NOTE NEW DATES for 2023: We are counting down the days to one of the biggest events of the year – the Heritage Festival of Art and Culture. This year the festival will be on June 24 and 25. We moved the date in response to artists and attendees who overwhelmingly agreed that moving away from the busy 4th of July weekend would be better for everyone.

I am so excited that this festival brings together Indigenous artists from across the Colorado Plateau, the only such festival that I know of. These artists will all share and celebrate their cultures from under the shade of tents among the tall pines surrounding the museum. What a beautiful setting! In addition to over 100 artists from 10 different tribes, highlights include flute workshops with Aaron White, a presentation by fashion designer Patricia Michaels, as well as performances by the Zuni Water Striders, Dilzehe’e, Apache Singers, and Yoyhoyam Hopi Youth Dancers. I am looking forward to an exciting an inspiring weekend!  I hope to see you at the Heritage Festival, and at the museum.

Mary Kershaw

Executive Director & CEO

Museum of Northern Arizona

Open 10 am – 5 pm daily, except Tuesday

Purchase admission tickets online or at the door.

Mark your calendar

Thirsty Thursdays………………….June 15, July 20, August 17, September 21

Heritage Festival Members Preview…………………………………………….June 23

Heritage Festival……………………………………………………………………June 24-25

Garden Tours….June 17, July 1 & 15, August 5 & 19, September 2 &16

Easton Collection Center Open House…………………………………….August 26

Heritage Festival of Art & Culture

June 23-25, 2023

Festival admission pricing

Adult One Day $20.00

Adult Full Weekend $25.00

Youth (10-17) One Day $10.00

Youth (10-17) Full Weekend $15.00

Native American Full Weekend $10.00

MNA Member Full Weekend $10.00

Child (9 & Under) Free

Click to purchase advance tickets

Festival Artists

The art market features100 Indigenous artists all gathered under tents near the museum exhibit building. This year’s single-festival format opens the event to all Native peoples of the Colorado Plateau, with artists from the Acoma, Apache, Diné (Navajo), Havasupai, Hopi, Pai, Ute, Yavapai, and Zuni cultures joining us this year. See whose coming

Flute-Making Workshops

June 24, 10:15 am Register now

June 24, 12:45 pm Register now

June 25, 11:00 am Register now

Join master flute maker Aaron White during the Heritage Festival for a two-hour workshop and make your own river reed flute. The workshop costs $45, which is in addition to the cost of entry to the Heritage Festival. These workshops have limited spots, so sign up here or by clicking on the link next to the workshop time you prefer.

Members’ Preview

June 23, 3:00 – 6:00 pm

Members-only event, join now.

Members can also purchase passes for the entire Festival weekend for $10

Regular festival entry

Saturday June 24

10:00 am – 5 pm – Outdoor Art Market

10:15 – Flute-making workshop with Aaron White Register now

10:30 – Performance by Water Striders, Zuni dance group

11:30 – Presentation on Hopi and Zuni pottery with Bobby Silas

12:00 – Flute performance by Palmer Saufkie

12:45 – Aaron White reed flute-making workshop Register now

12:30 – Performance by Dilzehe’e, Apache Singers

1:30 – Panel discussion “Perspectives on Inclusion

2:30 – Performance by Yoyhoyam, Hopi Youth Dancers

3:00 – Presentation “What to Wear: Cultural Appropriation in Indigenous Apparel” with fashion designer Patricia Michaels

3:30 – Music performance by Aaron White

4:00 – Music performance by Sage Bond

5:00 pm – Festival closes for the day

Sunday, June 25

10:00 am – 5 pm – Outdoor Art Market with 100 + artists

10:30 – Performance by Water Striders, Zuni dance group

11:00 – Flute-making workshop with Aaron White Register now

11:30 – Presentation on Hopi and Zuni potter with Bobby Silas

12:00 – Flute performance by Palmer Saufkie

12:30 – Performance by Dilzehe’e, Apache Singers

1:00 – Presentation on The We:wa Google Doodle with Artist Mallery Quetawki

2:00 – Music performance by Aaron White

2:30 – Performance by Yoyhoyam, Hopi Youth Dancers

3:30 – Music performance by Sage Bond

4:00 – Festival concludes

Festival visitors will be able to park on the MNA campus on both sides of Fort Valley Road. Shuttles will be running constantly to take visitors who park on the northeast side of the road to the festival location on the southwest side of the road. There will also be overflow parking available at the Sechrist Elementary School with multiple shuttles running. Thank you to OARS and Twin Arrows for providing shuttles.

June 24 & 25, 10 am – 2 pm

Want to help out at the Heritage Festival? You can volunteer for a few hours or both days, and then enjoy the festival when you are done. Email Mari Soliday at msoliday@musnaz.org to signup to volunteer.

Check out our Heritage Festival Frequently Asked Questions for more information. If you have a question that isn’t answered on the Heritage Festival webpage or FAQ’s, email programs@musnaz.org

Elden Brass Quintet

June 11, 1 – 2 pm

Come enjoy jazz, pop, and classical music outside under the big tent at MNA. This free, one-hour performance by Flagstaff’s Elden Brass Quintet is part of a series of free concerts put on by Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra each summer and a long-standing tradition at MNA. Beer and wine will be available for purchase.

Thirsty Thursday – Mother Road Trio

Third Thursdays, 5 pm – 8 pm

Mother Road Trio brings their freewheeling lineup of rhythm and blues, jazz standards, and rock n’ roll to the summer outdoor music series! Stroll the galleries, grab a drink, and unwind. Admission is $15 nonmembers/ $8 MNA members.

June 15 – Mother Road Trio

July 20 – The Red Eyes

August 17 – Highland Ramblers

September 21 – NAU Jazz

Gardens

With all the rains, the gardens and grounds of MNA are lush and green. The Colton Garden, Moore Medicinal Garden, and museum grounds are always open to enjoy on your own, or you can come for one of the free tours to learn more about the plants and their uses. All tours start at 10 am.

Moore Medicinal Garden tours – June 17, July 15, Aug. 19

Colton Garden tours – July 1, Aug. 5, Sept. 9

If you are interested in helping create these beautiful spaces, email msoliday@musnaz.org to become a volunteer.

Discovery Camp registration

Camps run July 10 to August 4

Registration is now open to all, and half the camps are full, but there are still some spaces left. Register now on the website. Here’s an insider tip – become a member now and you can save the cost of your membership when you sign up for at least 2 camps. Need-based scholarships are also available. See all the camp topics at https://musnaz.org/summer-camps/

Vast Lands, Inner Visions

The Art of Joella Jean Mahoney

This exhibition presents key paintings by one of the most important female artists of the Southwest. Mahoney’s art career spanned 66 years, from her roots in the abstract expressionism of the 1950s to her role as a mentor and master artist with a distinctive style that bridges realism and abstraction.

MNA Archaeologists in Glen Canyon

From 1957-1963, MNA archaeologists were part of a multi-year project to record the human history of Glen Canyon before a dam flooded 153,000 acres, creating Lake Powell. At the time everyone expected these archaeological sites would be destroyed forever, but recently MNA archaeologists returned on another multi-year project to reassess the sites they could reach. This new exhibition looks at both projects and the responsibility we all share to protect the past.

As seen on Project Runway

Patricia Michaels was the first Indigenous designer featured on Project Runway and gained recognition for the Peabody Essex Museum show “Native Fashion Now” and the highly prestigious Arts and Design Award from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. This year she is a featured speaker at the Heritage Festival and her scarves will soon be available at the Museum Gift Shop, where every purchase supports MNA and the artists.