David M. Roche Chair Vice-Chair Secretary Treasurer Dickey Family Director and CEO
TRUSTEES
Tony Astorga
Nadine Basha
Jeri Y. Ben-Horin
Matthew Boland
Gregory H. Boyce
Susan Esco Chandler
Adrian Cohen
Dr. Craig Cohen
Judy Dworkin
John Graham
Joe Gysel
Dr. William Howard
LIFE TRUSTEES
Kay Benedict
Arlene K. Ben-Horin
Howard R. Berlin
Dr. George Blue
Spruce, Jr.
Mark B. Bonsall
Robert B. Bulla
F. Wesley Clelland, III
Norma Jean Coulter
Robert J. Duffy
Mary G. Hamilton
Patricia K. Hibbeler
Joel P. Hoxie
Mary Hudak
Dr. Thomas M. Hudak
Carrie L. Hulburd
James R. Huntwork
Gov. Stephen R. Lewis
Edward F. Lowry
Sharron Lewis
Marigold Linton
John F. Lomax
John Lucas
Janis Lyon
Shelley Mowry, Guild President
Christy Vezolles
Frank Walter III
Virginia Furth Weisman
Trudy Wiesenberger
Frederick A. Lynn
Carol Ann Mackay
Clint J. Magnussen
Robert L. Matthews
Mary Ellen McKee
James Meenaghan
John Melamed
Dr. Wayne Lee Mitchell
Susan H. Navran
Scott H. O’Connor
Dr. Arthur L. Pelberg
Leland Peterson
Wick Pilcher
David E. Reese
William C. Schubert
Sheryl L. Sculley
Richard H. Silverman
John G. Stuart
HEARD MUSEUM, HEARD MUSEUM SHOP
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Sarah Moore Graphic Design
Sean Ornelas Director of Marketing & Communications
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Kim Alexis Adversario, Allison Avery, Olvia Barney, Velma Kee Craig, Dan Hagerty, Mario Nick Klimiades, Lucia Leigh Laughlin, Ann Marshall, Marcus Monenerkit, Roshii Montaño, Diana F. Pardue, David M. Roche, Mike Webb
Front Cover: Jerry Jacka (1934-2017), photograph of Charles Loloma, 1985. Gift of the Jacka family, IA-220.
Back Cover: Charles Loloma (Hopi, 1921-1991), Corn Maiden Necklace, 1970. Turquoise, leather, 14k gold, 15 ½ x 2 x 1 inches. Gift of Mareen Allen Nichols, 4033-25. Photograph by Craig Smith, Heard Museum.
The Heard Museum is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization incorporated in the State of Arizona. Exhibition, event and program funding provided in part by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Arizona Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.
Dear Esteemed Members,
I’m delighted to share with you that the Heard Museum has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to create an endowment, called the Lilly Endowment Indigenous Religions Interpretation Fund (LEIRIF), that which will enable us to deepen our engagement with Native American communities by investing in work that explores the role that spiritual knowledge plays in their creative practices. The grant was made through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, which aims to improve the public understanding of religion, and in doing so, foster greater knowledge of and respect for diverse religious traditions.
This is the second grant we have received from Lilly Endowment Inc. In December 2020, the Heard Museum received a $2.5 million implementation grant through the Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative for Substance of Stars—our long-term exhibition, accompanied by a scholarly catalogue and continuing public programs, which presents spiritual belief systems of four North American Indigenous cultures: the Akimel O’odham and the Diné (Southwestern United States), the Haudenosaunee (New York), and the Yup’ik (Alaska).
Substance of Stars, on view now, presents foundational aspects of each Tribe’s spiritual beliefs, primarily explored through the presentation of each culture’s “origin story”—their telling of the creation of humankind. The exhibition title was inspired by a concept reflected in the beliefs of each Tribe represented in the exhibition (and, indeed, by many Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures): that the stars and heavens above are key to our understanding of our universe and our place in it. In this way, this exhibition invites each visitor to consider the commonalities of the human experience as we ask fundamental questions such as “Who are we,” “Where did we come from,” and “What is our purpose here.” For many, responses to these questions often come from our creation stories.
The 360° Sky-Dome, located in Substance of Stars. Photo: Craig Smith.
The Heard’s largest exhibition ever dedicated to the exploration of Native American religions, Substance of Stars offers the museum visitor a vantage point from which to learn about American Indian peoples, their distinct cultures and belief systems, and their histories. It emphasizes the diversity of North American Indigenous spiritual practices, highlights the tradition of storytelling through which spiritual knowledge is shared, and emphasizes the inextricable connections between Indigenous belief systems and the land which has been inhabited by these Tribes for millennia.
In establishing the LEIRIF, the Heard will be empowered in perpetuity to educate our visitors about a multitude of American Indian religions. In a safe and welcoming environment, visitors can contemplate the different religious views and practices of millions of Native Americans, as expressed by religious leaders, scholars and culture bearers from hundreds of North American tribes. The endowment will allow the Heard to advance scholarship on the subject. Our deep conviction is that sharing this knowledge fosters tolerance and understanding, while shedding light on our shared humanity.
