New
Heard Museum North grand opening set
The
Heard Museum has long been recognized as
one of the foremost cultural institutions
in the Valley. Few organizations have represented
the pride and dignity of the American Indian
with any more caring and integrity than the
Heard.
Since
its founding in 1929, the Heard Museum has
continued to grow in size to the point where
it was deemed necessary to open additional
satellite branches in North Scottsdale and
Surprise.
After
spending 10 successful years at its location
in el Pedregal in North Scottsdale, the museum
is planning a festive grand opening for June
30 at a new facility in the Summit at Scottsdale,
32633 N. Scottsdale Road.
“We’re
moving because we have been wanting more gallery
space and we’re expanding to have a café to
better serve our visitors,” explains Juliet
Martin, marketing and communications director
for the Heard Museum. “It was a challenge
at the old location to change exhibits. When
an exhibit was down we had less space.”
The
new 11,000‑square‑foot facility
is located on the northwest corner of the
Summit complex. The Heard Museum has spent
almost $3 million readying the space for its
grand opening.
“We
have about 15 percent more usable space than
the old place,” says Tricia Loscher, curator
and program director for the museum. “The
walls at el Pedregal are curved. It was hard
to hang art on curved walls.
“The
el Pedregal location was wonderful,” Loscher
says. “We came up here as a community‑based
organization. Our 10 years there helped establish
us in the North Valley community. We’ve always
had lots of merchant support. It was just
time for our own free‑standing building.”
The
bigger facility will feature two main exhibit
areas, one for long‑term exhibits and
the other for short‑term shows.
“We
call our long‑term space ‘Choices and
Changes,’” Martin says. “It features the work
of American Indian artists of the Southwest.
The museum will feature a blend of the traditional
with contemporary pieces. We want to show
what the artists are doing today.”
The
“Choices and Change: American Indian Artists
in the Southwest” exhibit will feature an
array of paintings, sculpture, jewelry, baskets,
katsina dolls and pottery from the Heard Museum
collection.
“Change
is an underlying premise of American Indian
art that is often overlooked,” Loscher says.
“In this exhibition, art is clearly shown
to be the bridge between a past rich in tradition
and a dynamic, ever‑changing current
and future American Indian culture.”
Museum
visitors can see how work from multiple generations
represents the evolving nature of American
Indian cultures.
The
first short‑term gallery exhibit will
be “Our Weaving: Textiles From the Four Corners,”
a
showcase of Navajo weaving from the Four Corners
area where weavers produce a variety of enchanting
styles.
