Museum of Northern Arizona — Spring events and exhibitions

Message from Mary – This is an exciting week at MNA, starting with winning a Viola Award For Excellence in the Visual Arts forThe Force Is With Our People. We’ll cap the week by opening another marvelous exhibition, Liberating Landscape, that features works by six remarkable women who were creating art in Northern Arizona from 1900-1940. The works in this exhibition are drawn entirely from our collection. If you haven’t yet been inside the Easton Collection Center to see how impressive those collections are, sign up for a Behind-the-Scenes tours, beginning again this month.
As you read through this eNews, you will see MNA continues to offer experiences for all tastes and interests from expert discussions about our archaeological work in our Colton Talks, to guided engagement with art on Slow Art Day, to guided trips into the amazing natural world that surrounds us. I invite you to deepen or broaden your interests and explore what MNA has to offer.
Mary Kershaw
Executive Director & CEO
Museum of Northern Arizona
Precious Waters- Seeps, Springs, and Canyon Streams
Monday, April 13, 6:30 pm
Mary D. Fisher Theatre, Sedona
Christa Sadler, author and Earth science educator, gives a dynamic presentation about the most precious resource on the Colorado Plateau. Tickets are $8 for members, $10 for non-members. Reserve a seat at sedonafilmfestival.com.
Friday, March 20, 4-5 pm
Celebrate Archaeology Month with a tour of MNA’s legacy Archaeology Collection, which includes rare artifacts ranging from sandals to painted baskets and prehistoric murals to 1000-year-old pottery. Find out what researchers look for in potsherds and hear about recent findings that continue to inspire dialogue. This tour is limited to ten people and requires advance tickets that can be purchased online.
Tuesday, March 24, 7-9 pm
MNA researchers have renewed a longstanding tradition of gathering to discuss scientific discoveries, theories, and questions. This month MNA Archaeology Division Director Kim Spurr will present the ongoing surveys of archaeological sites in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This talk is geared toward people with knowledge of archaeology, but is open to all MNA members.
Saturday, April 4, 3-5 pm
Discover the joy of looking at art during this international day dedicated to a mindful experience of art. Gather at the museum at 3 pm to look at about five0 pieces of art for 5-10 minutes each, then meet with other participants and Fine Art Curator Alan Petersen for a discussion of the art and your experience. The event is free with Museum admission.
Poetry on the Plateau Reading
Saturday, April 18, 2-3 pm
As part of National Poetry Month, creative writing students from NAU will share the poems they have written inspired by the Liberating Landscape exhibition. Come just to listen, or bring a poem you’ve written related to the exhibition. To hone your poems beforehand, attend the MNA writers group on alternate Wednesdays from 5-7 pm. Email for information or to sign up to read on April 18.
Register now : Spring Break STEAM Camp
Wednesday-Friday, March 18-20 (Monday & Tuesday are full
This day camp for kids ages 5-12 runs during the FUSD spring break. From 9 am – 4 pm campers will be engaged in a variety of art and science projects, outdoor activities, and field trips with educator Lorie Cavalli and guest artists. See details
Summer camp schedules are also online now and registration will open March 30 for MNA members.
STEAM Second Saturday: Archaeology Day
Saturday, March 14, 2 pm
Local archaeologists and demonstrators will be at MNA for an afternoon of exploring how prehistoric people lived. Try out ancient technology and weapons and create your own pinch pot. Part of Archaeology Awareness month. The STEAM Second Saturday is included with museum admission and open to kids of all ages.
Liberating Landscape
Opens March 14
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. Come see the pottery, photographs, paintings, and drawings of six women artists and learn about their remarkable lives: Nampeyo, Kate Cory, Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, Nora Lucy Mowbray Cundell, Harriet Morton Holmes, and Lillian Wilhelm Smith.
The Force Is With Our People
Extended through Monday, May 25
Whether you’re a Star Wars fan, an art lover, or interested in Native cultures, this exhibition has something to engage everyone. The exhibition features work by more than 20 contemporary Native artists who were influenced by Star Wars and explores the reasons Star Wars resonates with them. It includes fine art, jewelry, pottery, and a full-size robot. Learn more here. Teachers can email the tour coordinator about special school group visits.
Saturday, May 2, 2020
Slate Mountain is a small, extinct volcanic dome. The 5- mile trail to the top spirals around the mountain, providing views of the San Francisco Peaks Volcanic Field as it progresses through three of our four forest life zones. In early May we may see wildflowers at the base of the mountain. Sign up by calling 928-774-5211 ext. 222 or Online.
Grand Adventures
Sign up for one of these multi-day trips to hike or raft the Grand Canyon with expert guides. An unforgettable adventure in the Canyon makes a memorable gift. Sign up by calling 928-774-5211 ext. 222 or Online.
Churro Sheep & Rock Art Ranch Overnight
April 4-5, 2020
A few spots are left on this overnight trip to visit the Churro Sheep ranch on the Hopi reservation and Rock Art Ranch near Winslow. Accommodations will be at La Posada. Cost: $425 members/$475 non-members. This Sedona Muses trip leaves from Sedona. For information or to sign up call 928-774-5211 ext. 222.
Trail work day Date change
Saturday, April 11, 8 am -1 pm
Opening celebration at 1 pm
Precipitation forces a delay of this work day to April. Come help improve the nature trail where the Rio de Flag runs between the rock walls of a small canyon beside the museum. Volunteer tasks will range from weeding and pruning to heavy labor. Email msoliday@musnaz.org for details and to volunteer.
Community members are raising funds to conserve a key 18-acre parcel within the 90-acre Colton Meadows. Parcel D is sandwiched between two pieces of land already slated for permanent conservation easements. If Parcel D can be conserved, it preserves for perpetuity a continuous wildlife migration route and human social trail. So far more than $100,000 of the needed $600,000 for Parcel D has been raised. Find out more by watching the video of the Feb. 16 public meeting or emailing meadows@musnaz.org.
Namingha Institute applications
Applications due March 31
Five art students will be accepted to this week-long paid residency on the MNA campus. The selected students will work with Master Artist Baje Whitethorne Sr. to explore their artistic interests through various media. For details go to musnaz.org/namingha/
Festival artist applications
Artists can now apply to show and sell their work at the Zuni Festival May 23 and 24, Hopi Festival July 4 and 5, or the Navajo Festival August 8 and 9. These weekend festivals provide an opportunity to meet, demonstrate, and sell your art and compete in a juried competition. Requirements, deadlines, and artist applications are all online: Zuni application, Hopi application, Navajo application.
Artistry from her hands to yours
The Museum Shop features the work of many women, such as this lovely turquoise and coral necklace by Nestoria Cortiz from the Kewa Pueblo in New Mexico. She cuts her own beads from shells and stone, then creates the findings and silver pieces, skills she learned from her father and grandparents and has now taught to her sons. See more in the Museum Shop or online.
Celebrating extraordinary women
Women were essential to establishing arts organizations in Arizona, and this is true for MNA. Read about Mary Russell-Ferrell Colton: Artist and Advocate in Early Arizona in this Plateaumagazine, originally published in 2012. Mary-Russell was an accomplished artist, an educator, a curator, and an advocate. Her vision, her passion for the land and people of northern Arizona, and her bedrock belief that the arts are fundamental to and essential for the education of all people are still core tenets of the museum she helped establish. Past Plateausoffer a treasure trove of information. Browse them in the Museum Bookstore or online.
Select Museum of Northern Arizona to support MNA with every purchase when you buy through Amazonsmile.