Navajo Nation Museum Window Rock, Arizona

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 1840
Window Rock, AZ 86515

Street Address

Hwy 264 and Post Office Loop Rd.
Window Rock, AZ 86515

Web: www.wnmu.org/mcf/museums/nnm.html

Admissions

Entrance to the galleries and festivals is Always Free

Description

The Navajo Nation Museum has extensive holdings of art, ethnographic, archaeological, and archival materials. Our archives collection includes over 40,000 photographs as well as a wide variety of documents, recordings, motion picture film, and videos. The archives are heavily used by authors, researchers, and publishers as a source for historical photographs.

We collect anything that helps document the culture and history of the Navajo people, including selected materials from Tribal and non-Indian neighbors. Most of the collections are available for on-site study and exhibit loan.

The museum maintains a very active and professional exhibition program, most of which is produced in-house. In its new venue, most exhibitions have tended to highlight the work of Navajo artists in various media, including weavings. These art-oriented exhibitions are interspersed with historical and cultural exhibits. A comprehensive, large scale, long-term exhibition on Navajo Culture and History is currently being researched and scripted prior to design and construction over the next few years.

History

The museum was established in 1961, but for most of its history remained a very small entity, not much more than a one-person, one-room operation which was periodically moved from one inadequate space to another. In 1998, the Museum was moved into a recently-built 54,000 square foot contemporary purpose-built building which it shares with the Navajo Nation Library and Research collection. As part of this rebirth, the Navajo Nation Council authorized a comprehensive staff list and a major increase in budget to support the staff and new operations. In 1999, the Museum took over management of the entire building, for its own operations, those of the Library, and meeting/conference facilities.

Artifacts Collections

The Navajo Nation Museum has extensive holdings of art, ethnographic, archaeological, and archival materials. Our archives collection includes over 40,000 photographs as well as a wide variety of documents, recordings, motion picture film, and videos. The archives are heavily used by authors, researchers, and publishers as a source for historical photographs.
We collect anything that helps document the culture and history of the Navajo people, including selected materials from Tribal and non-Indian neighbors. Most of the collections are available for on-site study and exhibit loan.

Research Collections

Navajo textiles, archaeology, ethnography, 2 and 2-D art. Archives of over 40,000 photographs plus a wide range of ancillary materials.

Library

Access: Students, Scholars, Staff Only
Appointment required: True

Services




Publications

To date, publications have been produced sporadically, and usually consist of exhibit catalogues of varying complexity.

Programs

The Museum's education program is implemented by our Education Curator and Navajo Cultural Specialist. They present a diverse array of material, including gallery/exhibit tours, presentations on Navajo culture for small or large groups, in-house presentations to student groups, and in-school presentations for K-12 classes, teachers, and parents. The Museum's cultural education activities are one of the most important programs on the Reservation for teaching Navajo culture to youth.

Staff

Geoffrey I. Brown, Director
Phone: 928-810-8537
Fax: 928-871-7942
Email:

Clarenda Begay, Curator
Phone: 928-810-8540
Fax: 928-871-7942
Email:

Audrey Roberts, Business Manager
Phone: 928-871-6029
Fax: 928-871-7942
Email:

Facility Coordinator, Facility Coordinator
Phone: 928-871-7941
Fax: 928-871-7942
Email:

Eunice Kahn, Archivist
Phone: 928-871-8539
Fax: 928-871-7942
Email:


Museum Type

Art
Culture
History
Library
Specialized

Governance

A unit of the Navajo Nation, the Museum is under the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Dept.



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