Bryan Nagy
nagy+@cmu.edu
The Heard Museum
During our March 2002 family visit to Phoeniz, AZ, we visited the Heard Museum. The Heard specializes in the art and culture of native peoples of the americas. There are fascinating exhibits on historical art, lives, and cultures, as well as installations of modern art (modern in terms of time, not style) done by native artists. You can read more about the Museum itself on some of the signs below.
The Heards started out with a private collection of ancient art from around around the world.
But the museum has grown quite a lot from those beginnings.
This display shows some of the books produced for the Indian Boarding Schools, which were intended to "americanize" the "savages". An entire wing of the museum is devoted to these schools.
Childern at these schools were directed away from their roots, taught vocational skills and indoctrinated with Christianity.
Other areas of the museum focus on modern art work done by native artists.
My favorite installation was this collection of amazingly well done wooden faces.
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