 MNA Home |
MNA
Press Gallery Press Releases from the Museum of Northern Arizona
Press Release Contact: Michele Mountain, MNA Marketing Director 928-774-5211 x273 December 21, 2005 A Santa Fe art dealer who was sued for breach of fiduciary duty and fraud by the Museum of Northern Arizona has agreed to settle the Museum’s lawsuit in Federal Court in Phoenix. The claim against Steve Diamant arose out the Museum’s deaccession of 21 paintings and textiles in 2002. Following a shake up in the Museum’s management and the hiring of a new director, MNA brought suit against Diamant and his company earlier this year. The settlement agreement provides that details of the settlement will not be disclosed. Both parties said the case was resolved to their mutual satisfaction. MNA Director Robert Breunig said yesterday, “Museums supported by the public must always be ready to fight to protect their collections, if necessary. The current board and administration of MNA are committed to protecting its collections, now and in the future. In addition to their mission to educate the public about our history and culture, institutions such as ours must set an example of commitment, integrity, and responsibility for the larger community.” The Museum of Northern Arizona was represented by Richard Kasper of the law firm of Ryan Rapp and Underwood of Phoenix, Arizona and Whitney North Seymour Jr. of New York, who donated his legal services to the Museum. -end- November 22, 2005 The Painted Sky Music Festival and the Museum of Northern Arizona invite you to enjoy a Winter Solstice Celebration Concert on Wednesday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Historic Colton House. The two organizations are hosting this chamber music event as a joint fundraiser. Northern Arizona University music faculty members Laura Barron on flute, Michael Sullivan on clarinet, Rita Borden on harpsichord, and John Burton on cello will perform works by Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, and more. Accompanying the music will be winter poetry readings by NAU Theatre Professor Dr. Robert Yowell and mulled cider, wine, and hors d'oeuvres. Built in 1929, MNA’s Colton House is a 6,000-square-foot Spanish Colonial Revival-style rock lodge constructed by Hopi craftsmen using local malpais rock, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir. Set in the forest among tall pines, the Colton House is on the National Register of Historic Places as an outstanding example of regional architecture. Tickets for the Winter Solstice Celebration Concert are $75 per person and can be purchased by contacting Jessica Pope at 556-8711 before December 1. -end- November 22, 2005 The Museum of Northern Arizona’s annual Community Holiday Party is a time to gather and mingle, to enjoy the simple pleasures of the holidays, to make homemade crafts together with friends, and to provide for those who are less fortunate. On Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to noon, holiday celebrants of all ages will be treated to free admission, seasonal entertainment, and refreshments of hot cider, hot cocoa, and cookies. New this year, the Museum is asking visitors to bring in date canned foods to be donated to the Care and Share Food Bank in Flagstaff which needs to stockpile food for the holidays. Suggested canned foods most wanted by the food bank include holiday items like canned veggies, yams, cranberry sauces, and pumpkin pie mix. Canned meats like beef stew and tuna are needed in addition to peanut butter. Federated Community Church’s Joyful Ringers will ring their bells at 10 a.m. to celebrate the season. At 11 a.m. the Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy Choir will perform selected song from their repertoire. Authors and chefs Jen Castle and Blake Spalding return again this year with food samples from their popular Hell’s Backbone Grill in Boulder, Utah in the heart of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. They will also sign copies of their cookbook With a Measure of Grace, the Story and Recipes of a Small Town Restaurant that offers 68 recipes of their Western Range, Pueblo Indian, and Southwestern blend of cooking. This year’s regionally-inspired crafts to decorate the MNA tree and to take home include pine cone ornaments, customized wrapping paper, snowman and reindeer gift bags, a community paper quilt project, and handmade greeting cards. The Museum’s current exhibits include Passionate Vision, Landscape Paintings by Joella Jean Mahoney. Her large scale landscapes in oil are inspired by the vivid colors and dramatic shapes of the region. Mahoney’s subject matter fuses the geological, the emotional, and the spiritual. Also currently at MNA is Stories on Stone, an exhibit created by local rock art experts to explore the meaning of rock art and how it was used by ancient people for telling time and seasons through archaeoastronomy, for documenting stories and legends, for ceremonies, for telling about hunting techniques and other lifeways, and as secret signposts and marking regional boundaries. Northern Arizona’s premier museum seeks to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau. Native cultures, tribal lifeways, natural sciences, and fine arts from the region are represented in the seven exhibit galleries. The Museum is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff, on scenic Highway 180. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and more information is available at 928/774-5213 and on the web at www.musnaz.org. -end- October 7, 2005 Live, from Flagstaff, it’s Saturday Night at MNA! An evening filled with laughter at the Museum of Northern Arizona’s third annual fall friendraiser on Saturday, November 19 at 6 p.m. will showcase “James & Ernie,” the first Navajo stand-up comedy duo from the Navajo Nation, who have been featured around the Four Corners region of the Southwest. Hopi comedian “EJ the DJ” from KUYI Hopi Radio is the master of ceremonies. Also planned are an elegant dinner by Thornager’s Catering, and live and silent auctions of unique items and exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime trips around the Colorado Plateau. MNA’s 2005 fall friendraiser raises funds to support the Museum’s education, exhibit, research, and youth programs. There are two ways this year to become a new friend of the Museum: for $135 (includes a year membership and $70 is tax deductible) you can attend the comedy night or you can sponsor a table and bring 10 of your friends, clients, or co-workers. James Junes and Ernest Tsosie III’s comedy material originates from their own life experiences growing up on the Rez, from their childhood days of playing in the dirt at Grandma’s to their teen years trying to be someone they were not, and on into adulthood with relationships, footloose days, and other Rez life topics. Their exciting and bold use of music, dance, and props adds another dimension to this hilarious spectacle of humor. To buy tickets or donate an item, reply by November 4 to Liz Gumerman at 928/774-5213, ext. 219 or by e-mail at friendraiser@mna.mus.az.us. An updated list of auction items will be posted on the Museum’s website at www.musnaz.org, as well as a downloadable ticket order form. Sponsors of this event include Compass Bank, Flagstaff Medical Center (member Northern Arizona Healthcare), Thornager’s Catering, the Monica Heaney Foundation, and Direct Impression Business Services. The Museum of Northern Arizona sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountains in Arizona. Through its research, collections, and educational efforts, the Museum aims to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau through collecting, studying, interpreting, and preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage. MNA is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180 and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. -end- October 3, 2005 Celebrating the dead is never livelier than during the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Celebraciones de la Gente, its annual Hispanic festival. This year’s festivities open with a copal incense blessing by traditional Aztec fire dancers from Mexico City, followed by a weekend highlighting Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. Partnering with Flagstaff’s local Nuestras Raices organization, the 2nd Annual Celebraciones de la Gente promises an event dedicated to promoting Mexican/Mexican American/Hispanic culture through music, dance, artist demonstrations, graffiti artists at work, local historic photography and discussions, children’s crafts, cultural speakers, and numerous programs focusing on how to pay homage to the dead. “This celebration helps bring back traditions that are getting lost,” says Delia Muñoz, a Nuestras Raices member. “It reinforces our mission to draw on northern Arizona family histories, talents, photos, and traditions as tools for cultural transmission to the people of northern Arizona.” Munoz is working on gathering more than a dozen Dia de los Muertos altars from northern Arizona families to display in the Museum’s historic courtyard. A larger community altar for the public to contribute items honoring their lost loved ones will also be on display. In addition, a separate altar will honor all veterans. Dia de los Muertos is a holiday held throughout Mexico, Latin America, and the Southwest around this time of year to celebrate transformation to the afterlife and lure the dead home for a visit to honor them with celebrations, altars, and prayers. Preparing an altar by placing photographs, marigolds, candles, and favorite foods and drinks of loved ones also provides a special time to remember and to transform grief into acceptance. Dia de los Muertos traditions reach far back to ancient times in many cultures, including the Aztecs. During the festival, In Tlanextli Tlacopan will perform dances in full Aztec dress and tell ancient tales each day. The folklore group Nosotros will fill the air with original and traditional Latino Americano sounds. The Guerrero Family will be on hand to musically celebrate and educate audiences on Dia de los Muertos traditions and violin virtuoso Quetzal Guerrero will perform Latin jazz. Three Folklorico groups from Flagstaff will delight audiences: Ballet Folklorico Mexico Lindo, Ballet Folklorico Mesa School, and Ballet Folklorico De Colores. Educational, yet fun, cultural discussions throughout the day will include “Making Sugar Skulls to Adorn Altars,” “The History of Silversmithing in the Southwest,” “Local Hispanic History,” “Salvadorian Storytelling,” “The Meaning of Dia de los Muertos,” an altar building workshop, storytelling by Lupe Anaya, and a Sunday tinwork workshop with master artist Fred Lopez from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Quetzal Guerrero Nosotros In Tlanextli Tlacopan “We want people to know the splendor of the Aztec/Mexicah peoples is alive and well and not an imagination of the past,” says dance leader Martin Tellez. “We have all learned the tradition of La Danca Azteca (Aztec dancing) from our barrio of Tlacopan in Mexico City.” Southwest Eclectic Artist
