2012 Season Highlights
For more information about the Heard exhibits, events and retail venues, visit heard.org or call 602.248.8848.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Alan DiPerna, 602.251.0283, adiperna@heard.org
Debra Krol, 602.251.0218, dkrol@heard.org
This season, the Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art will turn the spotlight on an American icon. Geronimo, the famed Apache leader, will be the subject of a groundbreaking new exhibit that will explore the man and the mythology that has grown around him. Beyond Geronimo: The Apache Experience opens February 11, 2012, just in time for the Arizona Centennial, and is sure to be a much-discussed exhibit.
Also, learn more about Arizona’s official neckwear, the bolo tie, in the exhibit Native American Bolo Ties: Vintage and Contemporary Artistry. Also known as the bola tie, the distinctive alternative to the traditional tie has become a mainstay of the American Indian jewelry genre. The bolo tie is growing again in popularity, and students of both popular culture and Western Americana will enjoy seeing the collection and bringing home the companion book. Bolo Ties opens November 19, 2011, and will be on display through September 3, 2012.
Two exhibits opening in spring 2012 feature more traditional Indian artists and art. Namingha Family Paintings and Sculpture, opening February 25, 2012, showcases the generational art of three Hopi men: father Dan Namingha and sons Arlo and Michael Namingha. Elegance from Earth: Hopi Pottery explores how Hopi pottery families keep alive their culture and artistic expressions over time. This exhibit opens March 24, 2012.
Don’t miss several continuing exhibits featuring everything from Navajo textiles and artists’ expressions of their traditional tribal ceremonies to a one-woman sculpture show. And one of the Heard’s most popular and evocative exhibits, Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience, is entering its final year at the Heard. This exhibit details the tragic era when Indian children as young as 4 were removed from their homes and forced into faraway boarding schools in order to “kill the Indian and save the man.” Many who tour this exhibit come away in tears, while others are shocked to learn about this disgraceful practice.
The Heard is also known for its festivals, and this season is no different. Specialized marketplaces give collectors a chance to indulge in their favorite artists, while the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, the second-largest Indian market in the U.S., continues building upon more than 50 years of success. And of course, February brings one of Indian Country’s most unique sporting events, the Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest.
The Heard Museum Shop is also debuting a new show, Indigenous Visions. Come on the third Saturday of each month from October 2011 through April 2012 to meet and discuss art with some of Indian Country’s most acclaimed artists, including Navajo artists Jesse Monongye, Oreland Joe and Johnson Yazzie .
About the Heard
Since 1929, the Heard Museum, a private non-profit organization, has enchanted visitors from around the world with the art, culture and history of American Indians, with an emphasis on tribes of the Southwest.
2011-2012 Season
With more than 40,000 fine artworks and cultural artifacts in its permanent collection, 11 long-term and changing exhibit galleries, an education center, an award-winning Shop, the Books & More boutique bookstore, Coffee Cantina and Courtyard Café, the Heard Museum is a place of learning, discovery and unforgettable experiences. In addition to its flagship Phoenix location, the Heard Museum also operates a community museum in North Scottsdale. These and many more exhibits and events are in store for visitors at the Heard this season.
For more information about the Heard exhibits, events and retail venues, visit heard.org or call 602.248.8848.
