures materials.

The Heard Museum is a great place to start your Arizona adventure. You will see lots of art, sculpture, clothing and learn about Native Americans. The museum was a day well spent. It could easily take you all day to ramble through and see everything. Very worthwhile.

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The Heard Museum is an interesting cultural museum. The museum itself is typical of many of these types of museums that exhibit the Native Americans of this region, their history, art, etc. There are also other various art displays such as modern art pieces. The grounds are lovely and the museum has a nice cafe with an outdoor eating area. A nice 2-3 hour diversion close to downtown.

this museum has native american artifacts originally in personal collections. re my terminology -- some exhibits use "native american," but most use "indian" (the common descriptor until very recently, at least in the "white" world).

the museum has pottery (some more than 1,000 yrs old), items used in daily living, clothing (including gorgeous dresses of many fabrics), art, jewelry, baskets, and everything else imaginable. there is a very extensive display of various katsina (also called kachina) dolls, which represent various spirits in native american mythology. there are also SHORT films and many hands-on activities for kids -- beads, paper sculptures, puzzles, etc.

the displays are organized by geographic area around the world, with individual displays on the various tribes in each area. DO NOT SKIP side rooms that look boring at first. two of the most fascinating exhibits were ones i almost skipped and was very glad i did not -- the "learning center" and the gallery on the history of the ways the united states has dealt with "the indian problem," ranging from extermination to forced acculturation into the "white" world (see my separate "things to do" tip on "heard museum, exhibit on 'the indian
problem' ").

the gift shop (602/252-8344) is large and has jewelry, beadwork, weavings, totem animals carved from many materials, books, prints, etc. many are expensive, but are clearly worth it b/c of their quality. the best prices are in the children's section.

admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and $4 for kids over 6 yrs old. open every day from 9:30 am to 5 pm. free parking; use the east lot rather than the north one. it is a little confusing to navigate to the entrance, but once you are inside, curved wood panels guide you easily thru the different exhibits. all galleries have wheelchair access, and there are elevators also.

allow 3 or 4 hours for this wonderful museum. you will not regret it.

there is an arcadia farms restaurant just outside the museum, see my "restaurant" tips for phoenix.