Association Children’s Activities Hispanic Tinworking Workshop For more information on how to participate in altar building, call Delia Munoz at 928/523-6840. Artists and vendors may call Diane Rechel, Museum of Northern Arizona Heritage Program Manager at 928/774-5213, ext. 217. -end- September 15, 2005 “Tortilla Heaven,” a one-man play written by Celeste Angela Estrada, directed by David Miguel Estrada, and starring Jade Esteban Estrada will be performed on Friday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Branigar Hall. “Tortilla Heaven” is a story of three generations of Mexican-Americans trying to relate to one another and celebrating life, love, and making tortillas the American way—the first generation living a humble life and making home feel more like home, the second generation abandoning their roots in order to assimilate into big city life, and the third generation trying to understand it all without knowing the language of their people. When generations finally meet, speaking the language seems to be the easy part of a difficult journey of understanding. Eleven-year-old Charlie Ruiz has never met his grandmother or before. His mother, a successful author of such books as Out of the Fuego, into the Fire and Ethnically Challenged: Trapped in the Body of a Brown Woman, leaves Charlie with her estranged family for "a short visit" while she goes on tour to promote her English-only books. Charlie is suddenly face-to-face with a whole new language, culture, and family members that are not at all like his mother. Performer Jade Esteban Estrada is the former choreographer and lead dancer for TV star Charo and a scratch vocalist for the pop group The Back Street Boys. He graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York and has since appeared on HBO Latino, Comedy Central, and PBS and his Latin pop music can be heard on the Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning police drama, “The Shield.” Jade is the oldest brother of the three siblings. The playwright, Celeste Angela Estrada, attended Williams College and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin. She won the 2004 Gertrude Stein Literary Award for “Tortilla Heaven.” Show Business Weekly calls her "a successful Latina playwright." This middle sister dedicates her play to her grandmother. New York-based David Miguel Estrada directs Jade Esteban in the seven character play. He graduated from the College of Sante Fe. His own plays “You Ain’t No Johnny Cash,” “The Yale Diaries,” and “My Burger with Ted” have all enjoyed successful New York runs. His self-written, one-man show “Reflections” was performed at New York's Lincoln Center in 2004. He is the youngest brother of the three. ”Tortilla Heaven” first debuted in April 2002 at the Creative Place Theatre in New York. It has since enjoyed successful runs at the Pantheon Theatre and Theatre-Studio both in the Theatre District in New York's Times Square. Jade Esteban Estrada won the 2004 Audience Favorite Award in Solo Performance. The New York Times calls him, "hilarious." The Dallas Morning News calls him, "funny and irreverent." Judith Newmark of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch calls it "a comedic, deeply felt story of roots and assimilation." "Estrada brings Tejano fever to New York City," raves Gloria I. Ramirez of Noticias del Mundo. "Tortilla Heaven is my big fat Latino wedding!" says Joey Reynolds of the nationally syndicated radio show "The Joey Reynolds Show" on WOR Radio. "With lots of humor and humanity, the talented Jade Esteban Estrada performed the roles of uncles, grandmothers, and sons, giving an understanding of the importance of assimilating while at the same time holding on to the Latin culture," reviewed Sasha Rionda of "Nuestro Rincon" on WKRC-TV in Cincinnati. Tickets are $5 adult, $2 children 12 and under, and the show is appropriate for all ages. Ticket information is at 928/774-5213. For more information or to request an interview, please contact Adam Salazar at Vicarious New York at 646/342-8647 or at vicariouspr@aol.com. Visit Jade Esteban Estrada's website at www.GetJaded.com. Other “Tortilla Heaven” performances: -end- September 9, 2005 Two young Romanian musicians, both with a dream of performing in the U.S. and visiting the Grand Canyon, had a tragic auto accident on the way to the Grand Canyon and Alin Ionescu was left a parapalegic. He was admitted to Flagstaff Medical Center on August 20 and through rehabilitation he has regained the use of his left leg, but not his right. The Museum of Northern Arizona and local healthcare workers invite you to a piano concert fundraiser by his brother Ion Ionescu on Friday, September 16 at 7 p.m. in MNA’s Branigar Hall. Ion, a contemporary composer and pianist, will perform to raise money towards Alin’s enormous hospital bills, hoping to add to only limited funds coming from an auto insurance policy. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at the Orpheum Theater starting Tuesday, September 13 and before the concert at the door. FMC patient Alin Ionescu, also a pianist, attends the Conservatory of Music in Bucharest and was invited to the U.S. by the Romanian Cultural Center in New York City for an October concert. Ion Ionescu expands New Age music beyond the familiar to encompass a new dynamism and power. He was born 25 years ago in Pitesti, a small town near Bucharest, Romania. He started his musical career at age four and came to the U.S. at fifteen, with his most treasured possession—a satchel full of sheet music. Inonescu studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes College of Music, and developed his talent under the famed piano teacher and his mentor, Alice Papazian. He is a prize-winning veteran of more than one hundred concerts and competitions in Romania, Europe, and the U.S., including the Romanian National Classical Competition. Ionescu went on to become the Grand Prize-Winner of the Bertelsmann’s World of Expression Scholarship Program, sponsored by the German music distributor Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) for new and emerging composers throughout the world. Beginning in 1999, Ionescu began performing his own works at Steinway Hall, CAMI Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Merkin Hall. His debut album, “Atmosphere,” was launched in 2000 at a command performance before His Excellency the Consul General of Romania at the Romanian Consulate General in New York City. Scheduled in 2001 for a performance before the president of Romania and the governor of the state of New York, George Pataki, the concert was cancelled due to the September 11. Ionescu’s volunteer work at Ground Zero inspired his composition “Why?” His second CD, “October Requiem,” was released on September 30, 2004 at Carnegie Hall. He contributed compositions to the music score for the independent film “Long Story Short” and recently served as musical director for the musical production, “Ragamuffins.” A visit to Ionescu’s website at www.ionionescu.com provides an opportunity to listen to his original compositions and purchase CDs. -end- August 29, 2005 In the desert, water appears when we least expect it and hides when we want it most. Rain falls but never reaches the ground, and dry washes abruptly become rivers. One constant holds true: water enables life. On Sunday, September 11 at 2 p.m. in the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Branigar Hall, water’s different roles in the desert will be discussed by Thomas Lowe Fleischner, a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies, with a book signing following. The lecture and book signing are free with admission. “Exploration of desert wetlands—whether on foot, with photographs, or in words—involves vacillating between tremendous, uplifting beauty and great, heartbreaking degradation. We offer the images and words in your hands that you might grasp the beauty more readily, and join the chorus of voices calling for an end to despoiling of these treasurelands." —Thomas Lowe Fleischner in Desert Wetlands. In Desert Wetlands, passionate naturalist Tom Fleischner and distinguished photographer Lucian Niemeyer document sites in the American Southwest and Mexico that are gauges to the environment. The wetlands included are Cuatro Cienegas Basin in Coahuila, Mexico, the San Pedro River in Arizona, the Escalante River in Utah, the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, the playas and wetlands in Arizona, the Mohave Desert in California, and the Big Bend National Park in Texas. "I believe in the life-changing power of a simultaneous immersion in wild nature and rigorous educational process,” states Fleischner. Fleischner teaches in the Environmental Studies Program at Prescott College. His earth sciences studies began at Evergreen State College in Field Biology, then at Western Washington University in Biology, and The Union Institute in Environmental Studies, receiving his Ph.D. in 1998. Fleischner teaches Conservation Biology, Natural History, and a variety of interdisciplinary environmental studies courses integrating the humanities and sciences. His interests include nature writing, the historical and philosophical aspects of the human-nature relationship, and the relationship between science and public policy. Tom is the author of Singing Stone: A Natural History of the Escalante Canyons, as well as numerous professional articles on topics ranging from the ecological effects of livestock grazing, to wilderness management and biodiversity. His field studies of birds and marine mammals have taken him from the Pacific Northwest to the Alaskan Arctic and Sonoran Desert. He co-founded and directed the North Cascades Institute, an environmental field school, and worked for the National Park Service. Lucian Niemeyer's previous books include Chesapeake Country, Okefenokee, and Old Order Amish. He lives in Santa Fe. Book Reviews:
