Exhibits

June 1, 2024 through November 30, 2024

Curatorial Team: Becky Neideffer (TPS), Maria M. Martinez, John Miller and Irene Komadia (Amerind) Jurors

THE POWER OF PASTEL

Pastel was first used in the fifteenth century, notably by Leonardo da Vinci. It flourished in the eighteenth century and again in the late nineteenth century. Originally used as a tool for preparatory studies, it soon became a medium for all art genres. In the modern era, pastels are formed from pure pigment with a binder. The softness or hardness of the pastel depends on the type of binder. 

The Tucson Pastel Society was formed in 2010 to unite pastelists within the art community of southern Arizona to stimulate artistic growth and to further the public’s understanding and appreciation of pastels as a painting medium.

This juried show, The Power of Pastel, is a snapshot of the many talented pastel artists of a society that embraces the uniqueness of each artist and the many styles in which they paint.

Information about the Tucson Pastel Society can be found here.

Image: “Between Storms” by Annette Grantham, 13″ x 10″              

December 22, 2023 through October 31, 2024

Michael Chiago, Sr., Bernard Siquieros, Eric J. Kaldahl, and Maria M. Martinez, Curators

TOHONO O'ODHAM HIMDAG IN BRUSH AND LENS: PAINTINGS OF MICHAEL CHIAGO AND PHOTOGRAPHY OF BERNARD SIQUIEROS

The word himdag refers to the Tohono O’odham way of life. Painter Michael Chiago is a prolific artist who has created thousands of original works over a career spanning decades. In color and line, Michael celebrates O’odham himdag. Photographer Bernard Siquieros is a passionate educator of O’odham himdag with a long and diverse career. Through it all–Bernard has carried a camera, capturing O’odham himdag in moments of everyday life and in moments of celebration. In brush and lens, these two men chronicle the great strength of the Tohono O’odham community, honoring their rich heritage and working together for brighter tomorrows. 

Images Top: “The Saguaro Fruit Harvest,” 1994, watercolor painting by Michael Chiago, Sr., Amerind collection

Bottom Image: Photo of women making cecemait (tortillas) by Bernard Siquieros

November 2024 through August 31, 2025

Curated and loaned from the Arizona State Museum

Our Song is Our Strength

Our Song Is Our Strength highlights the resilience and determination of the Yaqui people from their homelands near Rio Yaqui in Mexico through government enslavement and persecution, and their exodus north into the United States. As a matter of safety, their culture was kept secret until the 1970s, when after gaining federal recognition, they were allowed to freely practice, celebrate, and revitalize their traditions north of the border.

This exhibit uses original artworks from Pascua Yaqui artists to highlight issues such as United States/Mexico border wall, land and water protectors, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), and community pride.

Featuring the work Pascua Yaqui artists Luis Rodriguez (painter, digital art), Fransisco Fraire (painter, digital art), and Mariana Rivera (poet). 

With thanks to the Arizona State Museum and the featured artists for the loan of this exhibition.
On exhibit through August 31, 2025.

Image: “Unseen,” 2023, digital painting by Fransisco Fraire, Jr.

February 14, 2023 through 2024

Eric Kaldahl, and Maria M. Martinez, Curators

Collection Spotlight:
The lindsays' wedding vases-a love story

In modern times, ceramic artists and gallery owners focused collectors’ attention on the symbolism of two spouts stemming from one reservoir of life-giving water.  Today these vessels are popularly called “wedding vases.” Contemporary forms of the wedding vase have become gifts of well-wishing to couples. 

For Alexander and Jane Lindsay, married in 1952, wedding vases became a frequent gift to one another on special occasions.  Their four daughters also added to their collection over the years.  Together for over 65 years, the couple’s collection grew to over 300 vessels, of which over 200 were gifted to the Amerind by Jane and her children.  The Lindsays acquired many of the pots from Indigenous artisans, most residing in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico. From unknown artists to very accomplished potters.

Now on exhibit are select pieces from the Lindsay family wedding vase collection, a love story for all to enjoy. 