Hoop dancing is connected to Native American spirituality and religious beliefs. The hoop is a symbol of completeness, wholeness and the never-ending circle of life. For 35 years, the Heard Museum has celebrated this unique tradition every February, by presenting the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest, a two-day event featuring more than 100 contestants from diverse tribal backgrounds throughout North America. While hoop dancing originated as a healing medicine, it has evolved into a stylized version utilizing multiple hoops performed for wider audiences.
To mark the 35th anniversary of the Heard Museum World Championship Hoop Dance Contest, we have organized a small but mighty exhibition that explores the origins and history of hoop dance. It’s curated by assistant curator, Velma Kee Craig, and adds context for an event that has grown to be the second- largest event of the year at the Heard Museum.
There is much for our members to see and do at the Heard Museum this winter. I encourage you to see our newest exhibitions including Storyteller: The Photography of Jerry Jacka, Adorned with Memory: Jewelry from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art, as well as recently opened exhibitions Meryl McMaster: Bloodline and Space Makers: Indigenous Expression and a New American Art.
The Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market is March 1-2, 2025! It’s a highlight of every year, and our Guild is to be commended for organizing such a thrilling and important event. I look forward to seeing you there.
David M. Roche Dickey Family Director and CEO
On View Now
HARRY FONSECA: TRANSFORMATIONS
Open through Sept. 2025
The Photography of Jerry Jacka
The Photography of Jerry Jacka Storyteller
ANN MARSHALL | DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND OLIVIA BARNEY | COLLECTIONS COORDINATOR
Jerry Jacka was a storyteller. Born in 1934 and growing up on the family’s ranch in New River, Jerry expressed his love of storytelling throughout more than seven decades of award-winning photography. A lifelong Arizonan, Jerry introduced the world to the beauty of his home. Unlike some photographers who specialize, Jerry excelled in several types of photography, including landscapes, portraits of Indigenous artists and their creations. He was joined in his work by Lois Essary Jacka, his wife of 64 years. In July 1958, Arizona Highways published a photo of the Painted Desert taken in 1953 on his honeymoon with Lois. It was the first of approximately 1,500 of Jerry’s photographs published in Arizona Highways ’ books and magazines. Five issues of the magazine featured his work exclusively, and with Jerry’s passing in 2017, Arizona Highways published an entire issue in April 2018 devoted to his life story, photographs, his writing, and tributes from colleagues. Jerry’s photographs have appeared in National Geographic magazines and books, Smithsonian Magazine, Sunset, Native Peoples and American Indian Art, to name a few. Together, Lois and Jerry created a series of books published by Northland Press, written by Lois and featuring Jerry’s photographs of art by leading Southwest Indigenous artists. One of their books, Beyond Tradition: Contemporary Indian Art and Its Evolution received the National Cowboy Hall of Fame award for Most Outstanding Art Book of 1988 and their documentary by the same name received a Rocky Mountain Emmy Award.
Jerry and Lois Jacka in the Window at Canyon de Chelly. Photo: Courtesy of the Jacka Family
The Heard Museum’s first major project with Jerry began in 1974, when the museum asked him to photograph its Goldwater katsina doll collection for a publication to be written by Barton Wright. It was a huge project, and Jerry was the obvious choice. Fifty years ago, the museum had no photography studio, so 429 carvings were packed up to be photographed off site. The publication Kachinas: the Barry Goldwater Collection at the Heard Museum was completed in 1975 and was the museum’s first hardback publication. It was a wonderful success. But what happened several years later says so much about Jerry. The museum needed a photo of a group of carvings that had been in the book. When asked for a copy of the photograph, Jerry was critical of his earlier work. Although the photographs were much celebrated at the time, aesthetically they were of a style that he felt had not held up. Jerry asked if he could reshoot the carvings. As a photographer, he had grown in his art from those early years, and Jerry was a stern critic of his own work.
In 2024, the family of Jerry Jacka honored the Heard Museum’s Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives with the gift of 133,000 photographic images taken by Jerry over his lifetime. An exhibition was then thought of to celebrate the gift. The idea for the title came first: Storyteller. Then came the question of how the exhibition would celebrate Jerry’s photography while relating to the
title and the mission of the Heard Museum: to connect Indigenous creativity to the world by presenting the voice and vision of American Indian artists. So the decision was made to show portraits Jerry took of Indigenous artists alongside artworks from the museum’s collection that these individuals created.
A selection from the thousands of photographs was made in collaboration with Craig Smith, the Heard’s in-house photographer. He gave commentary and insight into the medium of photography and aspects of photographs that make them stand out. We would pull transparencies and slides to the light table in the museum’s library to see what the images looked like: how the colors worked with each other, the composition, the lighting. We considered the sizes the photographs would need to be displayed at to be appreciated and well-spaced in the gallery. After the artist photographs were chosen, we went through lists of hundreds of artworks to determine which works would be on display to represent these artists’ talents. Similar to looking at Jerry’s photographs, pulling the other artists’ works into the light allowed us to admire and appreciate their forms, colors, and techniques.