"[Fleischner] does a superb job interjecting interesting narratives and useful information on the subject of desert wetlands. . [Niemeyer's] work thrills the senses."—Tucson Weekly "[Desert Wetlands] reveals the beauty and vibrant life of these vital and imperiled lands in the Southwestern United States and Mexico."—Las Cruces Sun-News "Desert Wetlands is a serious environmental book wrapped in disarmingly beautiful imagery."—The Durango Herald, CO "Desert Wetlands is an appealing photo essay with an extensive accompanying text."—Winging It: Newsletter of the American Birding Association "Lucian Niemeyer's photographs capture all the beauty of the Southwest."—Waterbury Sunday Republican, CT “Mr. Niemeyer's photography . . . is utterly superb."—Southern Living -end- July 29, 2005 American artist Joella Jean Mahoney’s large scale paintings will be featured in a one-woman show, Passionate Vision, at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff from September 17 through December 31, 2005. The exhibit is curated by Guest Curator Alan Petersen, Chair of Fine Arts, Coconino Community College. Her work captures the essence of the Colorado Plateau landscapes and fuses the geological, the emotional, and the spiritual soul of the region. In this statement, Petersen shares his enthusiasm for her paintings, “Joella Jean Mahoney’s work continues a great tradition of romantic landscape painting in the Southwest. Her passionate vision is one of expansive topographic views of the land, as well as quiet interior spaces. Her style and commitment to her subject display a veracity and spiritual aspect equaled by few artists. Passionate Vision is a rare opportunity to experience the Colorado Plateau through the compelling artwork of a contemporary master.” Museum Director Robert Breunig says, “In this exhibit, Joella Jean Mahoney is presenting an incredible body of her work. Although these works are about this region, the effect of this art is not parochial—Joella Jean Mahoney touches universal themes and provokes deep emotions. It is about the inner, visceral experience we all have when we come upon an electrifying landscape. It’s about the way we respond when we see an incredible vista, or when an unusual cloud formation floats above the land.” “I often hear from people that my paintings give them the experience of being on this special landscape and through the paintings they become more aware of its beauty. MNA taught me about this region. That’s why it’s so meaningful to me—this exhibit—because it completes the cycle that began in 1951 when I came to Flagstaff,” states Mahoney. “It was then, that MNA revealed the power, the mystery, and the beauty of this place to me, a place that is unique throughout the world.” Each of Mahoney’s 33 paintings will be accompanied by a personal story by the artist, revealing the artist’s inner thoughts. She states, “The color in my paintings is not an exaggeration. The Southwest is truly a land of color and color holds an emotional charge. It can be healing because it may bring up to the conscious level an awareness of feelings. The experience of beauty can also be healing, because it stimulates the feeling of wholeness.” Joella looks back Mahoney graduated from Arizona State College, now Northern Arizona University, in 1955 and has an M.F.A. in painting and drawing from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. She is Professor of Art Emerita at the University of La Verne in California. Her work has become internationally known through the Art in the Embassies Program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department and through numerous exhibits, including an annual New York show and 30- and 40-year retrospectives at the Northern Arizona University Fine Art Museum, the West Valley Art Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, the University of La Verne Art Museum, and The Kolb Studio at the Grand Canyon. Mahoney is represented by Arte-Misia Gallery in Sedona, Arizona and the Red Stone Gallery on the web. Mahoney will be an active part of this exhibit. She will offer a series of presentations throughout the fall and will also personally lead some of the gallery tours. Mahoney is eager to interact with visitors of all ages and she will be doing some of her painting in the gallery during the time of the exhibit. Look for a schedule of these events on the Museum’s website, once the exhibit opens on September 17. An auction of her work About the Museum -end- July 26, 2005 A new exhibit of Navajo paintings from the MNA Fine Art Collection is now open at the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Katherin L. Chase Gallery through September 14, 2005. The exhibit displays the works of many fine painters including world-renowned Navajo artists Beatin Yazz, Robert Chee, Harrison Begay, and Bahe Whitethorne. This exquisite exhibition of rarely seen, original paintings was selected by Guest Curator of Fine Arts Alan Petersen, Chair of the Fine Arts Department and Coordinator of Colorado Plateau Studies at Coconino Community College. "This is a very exciting opportunity for Museum visitors to view work that is seldom exhibited. Some of these paintings are classic examples of mid-twentieth century Navajo painting in the Studio Style. Harrison Begay's "Four Sacred Mountains" series are rarely displayed. They are powerful masterpieces that convey an important spiritual message," stated Petersen. The exhibit of historical Navajo paintings is a great addition to the many contemporary artworks that will be on display in the 56th Annual Navajo Festival of Arts and Culture on July 30 and 31. "We are very happy to be opening this exhibit of Navajo paintings in association with the Festival," says Dr. Stefan Sommer, MNA's Deputy Director for Public Programs. "We are always looking for opportunities to display the many treasures in the Museum's extraordinary collections. Alan Petersen's curatorial work has assisted us in showing these fine paintings that have not been on public display for many years.” Beatin Yazz (Jimmy Toddy) began painting professionally in the 1930s. He is best known for his brilliantly colored and stylized depictions of the peyote ceremony. He also did work in the more conservative Studio Style and was well known for his illustrations for children's books. Bahe Whitethorne's unique style is broadly known throughout the world. In addition to his colorful and energetic paintings, he has also illustrated many children's books which are cherished by children, parents, and art lovers alike. The Museum of Northern Arizona is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180. Its mission is to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau through collecting, studying, interpreting, and preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage. The Museum is a regional repository and houses some 600,000 artifacts and other bulk collections, including MNA collections, tribal collections, and federal collections. -end- July 22, 2005 On Saturday, August 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Flagstaff Youth Gardens will host its First Annual Garden Games. The games will take place at the Colton Community Farm site, across Highway 180 from the MNA Exhibit Building. This free event is part of the national Eat-In Act-Out campaign to highlight local food and youth garden programs. Flagstaff Youth Gardens is an eight-week summer internship that offers wages, job skill training, and leadership development to local high school youth. The program encourages a broader understanding of the unique beauty and character of this region through sustainable agriculture. The games start at 11 a.m. with garden activities for all ages—a shovel stilts race, a rooster chase, synchronized water wanding, a potato launch, and many more wacky events. At 12:30 p.m., enjoy a homegrown garden cook-off where people can bring food to share made from one ingredient or more from a Flagstaff garden. And at 1 p.m., entertainment will include music and skits to celebrate the garden and local food. Young visitors are invited to paint handmade bird houses to be auctioned off that afternoon. The Garden Games is one of dozens of events nationwide to celebrate Eat-In Act Out Week, organized by The Food Project in Boston, MA. The campaign’s goals are: · To encourage communities to eat locally and think critically about their food choices. · To build a sustainable food system where everyone has access to affordable, healthy food. · To highlight the capabilities and importance of youth in this campaign. · To engage youth in positive forms of social activism. · To strengthen connections between youth organizations by working together on a national event and building the movement. The Museum of Northern Arizona’s Flagstaff Youth Gardens is located at 3100 N. Fort Valley Road, three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180 (follow the signs to Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy and then to the end of the road). Additional information about Flagstaff Youth Gardens and the Museum of Northern Arizona is available at www.musnaz.org. -end- July 12, 2005 Cyril Neville brings his New Orleans
Creole Rock Caravan to the Orpheum Theater in a benefit for the Museum of
Northern Arizona on Friday, August 5th. The famed Neville Brother and
member of the Funky Meters bring the essence of New Orleans to every
stage. Known as the Uptown Ruler, Keeper of the Funk and creator of
second-line reggae, Cyril is joined by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux from the
Wild Magnolias, who will perform in full Mardi Gras Indian costume Neville
Brother Norman Cesear plays keyboards and Louis Virie Blanche's Constant
Creation band fills out the funky rhythm section. The band will perform material from Cyril’s newest album, “The Fire this Time,” along with Neville Brothers hits “Iko-Iko,” “Brother John,” “Fire on the Bayou” and “Sister Rosa.” Friday, Aug.5, 8pm Orpheum Theater, 15 W.
