... the grapevine being, specifically, relatives of my father who live in Phoenix. They told us, during our stay in the desert city, that a visit to the Heard Museum would be reccommended. The museum is a collection of all sorts of art, history and culture from Native American people.
Boring, yet necessary details: Open from 9.30 until 5pm, 358 days of the year; exceptions being the usual american bank holidays.
Admission: $10 Adults, $9 Senior Citizens (65+), $5 for Students with a valid student ID - (my English student ID was accepted without any problems), $3 Children (aged 6-12), Children under 6, members of the Heard Museum (i.e. donators) and Native Americans are FREE.
The museum is located north of the city centre. However, the centre, like the rest of phoenix, sprawls for miles; and the museum is situated in the Arts district, so I guess it could be called the centre. It's on Central Avenue, between Thompson and McDowell Streets, this causes a couple of problems for getting away from is, especially during rush hour; we were staying in the north west pf phoenix and left turns off central at certain times were prohibited, probably best to travel along 7th Avenue or 7th Street and then cut across.
The museum is divided up into a series of exhibition areas, each hosting a display about a different aspect of native america. There are temporary exhibitions each lasting for a few months, alongside more permenant collections (I hesitate to use the term 'permenant' as I am told that there are end-dates, 2008 and 2020!). My personal favourite was the part about life at Indian Boarding schools, which was enlighening yet very distressing to learn what some went through.
The art is very good, with concise yet thorough information explinaing the contexts behind each work. There are also works by Inuit artists and by South Americans.
Also, there are parts aimed at children, with arts and crafts workshops; very easily accessible. This turns what might be a mundane experience for the young into an exciting one, making it a definite family outing. It is also nice to take a souvenir home at the end of the visit!
My parents went on a guided tour of some parts of the museum. These happen twice daily and are free. The feedback I heard was filled with indifference and wasn't particularly positive, so If you'd rather negociate the museum at your own pace, guided by excellent written commentaries, I wouldn't recommend it.
There is a giftshop there, though if you're looking for quality Native American art, I would reccommend stopping off at a stall in one of the reservations to be found all around Arizona. It's cheaper and feels more authentic!
If you feel like eating, there is a rather expensive-looking café tagged on to the museum, however, unless you want to look at everything in huge detail, it's not an all-day job; a couple of hours visiting time is about all that's necessary.
All in all, this is a fantastic museum; both educational and enjoyable.
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