Storyteller portrays artists in their true element side by side with examples of their life’s work, from Jerry setting the perfect shot to a potter forming a jar to a jeweler creating a pendant.
ABOVE, L-R: Annie Antone (Tohono O'odham, b. 1955), Last Dance, 2015. Beargrass, yucca, banana yucca root, martynia, 7 x 7 ¾ inches. Gift of the Heard Museum Council, 4828-1. Photograph by Craig Smith, Heard Museum. Jerry Jacka (1934-2017), photograph of Annie Antone, 1993. Gift of the Jacka family, IA-394.
Storyteller portrays artists in their true element side by side with examples of their life’s work
TOP, L-R: Shonto Begay (Diné [Navajo], b. 1954), New Light, Reclaimed by Silence, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 16 x 1 ½ inches. Gift of American Indian Art Magazine, 4660-1. Photograph by Craig Smith, Heard Museum. Jerry Jacka (1934-2017), photograph of Shonto Begay, 1992. Gift of the Jacka family, IA-389.
ABOVE, L-R: Rainy Naha (Hopi-Tewa, b.1949), Parrot Union, 1999. Ceramic, 10 x 6 ½ inches. Gift of Roland and Ginny Wilson, 4635-60. Photograph by Craig Smith, Heard Museum. Jerry Jacka (1934-2017), photograph of Rainy Naha, 1996. Gift of the Jacka family, IA-508.
An
exhibition at the Heard Museum opening April 4, 2025
DIANA F. PARDUE | CHIEF CURATOR
Walking through the Heard’s exhibition
Remembering the Future in 2021, it was rewarding to note artists who had received major publications and exhibitions for their lifelong works. It was clear that many artists were deserving of more recognition, and perhaps no one as much as Bob Haozous. Though curator Joseph Sanchez produced an exhibition and catalogue in 2005 through the Institute of American Indian Arts (now the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts), the exhibition drew primarily from the artist’s personal collection. Now, some twenty years later, Haozous has continued to use art as a vehicle for imbedded messages, and there are many examples of his work in museums and private collections that have been exhibited infrequently or not at all, which can be seen in the Heard’s upcoming exhibition.
When the Heard approached Haozous with the idea of an exhibition and accompanying publication, he was open to the project. When curators work with artists on these endeavors, they want to involve an artist with the process as much as possible. Selecting works for an artist who has a near 60-year career offered a range of options but also the realization that space, however big, has its limitations. Selections from Bob’s large collection were previewed very nicely in the 2005 exhibition. The focus of this upcoming retrospective at the Heard is to show the artist’s work through time and to illustrate some of the different milestones in his career, and doing so by including some works that perhaps have not had any or much public viewing. Some works in the exhibition have been in private collections since they were purchased in the 1970s and early 1980s.
The Heard’s exhibition, Bob Haozous: A Retrospective View, is just as the title suggests. It does not include every work made by the artist in his very prolific career. The Heard would need to take over the entire first floor to show everything he has done. But the exhibition does include Haozous’ work from some of his very early sculptures as a student through works completed just this past year. Though he is known for his work as a sculptor, Haozous, who graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree with a triple major in sculpture, painting and drawing, has substantial works in all of those areas. He also took jewelry classes in college and was actively making jewelry in the 1970s through the 1990s. His jewelry, which appears as small, detailed sculptures in silver and brass, are instilled with meaning similarly to his larger works. Selections of sculpture and paintings
have been shown in various exhibitions. But never to this extent has Haozous’ work in all three areas—painting, sculpture and jewelry—been exhibited in this way.
The Heard is grateful to Bob Haozous for his participation in this exhibition and to the lenders who allowed the museum to borrow major works. We are also grateful to the Grand Gallery Exhibition Fund Supporters, Susan Esco Chandler and Alfred Chandler, Lila Harnett, the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation and the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation for their generosity in making exhibitions like this possible. We invite our members to experience the exhibition opening April 4 though November 30, 2025.
LEFT: Bob Haozous. Grave Robbers Buckle #1, 1989. Silver, 14k gold, 3 x 2 1/8 in. Collection of Gary, Brenda and Hayley Ruttenburg.. ABOVE: Bob Haozous. Untitled, c. 2000. Steel, 17 ½ x 33 x 15 in. Haozous placed a drill bit in the area of the dog’s abdomen. Collection of the artist.
