The Heard Museum
The Heard Museum
The Heard Museum
The Heard Museum 2301 N. Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85004 On Central Avenue, four blocks north of McDowell Road (Cross street: Encanto Blvd.) 1/2 mile north of Phoenix Art Museum
The Heard Museum is located in Phoenix, Arizona near the Phoenix Art Museum. In addition to the Phoenix campus there are also extensions of the Heard Museum in Scottsdale and Surprise.
The major focus of the Heard Museum is educating the visitor regarding the culture and arts of Native Americans. The history of the museum begins in 1929, when Dwight and Maie Heard began to display their collection of local Native American artifacts in their home. Most of their collection had been gathered locally after Dwight purchased “La Cuidad Indian Ruin”, located at the current day intersection of 19th and Polk Street, in 1926.
From it’s early days as a small, local Museum, the Heard has grown extensively. They now act as home to over 40,000 original and authentic Native American artifacts and books, housed in a building that is over 130,000 square feet!
In addition to a collection of unmatched Native American artifacts, the Heard Museum also sponsors multiple major festivals on a yearly basis. The most well known festival is the Indian Fair and Market, which has been occurring now for over 50 years. In addition to the Indian Fair the Heard also hosts a Spanish Market, typically in November as well as a Hoop Dance Festival in February.
Regarding one of their exhibits titled “Remembering Our Indian School Days” the Heard Museum has said:
No exhibit at the Heard has received such emotional comment as America’s untold story, Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience. Most people are shocked that the U.S. government forcibly removed Indian children from their homes and transferred them to cold, militaristic boarding schools, often for years at a time. Experiencing this exhibit reveals moving stories.
No matter what type of Native American artifacts you are interested in, the Heard Museum is a great choice for any local or tourist that is looking for a top quality, unrivaled museum; because with the Heard being a part of the Smithsonian Affiliation Program, and it’s 250,000 yearly visitors, the Heard Museum is just that!
Heard Museum Map
