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The Heard MuseumAncient Artifacts and Modern Art
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This internationally acclaimed museum has educated visitors on Southwestern Native Americans and provided a venue for American Indian artists since its founding in 1929.
If you come expecting teepees, feathered headdresses and "traditional" American Indian art, prepare to be blown away.
At the Heard, you’ll be introduced to the life of real Native Americans. Not the cardboard cutouts that Hollywood has often portrayed.
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| The Heard Museum is one of the best places in the United States to learn about Southwest Native Americans |
Exhibits here show Southwest Native Americans as real people, reacting and changing to their environment and expressing that change through dynamic and beautifully crafted pottery, carvings, weavings and paintings.
But it isn’t just about contemporary art here. Not to worry if you’re a fan of Navajo turquoise jewelry, Hopi katsinas, or Apache burden baskets.
The Heard has a fantastic collection of historical items along with the best in modern American Indian art.
The Heard shows us that Native American culture is dynamic and has been changing and evolving since before Europeans arrived in the New World.
After exploring this southwestern Native American museum, we felt as though we had visited each tribe and gained a privileged, intimate view of their lives and culture.
The original Heard Museum is in downtown Phoenix.
If you’re staying at The Boulders Resort or visiting the Cave Creek area, make time to visit the Heard Museum North, at the Summit at Scottsdale.
This small branch facility has museum exhibits as well as an excellent shop where you can purchase fine pieces of Native American arts and crafts.
The Heard opened another satellite location, the Heard Museum West, in the city of Surprise in July 2006.
This branch has over 400 pieces from the Heard’s permanent collection as well as a changing exhibit space.
History
The Heard Museum began as the private collection of Maie Bartlett and Dwight Bancroft Heard. |
| The interior courtyard at the Heard Museum Phoenix is part of the original building |
Married in 1893 in Chicago, they relocated to Phoenix in 1894 after Dwight developed a lung ailment.
The Heards became one of the largest landowners in the Salt River Valley and greatly influenced the development and growth of the area.
Both were very interested in the Southwest Native Americans of their adopted home and began collecting American Indian arts and crafts in 1895.
As their collection grew to over hundreds of pieces, they decided to make it available to the community.
In 1928, the Heards constructed a museum building on the grounds near their house.
The Spanish Colonial Revival building was two floors with twelve exhibit galleries around a central courtyard.
Even though the Heard Museum has greatly expanded, this building is still a part of the museum today and is little changed from those early days.
What You'll See
The private, non-profit Heard Museum is world-renowned for its sensitive and accurate portrayal of Native peoples and their culture. |
| This bronze sculpture of Hopi women is one of several pieces of art on display in the outdoor courtyards |
The Heard houses approximately 35,000 objects, though not all are on view, ranging from historical cultural items to contemporary fine art.
Their spacious exhibit galleries move beyond typical museum design.
Exhibits using contemporary arts, ancient artifacts, hands-on displays and candid photos and videos bring the history, culture and first person perspectives of the Southwest’s Native peoples to life.
All of the Heard Museum’s exhibits emphasize cultural understanding and respect for Native peoples.
Though the Heard’s primary focus is on Southwestern American Indians, their collections also include works from other Native American tribes including the Inuit, Cheyenne, Sioux and Hawaiians as well as cultures from Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, West Africa and Melanesia.
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| The Heard Museum features contemporary American Indian art as well as historical objects |
Don’t miss one of their signature exhibits – their famous collection of 500 Hopi Katsina (formerly called Kachina) dolls which include examples from the last 100 years.
Most were donated by the late Senator Barry M. Goldwater and the Fred Harvey Company.
These beautifully hand-carved and painted representations of the Hopi spirits are traditionally made from the roots of the cottonwood tree.
The Heard Museum’s diverse collection also includes:
- Pima baskets
- Navajo and Hopi silver and turquoise jewelry
- Zuni fetishes
- Apache bead and quill work
- Pueblo pottery and other ceramics
- Navajo textiles.
Highlights
One of the most thought-provoking and moving exhibits that we’ve ever seen is the Heard Museum’s Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience. |
| The entrance to the Heard Museum |
This exhibit explores the controversial, forced removal of American Indian children from their parents and communities.
Under an education policy that began in 1879, the U.S. government sent Native American children to boarding schools for the purpose of “Americanization” and assimilation.
The children’s experiences are brought vividly to life through a multisensory exhibition of historic photographs, memorabilia, artwork and - most masterfully - through the voice recordings of those who experienced the relocations.
As visitors walk through the exhibit, motion sensors switch on voice recordings of former Indian boarding school students describing their experiences, often in touching detail.
This exhibit is a powerful experience and a poignant and tragic reminder of all that American Indians have endured.
In May 2005, the Heard Museum opened their new long term major exhibition, HOME: Native People in the Southwest.
This $7.6 million, 121,000-square foot exhibit’s central theme of HOME focuses on the importance of family, community, land and language in the lives of Native people.
The exhibition is split into five different sections showcasing the geographic areas of the Southwestern Native American tribes:
- the Colorado Plateau
- the Pueblos
- the Sonoran Desert
- the Colorado River
- the Central Mountains.