Photographic resources in the Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives
MARIO NICK KLIMIADES | LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES DIRECTOR
Photography is everywhere. At the Heard Museum, photographs permeate everything that the Heard Museum does. Whether in publications, exhibition labels, lectures, social media, or the website, images are fundamental in helping tell the story and capturing the attention of the viewer. There are hundreds of examples. Images utilized by the Heard Museum come from a variety of sources including commercial photographers, other museums, private individuals, and images born digitally. One primary source for photography is the Heard Museum Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives. Photographs take center stage for many Heard Museum exhibitions; at present, images from the Trustrim Connell Collection are on display in the hallway outside the Library and Archives, the art photography of Meryl McMaster in the recent exhibition Bloodline, and the wondrous work of Jerry Jacka in the forthcoming exhibition Storyteller: the Photography of Jerry Jacka
Often the Library and Archives is asked how many photographs are in its collections. There is no exact count, but estimates place the number in the neighborhood of a half of million. Photographs are not separated into a special section of the Library and Archives. Instead, photographic material is included as part of an archival collection. Of the 525 archival research collections, 95%
contain photographs. In some instances, the archival collection may be chiefly comprised of photographs. Photographs in the Library and Archives come in all shapes, sizes, and types. Examples of various photographic processes in the Library and Archives include cyanotypes, albumen prints, Kodachrome and Ektachrome slides, Polaroids, stereoscopic photography, negatives, color transparencies, glass lantern slides, and photogravures. Styles of photography include art photography, portraits, landscapes, snapshots, event photographs, commercial photography, documentary photographs, photojournalism, and travel photographs. They date from 1865 to the present, and are stored in plastic sleeves like Melinex, housed in files and document cases away from light. The exception are cyanotypes, which are stored in paper enclosures.
Major collections by important photographers in the Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives are many; notable are the works of Barry M. Goldwater, Edward S. Curtis, R. Brownell McGrew, Jerry Jacka, A.F. Randall, Emry Kopta, Al Abrams, John Brown McKinley, Jonathan B. Wittenberg, and Susan Peterson. Most photographs in the Library and Archives are by nonNative photographers; fine art photography by Native artists is represented in the art collection and held in the Curatorial Department.
Barry M. Goldwater (1909-1998), who was chiefly known for his political career, was also a noted photographer and a member of the prestigious Royal Photographic Society and the Photographic Society of America. His photography focused on Native people of the Southwest including the Apache, Chemeheuvi, Havasupai, Hopi, Maricopa, Mohave and Navajo, as well as Arizona landscapes. Goldwater photographs number over 1,000 and include both color slides and photographic prints. A recent acquisition donated by David Fernandez of a Barry M. Goldwater print is his work “Medicine Man” which is reproduced in this article. What is unique about this original print is that it traveled internationally and hung in the second annual 1942 International Salon of the Victoria Photographic Association, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, from October 23, 1942, to November 8, 1942.
Edward S. Curtis, who created the monumental North American Indian set, features Indians with over 1000 photogravures. He is famous worldwide and the most recognizable photographer of Native Americans. The Library and Archives has numbered edition 117 of the North American Indian, a set which features numerous
legendary artists. One lesser-known artist photographed by Curtis is the actor and entertainer Chris Willow Bird (1887-1968) who worked in silent and talking motion pictures. Curtis’ image is most likely the earliest portrait, copyrighted 1905, of YAN-TSÍRĚ (“WILLOW BIRD”). The story of Chris Willow Bird further unfolds in a rare scrapbook (RC408) in the collection of the Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives. This San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, boy grew to become an actor and entertainer, appearing in several films and stage productions, and often leading a Native American dance group.
The staff and volunteers welcome you to explore its photographic resources and to be among the first to view the 20 stunning color landscapes by Jerry Jacka which will hang in the Library during 2025.
Yan-Tsire (Willow Bird)-San Ildefonso. Edward S. Curtis, photographer. From: North American Indian. RBZ: E77.C97 v. 17, facing p. 130
Medicine Man, ca. 1940. Barry M. Goldwater, photographer. RC526:1. Gift from David J. Fernandez
Past,
and
Future Present,
A Family’s Reunion with Works of Silver Made by Ch’ahii and Eva Chi Begay
VELMA KEE CRAIG | ASSISTANT CURATOR
In 2000, Jay C. McCray entered his artwork titled Past, Present, and Future into the Heard Guild Student Art Show. Jay’s artwork was chosen to be featured on a student postcard, and he received a scholarship that enabled him to go on to earn his BA in American Indian Studies from ASU. While in school, Jay interned at the Heard Museum. He later went on to receive his law degree and is now a practicing lawyer on the Navajo Nation. Jay continues to practice art—jewelry and painting—and has participated in the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market as recently as 2024.
In late November 2024, Jay brought his mother Marguerite McCray and grandmother Rose C. Begay to the Heard Museum to view Diné silver jewelry from the C.G. Wallace Collection. Charles Garrett Wallace (18981993) donated over 500 works to the Heard Museum in 1975. These works included basketry, ceramics, textiles, small carved figures or fetishes, and silver jewelry, all of which Wallace amassed in his career working as a trader at Zuni, New Mexico, beginning about the 1920s.
Jay C. McCray showing a student art postcard featuring his winning artwork titled Past, Present, and Future, 2000. Photo courtesy of Jay C. McCray.
