Calendar

The Amerind Foundation organizes many events, workshops and cultural exploration tours throughout the year. Most of the events are planned well in advance, and you will see them listed here, but occasionally a presentation or demonstration will happen with little advance notice. We will try to put information about these more spontaneous events on our home page, so be sure to check there as well as on this page.

Some of our Amerind events are open to the general public, but spaces in our workshops and on our tours are reserved for our members. If you are not a member, please join us so you can participate in these exceptional programs.

Amerind workshops are mostly taught by well known, respected Native artists, and they are usually limited to 10-15 participants. The tours are led by Amerind staff and area Native and non-Native experts, and most fill up quickly. Depending on the nature and location of the tour, the number of participants has ranged from 10 to 40. Amerind's director, John Ware, has organized annual cultural exploration tours to investigate the Pueblo world. Amerind's first tour to Copper Canyon took place in fall 2008, and on the schedule in 2009, for the first time, was a tour to some of the Native artists and trading posts in the Four Corners region.

Because of limited spaces on our tours and workshops, notices are sent to members before they get placed on this website. Exhibit openings, and other events will be posted here simultaneously with the notices being sent to members. We will soon be posting additional information about our 2011 schedule of botany walks, brown bags, and other Amerind programs. Check back soon!

For more information about any of our programs and to register please call 520.586.3666 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

2011 Events, Tours, and Workshops

July 2011. Installation of Interwoven Traditions: The Cultural Legacy of Southwestern Textiles. This exhibit will showcase the rare and unique textiles held in the Amerind's collection.

August 2011. Installation of The Art of Emmi Whitehorse. Emmi Whitehorse is a Diné (Navajo) painter and printmaker. Her work has been seen in solo exhibits in Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany, as well as in many solo and group exhibitions in North America, and she is represented in many public collections. Her exhibit will include canvases and panels with mixed media, as well as prints.

August 27, 2011, 9a.m.- 4p.m. The Amerind will host a Spanish Barb Horse Association event. Join us in a celebration, and meet the horse that Governor Jan Brewer declared as Arizona's State Heritage Horse. The event will include presentations on the Colonial Spanish horse as well as demonstrations. Apache historian, Dale Curtis Miles, will discuss the role the Barb had in Native American cultures. A book signing by Silke Schneider, the author of Arizona's Spanish Barb, a presentation by a representative from the Father Kino Society, and a slide show of the horses and their history, along with activities for children are on the schedule as well. A Native American food vendor will be on site, and local artisans have been invited to show and sell their work. Click here for a schedule of events.

September 1-6, 2011. Sixth annual Pueblo World Tour, focusing on the Eastern Pueblos of the Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. Tour is full.

September 7-11, 2011.Tour of Native artists and trading posts in the Four-Corners area with second-generation Tucson trader Mark Bahti.

October 15, 2011, 1:30 - 3:00: A celebration of the Amerind's recent exhibit, "The Art of Emmi Whitehorse." Emmi Whitehorse is a Diné (Navajo) painter and printmaker. Her work has been seen in solo exhibits in Europe, as well as in many solo and group exhibitions in North America, and she is also represented in many public collections. Her exhibit will include canvases and panels with mixed media, as well as prints. The artist, along with Prof. Kenneth Roberts (UNM-Gallup), who has followed her work for over 25 years, will make special presentations at this celebration of her exhibit, as will Diné poet and author, Luci Tapahonso. The exhibit will be up until March 1, 2012

October 22-23, 2011, 10:00 - 4:00: Ramson and Jessica Lomatewama will return to the Amerind for a weekend of demonstrating and talking about their art. Jessica is a well-respected weaver of traditional and contemporary Hopi baskets and woven plaques. Ramson, a katsina carver and poet has been recently involved with glass-blowing and creating original forms by shaping the molten glass, and he is bringing his glass furnace to demonstrate and to teach others! Call the Amerind to sign up for a one-hour class of individual instruction ($60/hr) with Ramson, or if there is time available, he will gladly accept "walk-ups." (The Dragoon Marketplace will be on site with delicious food and drinks during the weekend.)

