Clay Speaks
Arizona State Museum’s 20th annual Southwest Indian Art Fair brings accomplished and well known Native artists from all over the Southwest, but one family in particular stands out for their knack in...
View ArticleOn Buying Native Goods
For thousands of years the native people of the Americas have been making fine objects of great beauty. Historically most of these items were not viewed as art by their makers, but rather as...
View ArticleTohono O’odham Basketry
The Tohono O’odham today weave more basketry than any other American Indian tribe. It is estimated that there are 300-400 active weavers today. This number is still a far cry from generations past when...
View ArticleThe mysterious Mr. Walsin: Or, following a trail of crumbs through the archives
We were putting together the presentation for a History 301 class due to visit the ASM Library in a few days. The instructor, Dr. Michael Brescia, wanted us to show his students a wide variety of...
View ArticleThe Mysterious Mr. Walsin Is Revealed!
Not even 48 hours after the posting of my last blog I received two emails offering information about “mysterious Mr. Walsin.” I discovered that far from being unknown, unidentified, or illegible, the...
View ArticleA Basketry Class Act
The neighborhoods surrounding the University of Arizona hold a bounty of local treasures, from the Postal History Museum to an Ace Hardware with unrivaled vintage ambience. Also on this list of UA area...
View ArticleGirl Scouts Are Excited About ASM!
There are lots of ways for people to get involved at the ASM whether you’re 5 or 95! Visiting the museum or attending a program are one way; volunteering at these is another. Volunteer opportunities...
View ArticleMuseum Adventures that Engage Students
This week 65 students from Emily Gray Middle School were busy exploring the exhibitions at Arizona State Museum. They were engaged with the exhibit content and discussing it with their friends. Often...
View ArticleHerbert H. Brown: First Curator of Arizona State Museum, 1893
Truly the epitome of a larger-than-life frontiersman and Victorian amateur scientist, Herbert H. Brown was the first curator of the Arizona State Museum (1893-1912) and a jack-of-all-trades....
View ArticleRed Coral Beads–Tanner’s Quest
One of our summer projects in the ASM Library/Archives is to complete the final processing of the papers of Clara Lee Tanner (1905-1997), noted authority on the arts and crafts of Southwestern Indians....
View ArticleSarge, the Bone Collector
Today’s blog is written by Tracie Mayfield, who has worked as a research assistant at the Stanley J. Olsen Laboratory of Zooarchaeology since 2011. Tracy is an archaeology Ph.D. candidate with the...
View ArticleFeed Back: Hopi Quilts Inspire
It’s great when you hear from a visitor how a museum experience inspired them! Recently I received an email from Bonnie Welton, a teacher in the special needs preschool program at Carmichael Elementary...
View ArticleMy Great Grandmother’s Cooking Pot
Today’s blog post was written by Shelden Nuñez Velarde (Jicarilla Apache), reprinted from Native Foodways Magazine (Winter 2013/14). Daanzho (Greetings)! Many people don’t realize that pottery,...
View ArticleA Diversity of Traditions–SW Indian Art Fair performances 2014
Today’s post was written by Lisa Falk, ASM’s director of education and this blog’s editor. Each year she coordinates the performances for the Southwest Indian Art Fair. If you know of a Native American...
View ArticleStory Tellers
Today’s blog post was written by Gail Bornfield, Arizona State Museum’s Docent Council Chair. It was first published in the February issue of Zócalo Magazine. At Arizona State Museum, docents use the...
View ArticleSaving America’s Treasures
Today’s blog post was written by collections curators Diane Dittemore and Mike Jacobs and edited by Lisa Falk, ASM’s director of education and blog editor, and UA student intern Thomas McDonough. Most...
View ArticleEarly Arizona State Museum Donors and Collectors
Today’s blog post was written by ethnological collections curator Diane Dittemore. Most text was reprinted from Basketry Treasured, an ASM exhibit guide that she produced. While the exhibit is no...
View ArticleThe Changing Role of Basketry in Native Life
Today’s blog post was written by ethnological collections curator Diane Dittemore. Most text was reprinted from Basketry Treasured, an ASM exhibit guide that she produced. While the exhibit is no...
View ArticleA Mammothly Good Time
Today’s post was written by Thomas McDonough, senior in the History Department at the University of Arizona. He is interning in ASM’s education department this spring. Did you know mammoths once roamed...
View ArticleA Culture of Science and the Science of Culture
Today’s blog is written by Beth McClendon, program assistant in ASM’s education office. In a few weeks she will graduate with a BA in anthropology and art history with a minor in ecology and...
View Article
