A brave new year at (Museum of Northern Arizona) MNA

Message from Mary –

Winter provides a welcome lull in the year, when we all can take a moment after the busy holidays to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. At MNA the exhibit building has moved to a reduced schedule for the winter, but there’s no reduction in the activity behind the scenes as staff prepare for new exhibitions to open in the spring and a return of favorite summer programs. We are also in the midst of a Strategic Plan that will define MNA’s priorities for the coming years.

Of course, bringing in new exhibitions means saying goodbye to some of the existing exhibitions, so now is a wonderful time to come see Journey to Balance and Liberating Landscape. We also have many fascinating online programs coming up that will share aspects of our archives, collections, and recent research.

I hope this New Year finds you well and warm, and look forward to seeing you at the museum.

Warm wishes,

Mary Kershaw

Executive Director & CEO

Museum of Northern Arizona

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Winter Hours: Open Thursday through Sunday

Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays

Purchase admission tickets online.

Tourism Maps of the Southwest

Jan. 21, 2 pm on Facebook Live

Archivist Melissa Lawton will share Tourism Maps of the Southwest and other depictions of the region from MNA’s archives and discuss what they divulge about attitudes toward land and tourism.

Funded by Arizona Humanities

MNA Archives with Joe Begay

Jan. 24, 3:30 pm on Facebook Live

Archivist Melissa Lawton and Flagstaff High School cultural studies teacher Joe Begay will share selected photos depicting Diné daily life from the 1920s to 1940s. A specialist in Navajo history and culture, Mr.Begay will give valuable insight on the complex social history of the Diné.

Funded by Arizona Humanities

MNA’s Herbarium with Steve Darden

Feb. 3, 2 pm on Facebook Live

Diné cultural leader Steve Darden will share insight on plants Inside MNA’s Herbarium, their uses, and cultural views on who has access to that knowledge. Funded by Arizona Humanities

Grand Canyon Talk: Century Plants

Feb. 14, 3 pm on Facebook

Century plants (Agave species) have been among the most ethnobotanically important plants in the American Southwest, providing Native Americans with food for millenia. In this talk Dr. Larry Stevens, MNA’s Curator of Biology will describe the life history and uses of these important plants, and the peculiar impacts of Grand Canyon on their distribution and ecology. This is one in a series of monthly talks about Grand Canyon science. Watch past talks at the MNA Youtube channel .

Rt. 66 Archaeological Perspectives

Feb. 17, 3 pm on Facebook

Archaeologist and Historian David Purcell will share artifacts found along six miles of Route 66 that crosses the Petrified Forest National Park. Over 11,000 artifacts provide surprising insights to the mid-twentieth century motoring experience. Funded by Arizona Humanities

Heritage Festival accepting artist applications

Now through March 31

We invite ALL Native artists from the Colorado Plateau to apply to the 2022 Heritage Festival, which will be held July 1-3. Click here for information on rules, deadlines and how to apply or email to request an application.

Namingha Institute accepting applications

Now through March 1

This paid residency is an excellent opportunity for young and emerging artists to explore their creative interests through various media with master artists Dan and Arlo Namingha. Held at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff from June 5-18, 2022, applications are due by March 1. Visit https://musnaz.org/namingha/ to learn more and download the application.

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

Inspired and empowered by the dramatic landscapes of the American Southwest, women took the lead in developing the arts of the region from 1900 to 1940. This exhibition highlights the pottery, photographs, paintings, and drawings of six women artists: Nampeyo, Kate Cory, Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, Nora Lucy Mowbray Cundell, Harriet Morton Holmes, and Lillian Wilhelm Smith

Created more than a decade ago by Hopi artists Michael Kabotie and Delbridge Honanie, these large-scale paintings tell a story of the human journey through cycles of chaos and discord to places of wholeness and balance. Watch a gallery tour with Dr. Kelley Hays-Gilpin and Ed Kabotie, read about the exhibit in Mountain Living, then make plans to come see the exhibit.

Based on a true story, Charlie and the Rainbow Trout is children’s tale following a young girl as she works to save a rainbow trout from a creek that is drying up at summer’s end. The Flagstaff author and illustrator, Charlie Bynar, based her book on an experience from her own childhood. The Museum Giftshop is a perfect place to find special books like this, as well as pottery, weavings, baskets, and jewelry. Every purchase directly supports MNA and the artists we feature. You can shop online anytime, or visit during museum hours.

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