Aspen -end- July 11, 2005 Artists, musicians, dancers, and food preparers will gather at the Museum of Northern Arizona’s 56th Annual Navajo Festival of Arts and Culture on Saturday and Sunday, July 30 and 31 to share in the weekend’s grand offering of Diné traditions. The central philosophy in Diné life is hozho, meaning everything the Navajo thinks of as good—harmony, beauty, blessedness, and balance. Navajo’s believe that creating art is one way to maintain this perfect state and more than 55 art booths with juried fine arts and crafts—many the results of such efforts to create hozho—will fill the Museum’s historic grounds. More than an artistic visual treat, the Museum’s insightful programming will provide visitors a Navajo “Walk in Beauty.” “We’re taking the festival beyond arts and crafts and are featuring the culture and its connection to the natural world,” says Museum Director Robert Breunig. “With help from the Arizona Humanities Council, this year’s festival is enhanced with Heritage Insights. Under a big tent with the high country breezes blowing and the smells of the pine forest, visitors will enjoy discussions, performances, and demonstrations designed to provide a deeper look into today’s Diné culture.” Arts that define the culture
Rug weaving is a Navajo art form that is vital today. Diné Woven is a small family business of weaving, fiber arts, and Navajo Churro sheep raising from Teec Nos Pos, AZ on the Navajo Nation. Master weaver Roy Kady heads up seven weavers who span three generations and demonstrate “Sheep to Loom,” revealing the processes of sheep shearing, wool processing, and weaving with Navajo Churro wool and the fine art of textile weaving. Up-and-coming new weaver Melissa Cody, just 22 years old, and her mother Lola Cody weave rugs on traditional looms and will explain the materials and techniques they use. The younger weaver’s trademark vivid colors and detailed designs are winning awards and attracting collector’s attention. “Like my mom, I’ve been weaving since I was five years old. I used to sit by her when she was weaving. She used to stop and show me how to do something, but mostly I learned by watching. In my weaving, I am trying to break the boundaries of the regional styles and incorporate more styles into one piece.” Mother Lola Cody is known for her fine tapestry weave and her Burnt Water style of weaving. Contemporary clothing with multicultural elements comes alive with a fashion show of Flagstaff designer Arista LaRusso’s new work. This designer’s trendy, fashion forward Native American clothes will be displayed on models moving throughout the Museum and available for viewing up close at her booth. Emphasizing tribal perspectives One of today’s most important artists, Shonto Begay is a visual storyteller whose creativity births paintings of wonder, sadness, and truth about being Navajo and living on the reservation. At the festival, Begay will talk about “Sacred Places and Art” and show a sampling of his new work. Linguist Larry King from Farmington, NM is a bright light not to be missed. His humorous reflections of the Diné culture in Navajo and English walk the audience along a path of history and legend, and highlight “The Resilience of the Navajo Language in the 21st Century.” Dr. Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie, Associate Professor of Navajo at NAU’s Department of Modern Languages, is the author of a new children’s book, Little Woman Warrior Who Came Home: A Story of the Navajo Long Walk. Parsons-Yazzie will talk about the Navajo language. James Peshlakai, Resident Elder for Native American Students Services at NAU is a noted medicine man and counselor, and a champion for the Navajo people. He will share his wisdom at his talks about “Modern Diné.” Bahe Whitethorne, a noted painter and children’s book author and illustrator, has exhibited his work across the U.S. and Europe. He represents his homeland and culture with depictions of the harmony of Navajo life, striking landscapes with buttes and canyons, and colorful dancers. He will talk about “Traditional Culture Influencing Modern Art” and show some of his exceptional work. Theresa Boone Schuler, a Diné educator from Flagstaff, leads ethnobotany walks along the Museum's Rio de Flag Nature Trail and discusses traditional Navajo uses of native plants. She grew up in Belmont, AZ where her father worked for the Navajo Army Depot. He was a noted Diné herbalist who urged her to pass on the knowledge of traditional healing plants by teaching about identification and usage. A rich sampling of music and
dance Winner of the Best Female Artist at the 2002 Native American Music Awards, Radmilla Cody will showcase songs from her new CD, “Spirit of a Woman,” using her stunning and emotionally-charged voice to sing Navajo songs and lyrics. Traditional flute and storytelling by drummer/percussionist Hunter RedDay and flute player Kelvin Bizahaloni will fill the Museum’s courtyard. And finally, the festival is excited to welcome back singer/songwriter Aaron White, a Native American Music Award winner and a Grammy-nominated artist, to perform his powerful new folk songs. The Pollen Trail Dancers are a traditional children’s dance troupe from Joseph City, AZ that performs colorful social dances. They perform the Bow and Arrow Dance which they dedicate to all veterans, the Maiden and Corn Grinding Dance which focuses on the traditional tools of the Navajo woman, the Sash Belt or Weaving Dance which honors Spider Woman and all who are keeping the tradition of weaving alive, and the Basket Dance to honor and appreciate the many purposes of baskets. About the Navajo Nation MNA’s 2005 Heritage Program
festivals are generously sponsored by: About the Museum $4/senior, $3/student, $2/child (7-17), and members are free. Become a member today in time to attend the Navajo Festival Members’ Preview, Arts Award Ceremony, and Silent Auction on Friday evening, July 29. For more information, go to www.musnaz.org or call 928/774-5213. -end- May 30, 2005 When Donald Wadsworth creates ceremonial sashes, belts and garments, he entwines color and design with hundreds of years of Hopi weaving tradition and the hope the art will continue. No longer practiced as much as it once was, textile weaving is integral to the Hopi ceremonial process for encouraging rain and fertility. Each part of a piece has meaning, such as shapes representing clouds and fringe representing flowing rain. Wadsworth learned his craft from his elders and now teaches eager young weavers living on the Hopi reservation. Wadsworth’s students will join him at the Museum of Northern Arizona to encourage Hopi weaving by demonstrating and discussing this tradition at the 72nd Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture on July 2 and 3 in Flagstaff. MNA’s is world’s oldest Hopi art show More than 50 booths of fine arts and crafts, music, and dancing fill the Museum grounds, lively with demonstrations of weaving, pottery, overlay jewelry, basketry, paintings and sculpture, food, and other cultural items. In an effort to represent artwork created by an even greater number of artists, the Museum increased its collection trips to the Hopi reservation this year and will sell items submitted by individual artists who might only have a few one-of-a-kind items to sell. Plus, new educational programming, Heritage Insights, sponsored in part by a grant by the Arizona Humanities Council, provides an in-depth introduction to Hopi culture by "introducing a rich and varied set of presentations on Hopi world views, linguistics and philosophy," says MNA Director Robert Breunig. "Our goal is to move the Museum visitor beyond just seeing beautiful objects, by placing those objects in a broader cultural context." Insightful journeys Other enlightening programming includes “Hopi Basketry” with Hopi basket weaver Ruby Chimerica, “The Flower World Talk and the Hopi Connection to Mesoamerica” with Dr. Kelley Hays-Gilpin, and “500 Years of Weaving on the Hopi Mesas” by Dr. Laurie Webster. The Native language is highlighted by Emory Secaquaptewa and the history of music finds focus with KUYI’s Station Manager Lisa Youvella. Modern Hopi culture is discussed by both Hopi Foundation Executive Director Barbara Poley and Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, Cultural Preservation Officer for the Hopi Tribe. Demonstrators offer a taste of piki and a bite of bread baked in a traditional Hopi bread oven. Hopi medicine woman Theodora Homewytewa offers tours along the Rio De Flag, explaining Hopi uses of local flora. Kachina carver Clark Tenakongva not only focuses on "The Importance of the Kachina,” he also plays flute accompanied by his daughters on drums, filling the courtyard with Hopi music and conveying the heart and spiritual landscape of this ancient people. Music, dancing and more Kids can get in the music scene too by