Photograph: Double-spouted olla by potter Tomasita Montoya, Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, New Mexico.

September 2023 through September 29, 2024

Maria Arvayo, Eric J. Kaldahl, Maria M. Martinez, Curators

Inspired by texas canyon: the art of maria arvayo

I had the opportunity to complete an artist residency at Amerind in the spring and fall of 2020. During this time, I hiked the various fire access roads and trails on the grounds and did a number of plein air paintings.  After leaving I did a few more.  In the spring of 2022 and 2023, I was able to teach multi-day plein air classes on the grounds.  A few of the demonstration pieces are also included.  I’m always inspired by the landscape in Southern Arizona, and I hope to share my appreciation for the particular kind of beauty that is abundant in the land and sky here.  I’m very grateful for having had the opportunity to explore Amerind, and I think it’s wonderful that other visitors will have better access to the spectacular landscape. – Maria Arvayo

Maria Arvayo is a painter and a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe living in Tucson, Arizona.  She utilizes a variety of media including watercolor, pastel, acrylic, oil, and encaustic.  She works and teaches in her studio at the Art & Design Center in Tucson and exhibits locally.  This is her second solo exhibit at the Amerind.

Photograph: Hilltop, oil on board, Painting by Maria Arvayo

Permanent Exhibit

Eric Kaldahl, Curator

American Art Form: A Century of A:shiwi (Zuni) and Diné (Navajo) Jewelry

Zuni and Navajo jewelers create some of the most distinctive and beautiful jewelry in the world. Amerind is the proud home of a newly donated jewelry collection built over three generations, from the late nineteenth to the late twentieth century, which includes thousands of pieces by hundreds of artists. This exhibit showcases the history and development of this jewelry and the artists who made these remarkable pieces and put their art form on the world stage.

Permanent Exhibit

Eric Kaldahl, Curator

Without Borders: The Deep History of Paquimé (Bilingual Exhibit)

Visitors can walk through this exhibit, inspired by the architecture of Paquimé, and explore sixty years of research in Chihuahua, Mexico. Paquimé was one of the most socially, politically, and ceremonially important towns in the region. It grew into a leading community in northern Mexico in the late AD 1200s and flourished through the end of the AD 1400s. Home to some of the most remarkable architecture, civil engineering, and ceramic artistry in the region—the ancient town has been designed by the United Nations as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Partially funded by Arizona Humanities, The Robert J. Wick Family Foundation, and the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.

Permanent Exhibit

Eric Kaldahl, Curator

Fleet of Foot: Indigenous Running and Games from Ancient Times to Today

Among all the people of the world, running and games are universal. Across cultures and traditions, sports and running are universal activities that can help us relate to one another. In the differences among our sports practices, we gain new insights into the ways of other communities. This exhibit considers running and running sports among the Indigenous communities of the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico. Partially funded by Arizona Humanities.

Permanent Exhibit

Eric Kaldahl, Curator

Indigenous Water/Ways

The Indigenous peoples of the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico treasure water in all its forms. This exhibit showcases Amerind pottery, baskets, jewelry, weavings, wood, shell, and antler carvings with water designs and motfis.Visitors will also learn about the way Indigenous farmers used water and engineered the land to nourish their crops.

Permanent Exhibit

Eric Kaldahl, Curator

A Singular Treasure: The Katsikodi Story Robe

Visitors can view an elk hide painted with scenes of hunters, singers, and dancers, created by the Eastern Shoshone artist Katsikodi. He is believed to have been born inthe 1860s and passed away around 1912. Over 20 of his distinctive painted robes have survived the forces of history, largely now preserved in museum collections like Amerind’s. Friends of Western Art supported the conservation of this elk hide.

Permanent Exhibit

Eric Kaldahl, Curator

Ma Fulton’s FF Ranch

Amerind’s founders Rose Hayden Fulton (1881-1968) and William Shirley Fulton (1880-1964) moved to Arizona in 1930. Mrs. Fulton, affectionately known as Ma Fulton, had a ranch operation where she raised and trained some of the finest quarter horses in the United States. Photographs of her horses, ranch hands, and operations are on exhibit along with her prize winning ribbons and trophies.

