Arizona State Museum

Today, January 6, is the Feast Day of the Epiphany. In Western Christianity, Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. It is sometimes called Three Kings’ Day.

This drawing is one of a set of over eighty children's drawings received as a gift from the late ethnologist Dr. Bernard Fontana (1931-2016). Tohono O'odham students who attended a reservation mission school had created them in an art class led by one Sister Maxine. Father Camillus, O.F.M., of Pisinemo, gave the drawings to Dr. Fontana.

"The Three Kings"
Crayon Drawing, by James Reino, 1966
Tohono O'odham
Topawa or Pisinemo
Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona
Gift of Dr. Bernard Fontana

Ever wonder what "that thing" is called?

The newest book from conservator emerita Dr. Nancy Odegaard can help with that.

"A Visual Dictionary of Decorative and Domestic Arts" provides a common and unambiguous vocabulary for the parts of handcrafted decorative, domestic, and artistic items. Terminology for a broad array of object types is presented alongside original 3D illustrations that facilitate objective referencing. The reference enhances learning, labeling, and discussing various craft items in great physical detail.

Sixty-four 3D graphic illustrations provide an effective visual format for identifying the vocabulary/location of the parts on individual objects.

Order from the publisher: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538148877/A-Visual-Dictionary-of-Decorative-and-Domestic-Arts

Order from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Decorative-Domestic-American-Alliance/dp/1538148870

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So sorry everyone -- I just got word from Dr. LeBlanc that we have to reschedule this talk. No new date yet, unfortunately.

Winter Break Hours:

ASM is closed December 22, 23, 24, and 25 for the Christmas holiday.
The exhibit galleries will reopen on Tuesday, December 26, at 10:00 a.m.

The administrative offices will remain closed until Tuesday, January 2, 8:00 a.m.
The library will remain closed until Tuesday, January 9, 11:00 a.m.

Plan Your Visit | Arizona State Museum Our exhibit galleries are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed Sundays, Mondays, and university holidays.*

MAY YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON BE FILLED WITH CELEBRATION, CEREMONY, AND ALL THE SEASONAL TRADITIONS THAT BRING YOU JOY.

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"Matachines Dance at Christmastime"
by Lois Gutierrez de la Cruz (Pueblo of Santa Clara)
Polychrome Jar
22 cm diameter, 25 cm tall
2006-1052-10

Lois Gutierrez de la Cruz is an award-winning Santa Clara Pueblo potter. Lois is one of the few Santa Clara artists producing polychrome pottery, generally large jars depicting aspects of Pueblo life, dances, and wildlife. The Gutierrez family was one of the 14 families who settled at the pueblo in 1934. Lois' family includes a number of talented potters—her mother Petra, from whom she learned the skill, and sisters Gloria Garcia (Goldenrod), Thelma Talachy, Lupita Gutierrez, and Minnie Vigil.
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Thank you for continuing to care about ASM--its mission, its work, and its people!

Your end-of-the-year gift will be greatly appreciated: https://give.uafoundation.org/arizona-state-museum

Many thanks to Kristopher Driggers, curator of Latin American art, at Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, for the private tour he gave to members of the Friends of the ASM Collections yesterday.

Their current exhibit, CUMBI: TEXTILES, SOCIETY, AND MEMORY IN ANDEAN SOUTH AMERICA, features two significant ASM textiles on loan for the show.

Dr. James Watson is spending the last few breaths of his sabbatical in Trincheras, Sonora, Mexico, collecting data and training students. Yesterday, he took his doctoral students, Aaron Young and Noah Place, to tour the extensive erosional landscape of the La Playa site (occupied Clovis through historic periods) and up Cerro Nana (cinder cone covered in hundreds of petroglyphs associated with the Trincheras occupation AD 1300-1425).

Watson returns to the office after the holidays.

Join us for the opening of “Su:dagi/Shu:thag: Rekindling Our Connections," an exhibit curated by members of the Gila River and Salt River communities.