singing along in English and Hopi with Ferrell Secakuku and Anita Poleahla's new Hopi children's songs CD, "Teaching Through Hopi Songs” to be released at the Festival. Susan Secakuku reads from her new children’s book, Meet Mindy. All ages can enjoy the Creative Corner where they can make a take-home culturally-inspired craft. Hopis live in northeast Arizona at the southern end of the Black Mesa. Art is integrated into daily life and is a way the Hopi communicate their view of the world. Hopi people are direct descendants of Hisatsinom, or San Juan Anasazi Basketmakers, who once occupied ancient abandoned prehistoric pueblos of the Southwest. Experience this year’s Hopi Festival at the Museum of Northern Arizona. The Museum is at 3101 N. Fort Valley Road, three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180. Festival hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and admission is $5/adult, $4/senior, $3/student, $2 child (7–17) and is free to members. Become a member today in time to attend the Hopi Festival Members’ Preview, Arts Award Ceremony, and Silent Auction on the Friday evening before the event. For more information, go to www.musnaz.org or call 928/774-5213. Hopi Foot Race Nuvatukya’ovi means “snow-capped mountain.” The Foot Race is designed to honor the Native tradition of running and attracts runners from across the nation, including a healthy representation of runners from the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Weave your way through scenic trails and earn yourself a Foot Race T-shirt. $15 pre-registration Locally-Sponsored Awards In addition, this year marks the first Memorial Award, honoring the life and work of a Native artist who has been a longtime participant of the Heritage Program and has passed away within the previous year. The 2005 Memorial Award celebrates the life, legacy, and baskets of award-winning Hopi basket weaver Sarah Gashwytewa, by bestowing a $500 award on a basket maker who has made the best wicker plaque basket, representing Gashwytewa’s talent and traditions. The winning basket will be entered into the Museum’s collections. Hopi Days are here again Carving demonstrations begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 1 at Jonathan Day’s Indian Arts, Thunder Mountain Traders, Painted Desert Trading Company, Puchteca Indian Goods and Winter Sun Trading Company and continue through the weekend, coinciding with an array of Hopi cultural events at the Museum. “When it’s Fourth of July weekend, it’s time for Hopi Days,” says Jonathan Day, owner of Jonathan Day’s Indian Arts. The 2005 Heritage Program is
generously sponsored by the following: -end- May 30, 2005 Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff will rehouse its fluid-preserved collection of 11,000 specimens, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and aquatic insects. Included in the collection are threatened, endangered, and locally extirpated species. The Museum’s grant is for $42,746. A total of 194 applications were received by the institute and only 49 were funded. Museum Director Robert Breunig stated, “We are all very excited about this award. IMLS conservation grants are very competitive within the Museum field. This is the first conservation grant the Museum has received since 1991 and it is indicative of MNA’s reemerging stature within the museum community, as a viable and professionally operated institution.” MNA Collections Manager Elaine Hughes and Associate Collections Manager Janet Gillette welcome the IMLS award. It will contribute to the Museum’s ongoing preservation efforts, which include improving the storage environment. Hughes adds, “This award recognizes an emergency preservation priority for the Museum. A number of specimens are unique and at risk of deteriorating due to environmental conditions within their present quarters.” Renovation of the area where the fluid-preserved collection is stored will assure its safekeeping until it can be moved to the Collections Center, MNA’s new facility now in the planning stage and made possible by a $3 million donation last year. The IMLS Conservation Project Support Grants fund a wide range of projects to help museums safeguard collections. Institute Director Robert Martin believes the grants “will ensure that the rich and diverse culture and history in America’s museums are available for a lifetime of learning for all and future generations.” -end- May 23, 2005 Continuing a 77-year-old tradition of informal lectures at the Museum of Northern Arizona, this year’s Summer Seminar Series highlights ongoing research at MNA. The seven Tuesday lectures from June through August are free and begin at 4 p.m. at Branigar Hall. About the Summer Seminar Series museum director Robert Breunig said, “For many years scholars have shared their findings and scientific insights for the public in summer afternoon programs at the Museum. The Summer Seminar Series continues this great MNA tradition with exciting talks, focused around the research interests of MNA staff members and research associates.” Tuesday, June 14 Tuesday, June 28 Tuesday, July 12 Tuesday, July 26 Tuesday, August 9 Tuesday, August 23 -end- May 12, 2005 Peoples all across the Earth have long created rock art and the people who lived on the Colorado Plateau were no exception. Stories on Stone, an exhibit opening June 4, 2005 at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, takes a broad look at an ancient form of communication and begins to unlock the stories held in these intricate symbols and images. Ever wondered about the mysteries of rock art? Stories on Stone explores how rock art was made, how it is studied today, how it can be understood, and how it can be conserved for generations to come. “The Colorado Plateau has a rich heritage of rock art, left by cultures spanning over 12,000 years and across many archaeological time periods,” says MNA Deputy Director Stefan Sommer. “This exhibit brings together many of the most beautiful examples that remain today.” Visitors have the opportunity to see how scientists study rock art using scaled photography, dating techniques, and spectral analysis. Everyone has a chance to make a take-home scaled drawing of rock art using symbols and images they create. “The exhibit explains how all of our study techniques are nondestructive,” says Evelyn Billo, one of the exhibit curators. Billo and her husband, Dr. Bob Mark, have been recording rock art in the Southwest and around the world for 25 years. “Rock art is fragile and must be treated with care and respect. We cannot bring rock art to a research lab, but through a variety of new technologies we can record, study, and display it. In fact, some of these techniques can be used to reveal images that have faded over time.” Both petroglyphs and pictographs exist in this region. Petroglyphs are engraved images that are carefully chipped out with stone chisels. These renderings required a great deal of time, effort, and precision. Pictographs are hand-brushed, hand-printed, and blown paint images made with natural pigments. They are particularly fragile as pigments can wash away, fade, and peel. Nonetheless, pictographs have survived in excellent condition in protected places. While petroglyphs seem less fragile, they are also vulnerable to natural erosive processes and other physical damage. These fragile works survive best in dry conditions, which explains the amazing density and variety of rock art found in this Four Corners region. Why did people go to such great effort to chisel out intricate images and prepare a rich array of natural pigments for their paintings? Stories on Stone explores many purposes that rock art may have served. Symbols were used to tell time by tracking the sun through the seasons. Apparently these time-telling tools were also used to identify key dates such as planting time and the times for ceremonies, essential to their existence. These images sometimes depict significant events, such as the Spanish encroachment, the appearance of new technologies like the bow and arrow, and the advent of new ceremonies and cultural practices. Some rock art may document important stories and legend, or give us a glimpse into important lifeways by depicting everything from hunting techniques to hair styles. Some rock art murals display complex social interactions, fantastic humanoid beings, and a wide array of different plants and animals. In many cases rock art had a spiritual function in ceremonies as symbols for healing and for fertility. This exhibit also explores the preservation of this fragile antiquity. Graffiti, target practice, and other thoughtless acts of vandalism have damaged and destroyed rock art in many locations. Visitors learn what can be done today to protect this ancient heritage, before the stories are lost forever. The Museum of Northern Arizona seeks