You can explore each culture’s history – from its ancient past to its modern future – through photo murals and art work that tell the stories of community celebrations, feast days and family traditions.
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| The museum has several shady courtyards |
The exhibit contains almost 2,000 pieces including jewelry, pottery, textiles and beadwork.
Items such as Yoeme (Yaqui) masks and rattles and Pueblo ceremonial kilts and headdresses illustrate how important annual celebrations are to maintaining community bonds and cultural ties.
A 35-member Native American advisory group gave input and direction on the exhibition’s theme and many displays.
Members from various Southwestern tribal communities provided first person interviews, sharing their personal experiences and insight on the importance and meaning of home.
There are also full scale reproductions of:
- a Navajo hogan
- a Yaqui ramada
- a Hopi piki room
- a Pueblo oven.
Video presentations, computer touch screens and creative signage allow you be immediately involved with the information.
Be sure to check out the exhibition’s e-room, where you can view appropriate web sites and the Internet, listen to tribal radio stations and read Native American newspapers and magazines.
Visitor Amenities
After exploring the exhibits, don’t miss the wonderful Heard Museum Shop and Bookstore. |
| The Heard Museum Phoenix gift shop is a treasure trove of Native American art, jewelry and fascinating books on the Southwest American Indian tribes |
This is one of the best places in Arizona to purchase high quality Native American art, crafts and jewelry, which has been purchased directly from the artists.
Here you’ll find katsinas, Navajo rugs, pottery, basketry, turquoise and silver jewelry and bead work.
They also carry a wide variety of books on Native Americans and the Southwest, cards, posters, children’s toys and much more.
It’s a great place for gift shopping or finding that unique Arizona souvenir.
There’s so much to see that you could easily spend an entire day at the Heard Museum.
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| Arcadia Farms Café has outdoor patio seating |
Luckily, they have a great café, Arcadia Farms Café at the Heard, which serves southwestern and classic lunch dishes.
Menu items include:
- crab cakes with jicama slaw and southwest aioli ($13)
- canyon trail salad with marinated tomatoes, corn, arugula, avocado and pesto buttermilk dressing
- smoked turkey and brie sandwich with sliced apples, chipotle mayo on cranberry walnut bread ($9).
Before you leave, stop in at the children’s garden.
Tucked into a quiet courtyard behind the Dorrance Education Center, this lovely garden is a great example of a Native American crop garden.
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| The children’s garden has Native American crops and a colorfully decorated wall |
These are hardy plants that can take the extreme heat and aridity of the Southwest.
Southwestern crops planted here include sunflowers, corn, beans and squash, all planted by the children of the Gila Crossing Community School.
The Heard hosts a wide variety of events and festivals every year.
The annual Heard Indian Fair and Market is one of the most popular.
Held every March, this renowned event draws more than 600 of the nation’s finest American Indian artists who sell their handmade work directly to visitors.
Fast Facts: The Heard Museum
Heard Museum PhoenixLocation: Downtown Phoenix at Central and Encanto
Address: 2301 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85004-1323
Google Map Directions: Click on "+" and "-" signs on Map Controls in upper left hand corner to zoom in and out on the location.
Phone: (620) 252-8848
Hours: Daily 9:30 am to 5 pm
Closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Admission Fee:
Adults: $10
Seniors (65+): $9
Students (with a valid ID): $5
Children (6-12): $3
Children under 6, Heard Museum members and Native Americans: Free
Free public, guided tours (45 minutes in length) offered daily at noon, 1:30 and 3:00 pm.
Amenities: Arcadia Farms at the Heard Café (indoor and outdoor dining); Museum Shop and Bookstore featuring authentic Native American arts and crafts; Native American crops demonstration garden; library and archives; Steele Auditorium; Dorrance Education Center; Artist studio.
Activities:
- Annual Indian Fair and Market
- Annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest
- Annual Spanish Market
- Annual celebration of basketry and native foods festival
- Annual library book and art sale
- Native American student art show and sale
- Heard Museum Film Festival
- Artist demonstrations
- Native speaker series
Heard Museum North
Location: North Scottsdale at the Summit at Scottsdale
Address: 32633 North Scottsdale Road, Box 22, Scottsdale, Arizona 85262
Phone: (480) 488-9817
Hours:
Museum:
Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday noon – 5:00 pm
Shop Hours:
Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
Sunday noon – 5:00 pm
Café Hours:
Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Closed New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Admission Fee:
Adults: $5
Seniors (55+): $4Students: $2Children under 6, Heard Museum members and Native Americans: Free
Second Sundays: Free
The Heard Museum West
Location: Downtown Surprise, just east of the Surprise Stadium
Address: 16126 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise, AZ 85374 Phone: (623) 344-2200
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Closed Monday
School tours at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Admission Fee:
Adults: $5
Seniors (Over 55): $4
Students: $2
Under 6 Years: Free
American Indians: Free
Second Sundays: Free
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The information in this review was accurate at the time of our visit. All contact information, availability, access, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the facility before making reservations and/or travel plans.
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