Friday, December 15, 2023
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Huhugam Heritage Center | 21359 S Maricopa Rd | Chandler, Arizona

Gallery Talks with Community Curators Aaron Sabori and Jacob Butler
Refreshments Served

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This is part of an exhibition series sponsored by the Arizona State Museum and funded by Mellon Foundation and Southwestern Foundation for Education and Historical Preservation.

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Two community-curated exhibits opening this Friday, December 8, at the Himdag Ki: in Topawa, Arizona!

Read about the work of Dr. Edward A. Jolie, ASM's Clara Lee Tanner Associate Curator of Ethnology, in this feature from UA News: https://news.arizona.edu/story/searching-answers-todays-questions-native-communities-venerable-traditions

Then, consider strengthening the fund that supports his position: https://give.uafoundation.org/results?id=1b594be8-781c-4537-9712-4d159f3c511d

Searching for answers to today's questions in Native communities' venerable traditions Edward A. Jolie uses perishable materials to study human history in the Americas. To make anthropology a more inclusive field, he starts by asking who it's meant to serve and how.

26 Years In, Arizona State Museum Conservator Reflects on a Lifetime of Preserving Cultural Heritage Marilen Pool, senior project conservator at the University of Arizona’s Arizona State Museum, has led an extensive career of research in both public and private sectors. Her enduring love for the craft and science of conservation propels her work of preserving cultural artifacts.

TONIGHT:

Join us for the opening of “OUR SONG IS OUR STRENGTH,” a Pascua Yaqui community-curated exhibit!

Friday, December 1, 2023
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Richey Resource Center | 2209 N. 15th Avenue | Tucson
Peruse the exhibit with the curators
Food and Musical Entertainment by Pascua Yaqui Radio Station, Demons of South Tucson, and a short set with Northwood Point

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This is part of an exhibition series sponsored by the Arizona State Museum and funded by and Southwestern Foundation for Education and Historical Preservation.

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TONIGHT: Join us to celebrate the new exhibit, "Aliento a Tequila" (The Spirit of Tequila)!

The evening starts at 5:30 with a presentation by Dr. Gary Nabhan. Then, food, music, viewings, and a mescal tasting (for a lucky few).

See the full schedule and details here: https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/events/tequila-opening

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"Aliento a Tequila" Opening Celebration | Arizona State Museum The University of Arizona 1013 E University Blvd PO Box 210026 Tucson, Arizona 85721-0026 520-621-6302 for visitor information Contact Us | Webmaster

Great thanks to all our supporters and friends out there! Today is , when acts of generosity, in all its forms, are encouraged and celebrated.

As the year winds down and you think about making your end-of-the-year gifts, please include ASM. A gift of any size to our Annual Fund will strengthen our ability to:

• continue to bring you programs that are timely, thought provoking, and inspiring;
• offer periodic free-admission days;
• expand our reach to audiences beyond all borders;
• share ASM's collections with the world; and
• conduct research and create new knowledge.

Give now at https://give.uafoundation.org/arizona-state-museum

or become an ASM member if you're not one already: https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/membership

or how about signing up for our mailing list: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/Zlu4JDN

Thank you so much!

Great article on our "Discovering Community in the Borderlands" program in the December issue of "Desert Leaf."

"AR Brings Tucson's Past to Life," pages 35-39. Many thanks to writer and photographer Lorraine DarConte.

Pick up a copy at newsstands around town or see the online version here: https://online.fliphtml5.com/uyvk/uhdj/ =36

The latest on Point of Pines Pueblo from Director Patrick Lyons and his co-authors is out now:

"The Stratigraphy and Chronology of Point of Pines Pueblo: Basic Facts that Underlie Complex Inferences Regarding Interactions Between Locals and Immigrants"

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00231940.2023.2278250?src=

You can also learn a lot more new stuff about Point of Pines in Patrick's upcoming ASM Master Class: Recent Discoveries Regarding Point of Pines Pueblo: https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/events/point-pines

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UArizona Research, Innovation & Impact

The Stratigraphy and Chronology of Point of Pines Pueblo: Basic Facts that Underlie Complex Inferences Regarding Interactions Between Locals and Immigrants Point of Pines Pueblo has long been central to discussions about ancient migrations and interactions between locals and immigrants in the U.S. Southwest. However, a lack of systematic analyses of c...