At the time of his internship at the Heard Museum, Jay did not know that his family had ties to the trader and collector, and little did he know that, 20 years into the future, this connection would bring him and his family back to the Heard Museum. One day, Jay overheard his grandmother mention the name C.G. Wallace and as the saying goes, his ears perked up. Another grandmother disclosed that pieces made by family members from previous generations were given to the Heard Museum. Yet another grandmother mentioned that in the 1990s, she had been able to view a ring that was held in a museum in San Antonio, Texas. Shortly after hearing this discussion among grandmothers, Jay submitted a request to the Heard Museum’s chief curator for him and a few members of his family to visit the museum’s permanent collection.
Requests to view the collection by family members of artists who are represented in the collection are always a treat. In preparation for the McCray family’s visit, AW Mellon Fellow Rebeka Peshlakai created a list of Diné crafted jewelry from the C.G. Wallace collection—nearly 200 pieces! Two pieces, a squash blossom necklace with handmade silver beads measuring up to 1 inch in diameter (Na-Sw-Na-J-295) and a four-strand necklace with tiny
handmade silver beads measuring 0.13 inches in diameter (Na-Sw-Na-J-299), caught the McCray family’s attention. After reviewing the information in the collection database, we shared that the makers of these necklaces were identified as Chi and Eva Chi, respectively. The McCray family recognized the makers and helped us clarify some information. We have since added their remarks into the records for each of these necklaces.
The maker of the squash blossom necklace, was, according to the McCray family, Ch’ahii, which translates in the Diné language as “Hat”. Ch’ahii is the great-great-grandfather of Jay, the great-grandfather to his mother Marguerite, and the grandfather to his grandmother Rose. (The misspelling of words and names in Native languages is common, when recorded by someone who is unfamiliar with the language, and the McCray family has seen Ch’ahii’s name written with various spellings, such as Chi and Chai.)
The maker of the four-strand necklace was Eva Chi Begay. Eva was the daughter-in-law of Ch’ahii and was married to his son, James C. Begay. Marguerite recalls helping her maternal grandmother, Christine Mary Begay, to make small beads, like the ones on Eva’s multi-strand necklace. Marguerite has never been to visit a museum or a museum collection, and did not know her family’s created works were in the collection of a museum until Jay told her. For Marguerite, the entire experience was incredible. The large squash blossom necklace made by Ch’ahii was a favorite for her, and she plans to make a large-beaded necklace before she gets too old.
Jay was particularly inspired by the squash blossom created by Ch’ahii. He shares, “It spoke to me. You can see power. Not a lot of people get to see art pieces created by their great-great-grandfather. My grandmother [Rose], who is also grateful for the visit, felt the same way.” Jay took the opportunity to study the impressive detail that makers across the collection took extra time to shape and include. The visit to view the jewelry within the Heard Museum’s C.G. Wallace collection has motivated Jay to continue researching his family’s silversmithing and artmaking legacy. He wants to find other pieces made by his family, if he can, and hopes that the history he is able to uncover is something that he can share with the younger members of his family.
(L to R) Rose C. Begay and Marguerite McCray, granddaughter and greatgranddaughter of Ch’ahii holding an oversized squash blossom necklace made by Ch’ahii in 1923; the naja was added in 1930. Photo courtesy of Jay C. McCray
HSpecial Exhibition Celebrates the Hoop Dance Contest's 35th Anniversary
KEE CRAIG | ASSISTANT CURATOR
oop Dance! shares the story of the Heard Museum’s annual signature event, the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest. The exhibition is currently on view through October 2025 in the Crosswalk Gallery. The hoop dance contest takes place every spring in the beautiful open-air space of the Libby Amphitheater, ideally beneath blue skies and a smattering of clouds to provide contestants and spectators with periodic respite from the searing rays of the sun.
Hoop Dance! was developed by assistant curator Velma Kee Craig along with Lucia Leigh Laughlin, Mike Webb, and Dan Hagerty, who are members of the Heard Museum’s programming department and are involved with organizing the signature event each year. The team aimed to incorporate into the exhibition some of the more striking elements of the hoop dance event, such as the vibrant and colorful palette of regalia worn by participants, the gathering together of diverse cultures from across Turtle Island (North America), and the celebration of continuity of Indigenous cultures and lifeways as represented through the teachings of the hoop and by showing the participation of contestants ranging across the generations.
What does it take to bring the feeling of the hoop dance contest indoors, as well as share the story of its 35 years of existence? The team relied heavily on photographs,
drum music, video, and the use of color, as well as loans from some members of the hoop dance community. Along with objects from the Heard Museum permanent collection and photographs from the Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives, the exhibition features video from past contests; a bronze sculpture titled Nakotah LaRance (2013) by George Rivera (Pojoaque/Tewa, b. 1964); youth regalia belonging to brother and sister Naiche Duncan and Manaya Duncan (both Plains Cree of Kehewin Cree Nation/Taíno/San Carlos Apache/Arikara/Hidatsa/Mandan); a book for children authored by Violet Duncan (Plains Cree of Kehewin Cree Nation/Taíno); and hoops belonging Tony White Cloud (Jemez Pueblo), who is widely recognized as the father of modern hoop dance, loaned to the exhibition by Steve LaRance (Hopi/Assiniboine), co-founder of the Lightning Boy Foundation.
