HEARD NATIVE AMERICAN MUSEUM

MY GIRLFRIEND FROM GRADUATE SCHOOL WORKS AT THE HEARD MUSEUM. I HAVEN'T BEEN THERE FOR OVER 25 YEARS! I'M SURE IT HAS CHANGED. I LOOKED IN THE MUSEUM GIFT STORE AND THERE WAS A SILVER RING THAT REALLY STRUCK ME AS BEING UNUSUAL. I DREW A COPY OF IT. LATTER ON WHEN MY BOYFRIEND AND I DECIDED TO GET MARRIED I HAD A NAVAJO SILVER SMITH MAKE US SOME OF THESE RINGS. THE RINGS HAVE AN OVERLAY DESIGN . I LATTER MET A NAVAJO IN SAN FRANCISCO THAT SAID ONE INDENT IS NEGATIVE AND THE OTHER INDENT IS POSITIVE. THAT HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON IN MY RECENT LIFE.

THE HEARD MUSEUM OFTEN HAS TRIBAL DANCERS THAT WE SAW WHEN WE WERE IN GRADUATE SCHOOL. ZUNI FOLKS CARRYING THEIR BEAUTIFUL POTTERY ON THEIR HEADS AND APACHE INDIANS DANCING WITH THEIR REGALIA. THE MUSEUM PRIMARILY FOCUSES ON INDIAN ART VS. PREHISTORY. OF COURSE, INDIAN ART IS SYMBOLIC OF WHO THESE ARTISTS ARE AND IS BASED ON THEIR SPIRITUALITY AND THE MEANING OF HOW THESE ARTISTS DEVELOPED THEMSELVES INTO REPUTABLE JEWELERS, PAINTERS, WEAVERS, POTTERS, AND BASKET WEAVERS, ETC.

I THOROUGHLY ENJOY VISITING MUSEUMS AND READING ABOUT HOW THE ART IS PRODUCED.
WHILE IN GRADUATE SCHOOL I WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE SEVERAL RUGS OF THE NAVAJO WEAVERS. AND WHILE AT THE MUSEUM OF NORTHERN ARIZONA I BOUGHT SEVERAL WEAVINGS AS WELL.

THE MUSEUM WAS BUILT IN 1929 AND HAS BECOME WORLD FAMOUS FOR IT'S COLLECTION OF SOUTHWESTERN ARTS AND CRAFTS AS WELL AS WORLDWIDE COLLECTIONS. THEY HAVE GUIDED TOURS AND GUEST SPEAKERS. THEY HAVE 40,000 VISITORS PER YEAR. SOME DAY I'LL VISIT THE MUSEUM AGAIN AND SEE HOW IT HAS CHANGED.