Diane has an advance copy and it's beautiful!

It'll be out soon. Preorder now and get 30% off with promo code AZFLR: https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/woven-from-the-center

Woven from the Center, by ASM Associate Curator of Ethnology, Diane D. Dittemore, is a richly illustrated look at basketry of the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico. It also serves as a companion to the peerless collection of Native American basketry curated at the Arizona State Museum. Available winter 2024.

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The University of Arizona Press

Join us for the opening of “OUR SONG IS OUR STRENGTH,” a Pascua Yaqui community-curated exhibit.

Friday, December 1 | 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Richey Resource Center | 2209 N 15th Ave | Tucson
Entertainment and food provided

This is part of an exhibition series sponsored by the Arizona State Museum and funded by the Mellon Foundation and Southwestern Foundation for Education and Historical Preservation.

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OPEN TODAY: "Aliento a Tequila" (The Spirit of Tequila)

Join us on Nov. 29 to celebrate this new exhibit! A presentation by Dr. Gary Nabhan, food, music, and a mescal tasting (for a lucky few).

See the full schedule and details here: https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/events/tequila-opening

Watch this related program: "Oaxacan Mezcal in the Global Craft Economy:" https://youtu.be/Q-amNp8FnxE?si=L2310mM3VHy_EyBe

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"Aliento a Tequila" Opening Celebration | Arizona State Museum The University of Arizona 1013 E University Blvd PO Box 210026 Tucson, Arizona 85721-0026 520-621-6302 for visitor information Contact Us | Webmaster

Attention young Indigenous artists, 5-18 years of age:

MNA is looking for submissions for our 2024 Junior Indigenous Art Competition! Indigenous artists 5-18 years of age can enter. Entries are grouped in two categories: 2-D Fine Art or Cultural Art. Details can be found on our website at https://musnaz.org/juniorart/. The deadline to enter is January 31, 2024. Winners will be announced in March during Youth Art Month!

(Image is from the 2023 competition.)

If you missed this week's program, you can catch it now on our YouTube channel:

Talking with the People, Talking with the Clay Photographer and author Stephen Trimble discusses his work in Native American communities around the Southwest.

Day Two of ASM's excursion to Oaxaca for Dia de los Mu***os: Yesterday’s activities included shopping at the market for supplies for the Ofrenda, preparing marigold decorations for it, visiting a cemetery, and strolling the celebrations in downtown Oaxaca City.

Learn more about Dia de los Mu***os in this USA Today article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2023/10/31/what-is-day-of-the-dead/71388003007/

Tonight!

Meet photographer and author, Stephen Trimble, who spent a decade photographing and interviewing Southwest Native people. He will tell stories from his fieldwork and highlights his favorite photos.

Full details and Zoom registration: https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/events/talking-people-talking-clay

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Mark your calendar for our next exhibit celebration. Join us on November 29!

https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/events/tequila-opening

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Day 1 of ASM's excursion to Oaxaca for Dia de los Mu***os. Among today's full schedule of activities, the group learned about the history of cacao cultivation and tasted some exceptional Oaxacan varieties from local growers at Chimalapa Cacao. Pictured below is criollo, a light seed cacao. It is fermented for 4-6 days, then dried and ground for use.

Totsoni Willeto is double-majoring in law and anthropology and serves as president of the Undergraduate Anthropology Club. Read his firsthand account of experiential learning at the Arizona State Museum.

Totsoni Willeto: A Student Researcher's Expedition into Colonial Documents Totsoni Willeto preserves Colonial Era Spanish documents through his work with the Arizona State Museum's Office of Ethnohistorical Research, gaining valuable real-world skills in the process.