to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau. It sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180. The Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For further information, call 928/774-5213 or visit the website at www.musnaz.org. -end- April 25, 2005 The Museum of Northern Arizona has filed suit against art dealer Steven Diamant of Santa Fe, NM, demanding an accounting of the proceeds from sales of 21 pieces of Navajo textiles and Southwestern oil paintings deaccessioned by the Museum’s former Board of Trustees in 2002. The litigation was filed in Coconino County Superior Court in Flagstaff, and seeks imposition of a constructive trust and rescission of the transaction on grounds of fraud. The former Board of Trustees resigned in 2003 after a donor challenged their actions and filed a complaint with the American Association of Museums, resulting in the museum’s loss of accreditation. This week’s legal action was unanimously approved by MNA’s new Board of Trustees. In its lawsuit, the museum alleges that the dealer made misleading representations to the former board about the significance, condition and value of the pieces that he himself helped select for deaccession. MNA claims he preyed upon the former board in a time of turmoil and financial distress when it was without a professional museum director. Among the twenty-one works of art deaccessioned in 2002 were: nine oil paintings of the Southwest, including two by Edgar A. Payne and one by Maynard Dixon; a Maynard Dixon drawing, “Lone Hopi Priest”, donated by the late U S Senator Barry Goldwater; a Frederic S. Remington drawing; and eight Navajo weavings, six of them by Hosteen Klah, a Medicine Man and outstanding male weaver who applied sandpainting designs to his rugs. Robert Breunig, recently-appointed director of MNA, issued the following statement: "This legal action was taken by the museum board only after a careful examination of the facts. The board believes that this broker abused the museum's trust for his own considerable financial benefit, causing serious damage to the museum in the process -- not just financial harm, but also loss to MNA's irreplaceable collections and damage to its hard-earned reputation built up over more than seven decades. The filing of this action underscores the present board's commitment to protect the museum's collections and maintain the trust of past, present and future donors." Founded in 1928 as a community effort by a group of Flagstaff citizens, the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) is a private, nonprofit institution that was originally established as a repository for Native American artifacts and natural history specimens from the Colorado Plateau. Over its 77-year history, MNA has evolved into a regional center of learning with collections, exhibits, educational programs, publications, and research projects that serve more than 60,000 people each year. -end- Contact: Robert Breunig, Director April 5, 2005 Spring is here and with it comes the Museum of Northern Arizona’s new fundraiser of unique and fun items—Spring into Auction! This online auction opens April 11, 9 a.m. at www.musnaz.org and supports education, museum collections, and research at MNA. Some of the items in the auction are one-of-a-kind pieces such as pine needle baskets by Marina Xoc Castillo de Vasquez, George Averbeck handblown wine glasses, a giclee by Navajo artist Shonto Begay, a stained glass decorative hanging by Irene Fleming, and a Raechel M. Running photographic giclee. There are also other art items, including a Commemorative Edition Pendelton blanket, a ceramic pot by Leslie Teller from the Isleta Pueblo, Native American jewelry, and posters. Sports enthusiasts can win a round of golf at the exclusive Forest Highlands Golf Course or add to their collectibles with signed Diamondback photographs or an Arizona Cardinals football autographed by Reggie Newhouse. Auction players are just a bid away from staying at the Boulder Mountain Lodge in Utah, the Lake Powell Resort, Los Abrigados Lodge or the Sedona Hilton in Sedona, or at the Museum’s Historic Colton House Caretaker’s Cottage in Flagstaff. If educational tours are what interest you, deepen your knowledge of Native American ceramics on a private two-hour tour of MNA's ceramics collection with four other people. Led by Northern Arizona University Anthropology Professor Dr. Kelley Hays-Gilpin, this tour will help you discover what science knows about prehistoric people from studying their pottery. If you’re the outdoors type, you can bid on a boat tour to Rainbow Bridge at Lake Powell. These items make great gifts for birthdays or anniversaries. Or why not start your holiday shopping early? Preview Spring into Auction! online and be ready to bid as soon as the auction opens this Monday through April 18 at 9 a.m. The Museum of Northern Arizona sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, just three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff. Its mission is to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau through collecting, studying, interpreting, and preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage. Additional information about the Museum is available at 928/774-5213 -end- April 5, 2005 Spring is here and with it comes the Museum of Northern Arizona’s new fundraiser of unique and fun items—Spring into Auction! This online auction opens April 11, 9 a.m. at www.musnaz.org and supports education, museum collections, and research at MNA. Some of the items in the auction are one-of-a-kind pieces such as pine needle baskets by Marina Xoc Castillo de Vasquez, George Averbeck handblown wine glasses, a giclee by Navajo artist Shonto Begay, a stained glass decorative hanging by Irene Fleming, and a Raechel M. Running photographic giclee. There are also other art items, including a Commemorative Edition Pendelton blanket, a ceramic pot by Leslie Teller from the Isleta Pueblo, Native American jewelry, and posters. Sports enthusiasts can win a round of golf at the exclusive Forest Highlands Golf Course or add to their collectibles with signed Diamondback photographs or an Arizona Cardinals football autographed by Reggie Newhouse. Auction players are just a bid away from staying at the Boulder Mountain Lodge in Utah, the Lake Powell Resort, Los Abrigados Lodge or the Sedona Hilton in Sedona, or at the Museum’s Historic Colton House Caretaker’s Cottage in Flagstaff. If educational tours are what interest you, deepen your knowledge of Native American ceramics on a private two-hour tour of MNA's ceramics collection with four other people. Led by Northern Arizona University Anthropology Professor Dr. Kelley Hays-Gilpin, this tour will help you discover what science knows about prehistoric people from studying their pottery. If you’re the outdoors type, you can bid on a boat tour to Rainbow Bridge at Lake Powell. These items make great gifts for birthdays or anniversaries. Or why not start your holiday shopping early? Preview Spring into Auction! online and be ready to bid as soon as the auction opens this Monday through April 18 at 9 a.m. The Museum of Northern Arizona sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, just three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff. Its mission is to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau through collecting, studying, interpreting, and preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage. Additional information about the Museum is available at 928/774-5213 -end- March 23, 2005 On February 5 the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Hopi Tribe. This action followed the unanimous approval of the MOU by the Hopi Tribal Council on January 6. Attending the Council meeting from MNA were Director Robert Breunig and Board Chair Susan Garretson. Also in attendance was Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, Cultural Preservation Officer for the Hopi Tribe and MNA board member. The MOU is a document that lays the foundation for future collaboration between the Museum and the Hopi Tribe. It outlines procedures for cooperative projects and initiatives. In his address to the Council, Breunig said MNA and the Hopi people have had a close relationship, based on informal ties, for 76 years since the Museum’s founding in 1928. “This document moves that relationship to a new level and ensures Hopi participation in projects of mutual interest. It provides a mechanism for giving the Hopi a strong voice in matters relating to Hopi culture at MNA,” said Breunig. Hopi Tribal Chairman Wayne Taylor echoed the desire for a stronger, more formal relationship and voiced his support by saying, “This is an important opportunity for the tribal government to take advantage of. With a respectful partnership with the Museum, we can better represent the Hopi people. Indeed, the MOU gives the Hopi people a strong voice