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has participated in the exhibition’s development by lending objects to be included, and axhéhee’ (thank you) to each of the contestants and to those behind the scenes of the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest over its lifetime.
ABOVE: In the year 2000, Lisa Odjig (Odawa/Ojibwe/Pottawatomi) was the first woman to win the title of World Champion in the Adult division. Prior to winning, she placed second for three years in a row. Heard Museum Hoop Dance Contest Collection, Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives, RC331
VELMA
AT THE INDIAN FAIR AND MARKET
ALLISON AVERY | MANAGER OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT & LEARNING PROGRAMS
Come visit the Family Fun Zone at the 67th Annual Indian Fair and Market on March 1 & 2. The Heard Museum’s premier market event features over 600 talented Native artists. Come enjoy the celebrations, artwork, and traditions.
During this event, families are invited to spend time at our Family Fun Zone. This area of the fair is designed with families in mind. With all the hustle and bustle of the day, this family-friendly activity aims to give kids a place to play and create! Kids can enjoy a DJ playing heart-pumping dance music, an exhilarating 16-foot-tall inflatable slide, classic lawn games, and several art activities to express your creativity.
The Family Fun Zone is included in the cost of your admission ticket, but don’t forget that kids 12 and under have FREE admission on Sunday, March 2. Bring the whole family and enjoy the incredible sights, sounds, and experiences.
Young visitors enjoy the Family Fun Zone at the 2024 Indian Fair & Market.
Photos: Zee Peralta.
INDIAN FAIR + MARKET
1-2
EARLY ENTRY FOR HEARD MUSEUM MEMBERS ON SATURDAY
Adorned
with Memory
Jewelry from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art
ROSHII MONTA Ñ O | ASSISTANT REGISTRAR
This February, Adorned with Memory: Jewelry from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art celebrates the second exhibition in recognition of the Basha Family Collection. The title of the exhibition pays tribute to the artists' enduring traditions evoked in metal and stone. It also honors the shared memories and relationships represented through jewelry.
Larry Golsh (Pala Mission/Cherokee, b. 1941), 14k gold chain necklace with tufacast satellites and charoite pendant, c. 1980s-1990s. 14 1/2 x 2 inches. Gift of the Basha Family Collection.
Adorned with Memory features over twenty-five Native artists, including Duane Maktima (Laguna Pueblo/ Hopi, b. 1954), Mike Bird-Romero (San Juan Pueblo, b. 1946), Denise Wallice (Chugach/Aleut, b. 1957), and Larry Golsh (Pala Mission/Cherokee, b. 1941) among others. The artists featured visualize continuity of cultural and artistic traditions across generations. Relationships between artists such as Charles Loloma (Hopi, 1921-1991) and Verma Nequatewa aka Sonwai (Hopi, b. 1949), or Kenneth Begay (Diné, 19131977) and his daughters, Sylvia Begay Radcliffe (Diné, b. 1943) and Kay Begay Rogers (Diné, b. 1975), demonstrate the passing of knowledge while harnessing personal influence.
Artist duos such as Terry and Joe B. Reano (Santo Domingo Pueblo, b. 1935/b. 1940), and Carl and Irene Clark (Diné, b. 1952/b.1950) honor traditions in stone while refining their respective practices. Terry and Joe sustain the generational practice of making beads by hand. Natural stones and shells are meticulously shaped one by one to create perfectly uniformed multi-strand necklaces, often taking months to complete a single strand. Similarly, Carl and Irene Clark have refined their micro-mosaic inlay technique over the course of years. Carl recalled learning of his family’s history of jewelry and trade from his mother. Motivated to continue his family’s legacy, Carl and Irene began refining their micro-fine mosaic inlay technique, which was trademarked in 1995. Carl Clark says, “Sometimes, I’m slicing and grinding for hours on end, sometimes for days or weeks. I have a lot of time to think of how to make pieces of jewelry that I haven’t made yet. Another time is when I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. I seem to be more revived, uninterrupted, and can think better then. These are times I create jewelry designs and make memories.”
enduring friendships Eddie Basha Jr. cultivated. Adorned with Memory explores how memory contributes to the beauty of an object—a value Eddie Basha demonstrated through sustained friendships with Native artists until his passing in 2013.
As jewelry moves across time, it forms a life of its own, carrying memories of laughter and teasing or seeds of artistic imagination.
As jewelry moves across time, it forms a life of its own, carrying memories of laughter and teasing or seeds of artistic imagination. The Basha Family Collection of jewelry exemplifies the numerous relationships and
Adorned with Memory: Jewelry from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art opens in the Alcove on February 21, 2025, and runs through March 8, 2026.
Carl and Irene Clark (Diné, b. 1952/b.1950), Silver bracelet with micro mosaic inlay, c.1990. Silver, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, shell, jet. 1 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 inches. Gift of the Basha Family Collection.