Permanent Exhibit

Charles Di Peso, Anne Woosley, Allan McIntyre, John Ware, Carol Charnley, and Eric Kaldahl, Curators

The Pine Study

The Pine Study was installed on the occasion of Mr. Fulton’s 80th birthday in the year 1960. The wood paneling and furnishings came from the Fulton family home in Connecticut. Many of Mr. Fulton’s personal effects are found in this exhibit. The paintings on the wall were done by family members and friends. The Pine Study served as Mr. Fulton’s office for the last years of his life.

Permanent Exhibit

John Ware and Carol Charnley, Curators

Images in Time

Built in 1939, the museum building’s main gallery houses artistic treasures created by Indigenous artists from the Arctic to Mexico. Many of the pieces were made during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. Visitors will learn about the amazing diversity of Indigenous cultures found throughout North America.

Permanent Exhibit

John Ware and Carol Charnley, Curators​

Apache People and History

The Chiricahua Apache people’s history in southeastern Arizona is rich and complex. Visitors will have an overview of the many Indigenous groups who speak the Apache language, and learn about the history of the Chiricahua Apache people specifically.

Permanent Exhibit

John Ware, Curator

Indigenous Dolls

In the museum building entryway, your little ones will find a great selection of Indigenous dolls, lovingly made by parents and grandparents from all across America.

Permanent Exhibit

Carol Charnley and Ron Bridgemon, Jr., Curators

The Potters of Mata Ortiz

Potters from the Mexican town of Mata Ortiz in Chihuahua, Mexico, were inspired by the ancient potters of Paquimé creating beautiful reproductions of that ancient craft. They then began new pottery traditions with finely painted and incised pottery in new shapes and styles. This exhibit shows how these potters are inspired by the past, but are creating new traditions for the future.

Permanent Exhibit

Carol Charnley, Curator

Diné Arts

Known for their weaving and silver work, Diné woven rugs, weaving tools, silversmithing tools, and other arts are found at several locations on the museum’s second floor.

Permanent Exhibit

Anne Woosley and Allan McIntyre, Curators​

Hallway of Time

Connecting the 1939 and 1950 wings of the Amerind museum building, this hallway lets visitors peer into the archaeology of the American Southwest. Visitors will learn about the most ancient human tools found in Arizona used some 13,000 years ago. Here to people will learn about the most well studied farming cultures of the America Southwest: Huhugam (Hohokam), Mogollon, and Ancestral Pueblo peoples. These farming communities flourished some two thousand years and their descendants still call this region home.

Permanent Exhibit

Anne Woosley and Allan McIntyre, Curators​

Spanish Colonial and Mexican Religious Art

Amerind sits on land that Indigenous people have called home for 13,000 years. In historic times, the governments of Spain, Mexico, and the United States have exercised their sovereignty over the region. This exhibit displays the religious arts of colonial Spain, Mexico, and more contemporary pieces rooted in the Spanish colonial tradition.

Permanent Exhibit

Anne Woosley and Allan McIntyre, Curators​

North American Indigenous Arts

The Amerind is home to the arts of Indigenous people from across North America. Now on exhibit are examples of cradleboards from many Indigenous communities. These cradleboards show the love and care of their makers for their children. Also on exhibit are personal accessories and clothing adorned with porcupine quillwork and beadwork.

Permanent Exhibit

Anne Woosley and Allan McIntyre, Curators​

Yesterday's Amerind

This small enclosed room gives visitors of sense of Amerind museum history. From 1936 until the 1980s, the Amerind was closed to the public. To see its private collections, visitors had to call for an appointment. This exhibit gives today’s visitors a sense of how Amerind’s collection was displayed in the early years of our museum’s history.

Permanent Exhibit

Hopi Katsina Carvings and Hopi Plaques