in how we shape our ideas into results.” Mr. Kuwanwisiwma also stated his support for the agreement: “…The new direction of the Museum under the current leadership enables the Hopi people and their government officials a unique opportunity to be a key player in Museum initiatives.” Specifically the MOU provides for consultation and collaboration of various educational initiatives including: development of exhibits and education programs relating to Hopi culture; reorganization of the Hopi Mural Project, an exhibit initiative in process at MNA; Hopi involvement in the management of culturally sensitive collections; collaboration with the Hopi Tribe and Northern Arizona University on the establishment of training programs for Hopis in the field of Museum Studies; MNA assistance in the establishment of a new Hopi Tribal Museum and education center on the Hopi Reservation; and mutual exploration of new directions for the annual Hopi Festival in support of the perpetuation of Hopi art and craft traditions. MNA will also continue to serve as a repository for special Hopi tribal collections. “It is our hope that this MOU can be a model agreement for how museums and Indian tribes can work together now and in the future in the spirit of collaboration and mutual respect. MNA desires to develop similar MOUs with all of the tribes that are represented with significant collections at the Museum,” said Breunig. A formal signing ceremony for the MOU is scheduled for the March 10 meeting of the Hopi Tribal Council at the Hopi Tribal Hall in Kykotsmovi, Arizona. Members can view the complete agreement on MNA’s website. -end- March 21, 2005 It is an exciting homecoming for a sought after Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton painting. “Valley Little Colorado,” a landscape of a red mesa under a cloud-filled sky, is now at Flagstaff’s Museum of Northern Arizona. It will be unveiled to the public in the Sarah Lee Branigar Reception Room of the Museum at 3:30 p.m. on March 25, the day on which Colton was born in1889. Colton, a professional artist who co-founded MNA in 1928 with Dr. Harold Sellers Colton, painted this landscape early in her career, around 1925. Museum Trustee Susan Olberding, who is engaged in a research and documentation project for Colton’s artwork, discovered the painting for sale at an art gallery in Pennsylvania last fall. The Museum had a strong interest in adding this painting to its art collection and was able to accomplish this endeavor through the anonymous support of an interested group of donors who generously contributed its $13,000 cost. “It is important to MNA to honor Mrs. Colton through this acquisition,” said Museum Director Dr. Robert Breunig, “not only because she is one of MNA’s founders, but also because she is a significant, if under-recognized, painter of the land and people of the West. Over time MNA hopes to acquire the strongest possible representation of Mrs. Colton’s work for our collection.” Colton graduated with honors from the Philadelphia School of Design for Women in 1908 and became one of “The Ten” of Philadelphia, a progressive group of women painters and sculptors who worked and exhibited together. Colton exhibited with “The Ten” from the 1910s to 1940, and especially became known for her portraits of the Native people she met and the landscapes she visited in northern Arizona. Her work received critical acclaim in Philadelphia and New York City. The following mention appeared in the September 2, 1920 edition of The Christian Science Monitor: “In her Arizona canvases, Mrs. Colton
gives sway to her love of color. One is impressed Colton was elected to the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame in 1981, its inaugural year. Her many contributions to the state of Arizona include a colorful artistic record of its natural and cultural heritage through her paintings, and a host of efforts that encouraged Arizona artists. Among these were the summertime Hopi Craftsman Exhibition and Navajo Craftsman Exhibition, which Colton launched through the Museum in 1931 and 1949 respectively, and which continue to this day as the Museum’s Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture (in early July) and the Navajo Festival of Arts and Culture (in late July). -end-
March 3, 2005 Counting Our Ducks Before
They're Gone: Building Biodiversity Inventories
at Large National Parks The National Park Service, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and Northern Arizona University are presenting this lecture to promote the establishment of an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) program for the Colorado Plateau. Keith Langdon, Ph.D., Biological Inventories Program Manager at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will talk about efforts to inventory all species on the planet, one region at a time. In North America, some of the best candidates for complete inventories are our national parks. Current inventory efforts in the 849-square-mile Great Smoky Mountains National Park can serve as a model for ATBI efforts in other places like Grand Canyon National Park. By December 1, 2003 in Great Smokey National Park, a total of 410 species new to science had been discovered. An additional 2,955 species constituted new records for the park, bringing the total of new discoveries to 3,365. This prototype inventory effort is accomplished through a nonprofit partner, Discover Life In America (www.dlia.org). All species, regardless of domain (i.e., Archaea, Bacteria, Eucarya) or kingdom (e.g., plant, animal), are targeted for inclusion in the inventory. The ATBI actively involves students and other members of the public. The National Park Service and its
partners in this project are hopeful that public awareness will lead to
the recruitment of a new generation of scientists and nurture a
science-oriented citizenry. Apples, Coriander, and
Watermelons: Spanish Plantways to Arizona When plants, foods, and agriculture from the Old World made their way from Spain to Mexico and into Arizona, the Southwest was changed forever. Bill Dunmire, Associate in Biology at the University of New Mexico, will give an illustrated talk with insights into Southwest agriculture and cuisine. He focuses on positive contributions Spanish colonizers and missionaries made to Arizona’s agricultural heritage. “Most of us know the story of how foods from America such as corn, beans, and chile traveled around the world after the arrival of the Spaniards, but the integration of Old World crops into O’odham and other Native American cultures and, eventually, into our own is an account that previously had been missing from the literature,” Dunmire stated. “This event represents nothing less than the most significant cultural fusion of agriculture and cuisine in human history.” Dunmire’s book, Gardens of New Spain: How Mediterranean Plants and Foods Changed America, was recently published by the University of Texas Press and will be available for purchase and signing by the author at the lecture. He has co-authored two other books on wild plants and their uses by Native peoples of our region. Dunmire’s interest in plants and their human uses developed during a 28-year career with the National Park Service, most of which he spent as a park naturalist across the country. He retired as superintendent of Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks in the mid-1980s, then served seven years as a field biologist in New Mexico for The Nature Conservancy. Carlos Montezuma, M.D.,
A Yavapai American Hero, The Life and Times of an American Indian,