Jamie Okuma Scarves
KELLY GOULD | DIRECTOR OF RETAIL OPERATIONS
The Heard Museum and renowned Native American fashion artist Jamie Okuma bring to you five Heard-exclusive Jamie Okuma-designed luxury Italian-made scarves. Each scarf is made of different material blends that include silk, cashmere, modal, and cotton. The results are five uniquely beautiful pieces of wearable art priced between $225 - $340. They are available in the newly renovated shop or online at heardmuseumshop.com.
Jamie Okuma, an enrolled member of the La Jolla Band of Mission Indians with ShoshoneBannock, Wailaki, Luiseno, and Okinawan heritage, is a
multidisciplinary artist and designer celebrated for her elaborate soft sculptures, intricate beadwork, and wearable art. In 2000, at just 22, Okuma became the youngest artist to win “Best of Show” at the Santa Fe Indian Market, establishing her prominence in the art world. Her practice naturally expanded into culturally informed fashion, where she designs couture and ready-to-wear collections, as well as adorned accessories and shoes. In 2003, Okuma made history as the first Native American designer admitted to the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
SPRING PROGRAM SCHEDULE
67th Annual Heard Guild Indian Fair & Market feat. Family Fun Zone
Saturday-Sunday, March 1-2 | Kids 12 + under get in FREE on Sunday, 3/2
Virtual Art Talk: Best of Show
Thursday, March 6 | Free Event, Pre-registration required
Curator Talk: The Third Dimension with Olivia Barney
Thursday, March 6 | Free for members
Curator Talk: Adorned with Memory with Roshii Montaño
Tuesday, March 11 | Free for members
Heardlings Art Cart: Jacla Necklace
Wednesday, March 12 | Free for members
Family Workshop: Jewelry
Saturday, March 15 | Free Event, Pre-registration required
Virtual K-12 Educator Night: Boarding School
Tuesday, March 18 | Free Event, Pre-registration required
First Friday: Bob Haozous Exhibition Opening
Friday, April 4 | Free Event
National Library Day
Sunday, April 6 | Free Admission for Families (Kids and up to 2 adults)
Heardlings Art Cart: Sculpture
Wednesday, April 16 | Free for members
Curator Talk: Adorned with Memory with Roshii Montaño
Thursday, April 17 | Free for members
Earth Day
Tuesday, April 22
Curator Talk: Majestic Figures with Olivia Barney
Thursday, April 24 | Free for members
Día del Niño: Escultura
Sunday, April 27 | Free Admission for Families (Kids and up to 2 adults)
First Friday: Concert Series
Friday, May 2 | Free Event
K-12 Educator Night & Teacher Appreciation Dinner
Saturday, May 10 | Free Event, Pre-registration required
Memorial Day Program
Monday, May 26 | Free Event
Heardlings Art Cart: Photography
Friday, May 30 | Free for members
WHERE'S THE HOT DOG?
This abstract painting is titled Woman Eating a Hot Dog. What do you see in this painting? Can you find the hot dog?
Space Makers: Indigenous Expression and a New American Art displays many incredible works of art. Look for the labels with Archie to find more ways to examine the artwork on display!
Steve Wheeler, Woman Eating a Hot Dog, 1950-1975. Oil on canvas, 30 in. x 30 in. Charles and Valerie Diker Collection
Honoring a Heard Hero
DAVID M. ROCHE | DICKEY FAMILY DIRECTOR & CEO
After 26 years as a dedicated employee of the Heard Museum, Bruce McGee retired in July 2024. Bruce joined the Heard team in 1998, and his leadership of the Shop resulted in a one-of-akind retail experience that benefits the museum and artists alike. Upon hearing the news of Bruce’s retirement, a Shop patron remarked that Bruce “set an example of what a museum shop should be. I have always been warmly greeted, guided, and thanked for all purchases small and large. I have also formed relationships with the staff that are more than transactional, they are meaningful.”
Noting McGee’s knowledge, former Heard Museum Director Martin Sullivan remarked in 1999 that “McGee is able to recognize the masters, and those in the making.”
We wanted to celebrate Bruce’s many contributions to the Heard Museum with a party, but he politely declined. Instead, to honor Bruce’s legacy, the Heard acquired the textile by the Navajo weaver Florence Riggs on the facing page for the permanent collection. Appropriately enough, it depicts a scene from a trading post, which is an homage to Bruce’s experience with family trading posts. Bruce grew up at Hopi, where his father had owned the Keams Canyon Trading Post for nearly 61 years. As a third-generation arts trader, Bruce began his career in 1967 at his family’s post in Piñon, Arizona. At the Heard, Bruce continued the tradition of working with artists who were longtime friends.
As an icon in the American Indian Art world, and a friend to many collectors, volunteers, and staff, his warm and knowledgeable presence will be missed. On behalf of the entire Heard staff, we wish Bruce much success and happiness in his retirement and thank him for his service.
Florence Riggs (Diné, b. 1962). Pictorial textile, 2015. Commercial wool yarn, 32 1/2 x 33 inches. Heard Museum purchase in honor of Bruce McGee.
Exhibition Opening:
Space Makers: Indigenous Expression and a New American Art
Heard Museum Members and Circles of Giving Members celebrated the opening of Space Makers: Indigenous Expression and a New American Art with remarks from Guest Curator Christopher Green and music by Mario. This exhibition is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.