October 23, 2011, 1:30 - 3:00: A book reading and signing by Charnell Havens and Vera Marie Badertscher, authors of Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist. Quincy Tahoma (1920-1956) was a highly gifted Navajo painter. He studied at the Santa Fe Indian School along with other well regarded artists such as Harrison Begay and Andy Tsihnahjinnie. The authors did a great deal of research and gathered together photos of Tahoma's work from many private owners as well as museums - over 260 are carefully reproduced in this handsome book. The Amerind has several impressive paintings by this important artist and these will be on exhibit during the presentation.

October 31- November 4/5, 2011. Navajo weaving workshop with award winning Two Gray Hill weavers Barbara Teller Ornelas and Lynda Teller Pete. Participants will be able to complete a small rug under their tutelage. Stories from their culture, their families, and their experiences flow easily from these engaging sister artists. Participants have an option to stay in Amerind's Fulton Seminar House. November 5 is an optional day for those who want to learn how to warp their looms. Please call (520.586.3666) or email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for more information.

November 12, 2011, 1:30 - 3:00. Celebration of Interwoven Traditions: The Cultural Legacy of Southwestern Textiles. As part of the Celebration, renowned Navajo weaver, Barbara Teller Ornelas will speak about the tradition of Navajo weaving and about the Amerind's textiles exhibit.

December 17 & 18, 2011, 10:00 - 4:00. Ramson and Jessica Lomatewama will return to the Amerind for a weekend of demonstrating and talking about their art. Jessica is a well-respected weaver of traditional and contemporary Hopi baskets and woven plaques. Ramson, a katsina carver and poet has been recently involved with glass-blowing and creating original forms by shaping the molten glass, and he is bringing his glass furnace to demonstrate and to teach others! Call the Amerind to sign up for a one-hour class of individual instruction ($60/hr) with Ramson, or if there is time available, he will gladly accept "walk-ups." Ramson promises that each "student" will go home with a very nice paperweight. (The Dragoon Market and Cafe will be on site with delicious food and drinks on Sunday only.)

December 18, 2011, 1:30. Well-known southern Arizona writer Byrd Baylor will be here to talk about her book Yes Is Better Than No, which after 20 years, has been reprinted. This poignant and humorous book is considered by many, including the
Arizona Daily Star ("Arizona at 100," Oct. 31, 2011), to be one of the 5 top Arizona novels. Copies of Yes Is Better Than No will be available for purchase. We carry many of Byrd's other books in our museum store, mostly in the children's section, although many adults find their own favorite Byrd Baylor book(s) there. It is a special treat to have her here. Also, in the main museum gallery at 11:30 and 3:30 we will have special screenings of a short film adaptation of Yes Is Better Than No by Pima Community College's Film and Video Program.

January 13, 14, 15, 10:00-4:00. The Abeyta Family - Priscilla Nieto and Harvey Abeyta of the Santo Doming Pueblo in New Mexico - will be in the museum selling, demonstrating, and talking about the impressive traditional jewelry they create by patiently
 hand-shaping turquoise, shell, antler, and other natural materials into intricate and elegant necklaces, earring, and other adornments.

February 4, 1:30. Exhibit Opening. We are pleased and excited to host the exhibit MY HEART CHANGES, presented by Arts for "Border" Children and featuring artwork from K-12 students in Cochise and Graham Counties as part of Southern Arizona Arts in Academic grant program. Among the work you will see are colorful animal masks, line drawings, nature photography, and portraits of Apache elders and community members. It is truly an outstanding exhibit. It
will be up during the month of February. Join us for the opening of the exhibit. Some of the young artists will be present as well as the coordinator of this impressive and very relevant program. Light refreshments will follow.

Please check back soon for more details, additional listings, and information about our workshops and activities.