1866-1923 Impeccably researched and rich in detail, Carlos Montezuma, M.D. by Leon Speroff, Ph.D. documents the life of one of the first Native American doctors to seek and earn a medical degree. Taken from his family as a boy by Pima Indian warriors and sold to an itinerant Italian photographer, Montezuma found himself deposited into foreign surroundings at a very young age. In late nineteenth-century Chicago, he was presented with opportunities, both educational and social, that had previously been unavailable to his people. Dr. Montezuma became a firm believer in the importance of Native American assimilation into white society and fiercely spoke out against the Bureau of Indian Affairs, claiming that it was responsible for keeping American Indians dependent on the Federal Government. In the last years of his life, his intense focus shifted from this assimilation philosophy to helping his tribe regain its land and water rights in the face of great adversity from the U.S. Government. Speroff paints a full and well-rounded picture of the life and times of this remarkable man. The inclusion of Montezuma's personal correspondence with numerous key players in the early American Indian movement lends this book the air of authority and authenticity that superbly re-creates this time in our history when a disenfranchised group of people stood up to take their rightful place in American society. Speroff, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Oregon Health Sciences University, is known worldwide for his textbook, Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility, now in its sixth edition. After completing his specialty training and serving in the Air Force, Dr. Speroff was Director of the Gynecologic Endocrine Laboratory at the Yale University School of Medicine. He has served as President of the American Fertility Society (now the American Society of Reproductive Medicine) and was the founding President of the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists. -end- February 16, 2005 The past comes alive at Aha! Archaeology Day on Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Museum of Northern Arizona, Elden Pueblo, and Northern Arizona Archaeological Society present “Passport to the Past,” with the best of northern Arizona archaeology. Admission to the Museum is free all day. Visitors can experience a new interactive video, join MNA’s knowledgeable docents on gallery tours, take part in hands-on artifact exploration and analysis, and have fun with educational games and crafts for all ages. Kids are given a passport as they enter the Museum and can earn a Junior Curator Badge by visiting activity stations. They learn how to use a pump drill, make rock art, use a hunter’s kit, sample prehistoric foods, and grind corn. They will visit with Flagstaff’s famous archaeologist, “Major Brady,” to learn about a meteorite in the Geology Gallery and meet Museum co-founder “Harold Colton” to receive their Junior Curator Badge. An informative line up of lecturers will speak throughout the day. Navajo Nation Archaeologist Jim H. Collette tells a rousing tale of scientific mystery and debate about the origins of the Fiftymile Ancestral Puebloan settlement in southern Utah and gives a visual trailside tour of the isolated Fiftymile Mountain. Banks Leonard, Senior Project Director at Soil Systems, Inc., presents archaeological findings that add fuel to another stirring debate in Evidence for an Episode of Anthrophagy at Cowboy Wash, Southwestern Colorado. This ancient site reveals bones, cooking pots, and human waste that tell this story. Loren Haury will sign and sell copies of the Journal of the Southwest, a volume he edited, celebrating the centennial of the birth of his father, Emil Walter Haury, (1904–1992). “Doc Haury,” as he liked to be called, was one of the greatest Southwestern archaeologists and a longtime member of the MNA board. Ten copies will be sold to benefit MNA. Throughout the day, view an exciting computer video, “The Interactive Archaeology of the Grand Canyon,” created by NAU professor and chair of the Anthropology Department George Gumerman IV and Joelle Clark, an instructor from NAU’s Science and Mathematics Learning Center. Roger Moder, Superintendent of Navajo National Monument, and Peggy Moder, Park Volunteer and Project Director, will guide you through interactive video on the Monument’s three major ruins. The video includes Navajo artist Shonto Begay telling the story of the Keet Seel cliff dwellings, footage on Betatakin, and the story of Inscription House. Cultural Resource Specialist J. Grace Ellis from Grand Canyon National Park will lead two explorations. At What’s an Artifact?, learn about the different kinds of artifacts and what they tell us about the people who made them. At But You Don’t Look Like Indiana Jones, different kind of archaeological research are explored, with opportunities to gain experience in the lab and in the field. Elden Lab will teach prehistoric artifact analysis from excavated materials at Elden Pueblo. This after-excavation process provides archaeologists valuable data for analysis. Members of the Northern Arizona Archaeological Society identify, date, chart, and classify artifacts. Gallery guides are available to all visitors in the Museum’s Archaeology and Ethnology galleries with hands-on exhibit pieces to touch. Arizona Archaeology Awareness Month is celebrated statewide in March and focuses on current efforts to preserve the past by protecting our fragile and non-renewable cultural resources. Admission to Aha! Archaeology Day is free for everyone, all day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Museum of Northern Arizona. The Museum seeks to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau. It sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, just three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180. Additional information about the Museum is available at 928/774-5213 or at www.musnaz.org. Aha! Archaeology Lectures at the Museum of Northern Arizona Wednesday, March 2, 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, 4 p.m. -end- February 10, 2005 Guerrero will also teach a mask making workshop earlier in the day on Saturday, February 19 from 10 a.m. to noon. This is a chance to sit with the master and learn ancient traditions of mask making. The fee for the workshop is only $10, thanks to a generous and anonymous donor’s contribution to the Museum. “As a sculptor and mask maker,” says Zarco, “…I aspire to enhance the ordinary with the interesting juxtaposition of ancient and primal imagery superimposed on the modern world.” Zarco Guerrero has been a force in the Arizona art scene since the early 1970s as a ground breaking artist and community arts advocate. He works in many different media to build a modern interpretation of ancient traditions. For years, Zarco’s work has been drawing national and international attention. In 1984, PBS broadcast nationally a one-hour documentary about his art entitled The Mask of El Zarco. In 1986 he was awarded the prestigious Japan Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and spent one year in Kyoto, Japan, studying Noh masks as an apprentice to Joshun Fukakusa. From Japan, the artist also investigated mask carving in Bali, Indonesia, and China. In 1990, Guerrero received the Arizona Commission on the Arts Artist Project Grant to pursue his mask carving in Mexico. He was the mask maker for La Mascarada la Vida, a play by Childsplay, Inc., in which he also played the lead male and co-composed the musical score. This play was featured at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 1991, the Institute for Studies in the Arts at Arizona State University and its dance department performed A Song for the Forest People, a dance and opera written by Guerrero in which over 30 of his masks were featured. In 1993 he was awarded the Arizona's Governor's Arts Award for his artistic contributions to the community, in 1994 he was the recipient of the Scottsdale Arts Council's Chairman's Artist Award, and in 1998 he completed a larger-than-life size bronze sculpture of farm worker leader César Chávez that was commissioned by the City of Phoenix. You can also currently see a superb sampling of Guerrero’s work at MNA’s exhibit, Caras y Máscaras: Faces and Masks, open through April 25. His works include an array of pieces that will stimulate your dreams and boggle your mind. In his words, “Caras y Máscaras is a celebration of diversity, blending elements of Mexican, American, Canadian, Japanese, and Balinese mask making traditions. This exhibit is important historically because over 90 percent of the artwork exhibited has been utilized in performance and has served a valuable function in cultural life. Caras y Máscaras is a testament to a once-dying mask making tradition, brought back to life and thriving in Arizona.” The Museum of Northern Arizona sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is $5/adult, $4/senior, $3/student, $2/child (7-17), and always free to members. For further information, call 928/774-5213 or log on to www.musnaz.org. -end- February 7, 2005 Native American Youth Art—Coming to the Mountain is coming to the Museum of Northern Arizona February 26–April 3, 2005. NAYA features paintings, sculptures, and drawings from grades kindergarten through 12 from nine reservation schools. More than 100 pieces of artwork will be on display at the Museum. Produced in partnership with Flagstaff Cultural Partners, NAYA is part of Youth Celebrate Art & Culture month, a program offering five weeks of activities highlighting regional creativity. “This exhibit gives us an opportunity to applaud the artwork of a new Native generation and to inform visitors of the talented and inspiring students and teachers in our region,” says MNA’s Anne Doyle, NAYA curator. Dedicated to Museum cofounder and youth art supporter, Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, NAYA is also displaying the Treasure Chest Colton created in 1934 to help teachers offer basic art training. The hearty wooden chest still brims with art supplies ready to lure kids to the creative process. To carry Colton’s vi |