Heard Musuem Members Phyllis Manning, Patricia Wainwright, and Frances Burruel with Barbara Harjo, Guest Curator Chris Green and Dickey Family Director & CEO David Roche
Members of the Heard Museum Board of Trustees Ginger Sykes Torres, John and Janet Melamed and Christy Vezolles
Heard Museum Members Ira and Marian Zalesin
Heard Museum Board of Trustees Member Frank Walter II and Margo Walter
Chief Curator Diana Pardue, Robyn Hansen, and Lili Chester
Heard Members Holiday Party
The annual Heard Museum Member Holiday Party celebrated the museum's 95th anniversary, the opening of the new exhibition Hoop Dance! and featured performances by Tony Duncan (San Carlos Apache/MHA Nations) and DJ Audrey Pekala (Tohono O'odham/Chicano.)
Heard Museum Board of Trustees Member Ginger Sykes Torres and her daughter Shikeyah “Keyah” Torres
Judi Goldfader, Heard Museum Director of Development
Heard Museum Members with Tony Duncan Heard Museum Members Shirley Birk, Mary Hagerty and Mary Kay Keller
Heard Museum Members get festive at the Holiday Party!
Tony Duncan and his electric hoop performance (San Carlos Apache/MHA Nations)
Member Spotlight: Lee & Kris Peterson
Kristine was a well-recognized Glendale teacher including being named twice teacher of the year in her school district. Besides numerous community and civic leadership positions, Lee credits his experience at the Heard for two other arts and culture board opportunities as past national chair of the Museum Trustee Association and current board Chair of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.
You have been Heard Museum Members since 1980. What drew you to support the Heard Museum and become involved?
As we arrived in Arizona in 1972 from Berkeley, California, we soon placed a high priority on learning about the Indigenous cultures of the Southwest. The Heard Museum emerged as an “oasis” rich with learning opportunities enhanced by staff and members welcoming us and encouraging our exploration of the cultures of our new home. Our supporting the multifaceted and noble work of the Heard was for us a natural response of gratitude.
Lee, as a docent, you regularly engage with the museum’s visitors. Can you share any favorite moments from your role as a Las Guias guide?
A choice which has returned dividends in many ways is being a Guild member and a Las Guias participant. We enjoy connecting the world coming in our doors to Indigenous creativity by sharing the stories, voices and vision of American Indian artists. Besides presenting the ever-changing exhibits, a favorite guiding experience is inviting our guests to savor the engaging array of many Indigenous symbols of the welcoming piece of the HOME exhibit, Indigenous Evolution.
Kris and Lee with three-time Grammy Award Winning Singer/Songwriter Kalani Pe'a
When you reflect on your time and leadership at the Heard Museum— which includes an interim position as the Museum Director—how have you seen the Heard evolve over the years?
An early path of Heard support was the invitation to join the Heard Museum Men’s Council, which offered moments of great fellowship and leadership tasks at times, balanced with members’ demanding professional journeys. Those Council years included valued peers such as Scott O’Connor and Wick Pilcher—and we are still here at the Heard!
My Heard Board tenure included election to Vice Chair and later Chair with the support of the prior Chair, Mark Bonsall. When the need for a volunteer Interim Director arose, I was given the challenging learning opportunity of that role. We concentrated on aligning the well-intended distinct components of the Museum including members, Board, Director, Guild and ever-capable staff. Our internationally recognized Collection and Mission are supported and thriving with a parallel “Collection” of leaders with diverse backgrounds and skills. What a powerful, fortunate combination!
What are you most excited about for the Heard’s future?
Kris and I are so pleased to continue our amazing experiences at the Heard Museum as we approach the 100th anniversary of the Museum’s opening.
We do so with confidence the Heard will continue evolving as an art museum into the next hundred years, with the essential support of those who will follow us.
Throughout the years, you have invited many friends and family to the Heard. What Heard Museum event do you look forward to spending with them every year?
We have several memorable events each year at the Heard. Upon reflection, two powerfully emerge in particular to us. First, the Best of Show Dinner, when announcements are made of the artists receiving ribbon awards resulting from the Juried Competition of the Indian Fair and Market and the coveted Best of Show piece and artist. All participating artists are invited and celebrated, and the informal hospitality is enjoyed by all attending. One of the highlights of our social year is the elegant evening experience of Moondance. Longtime friends of the Heard and, importantly, new friends mingle and honor a significant artist and a Heard community leader. Truly an exceptional event.
CIRCLES OF GIVING PREVIEW
APRIL 3
MEMBERS OPENING
APRIL 4
Bob Haozous: A Retrospective View is the first major retrospective for the artist Bob Haozous (Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache, b. 1943). The exhibition will examine the timely social commentary embedded in Haozous’s work and his overlooked contributions to the field of contemporary art through the presentation of more than 75 works.
Bob Haozous. Santa Fe Dog, 1978. African Wonderstone, 6 x 14 x 5 in.
