Heard Museum

The Heard Museum is widely regarded as the finest institution in the world dedicated to the arts and cultures of Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest. Founded in 1929 by Dwight and Maie Heard as a private collection in their home, the museum has grown into a major institution spanning 130,000 square feet on a historic campus in Phoenix's Midtown district, with permanent galleries presenting the arts and lifeways of Pueblo, Diné, Hopi, O'odham, and Apache peoples with a depth and respect that sets the standard for the field.

The permanent collection includes more than 40,000 objects, with particular strength in Hopi kachina figures, Diné textiles, Pueblo pottery, and the extensive Fred Harvey collection of Southwest Indigenous material culture. The Home: Native People in the Southwest gallery provides a sweeping survey of regional Indigenous art and history, while the Every Picture Tells a Story gallery focuses on the work of the Southwest's Indigenous painters. The museum's collection of historic Diné blankets is among the finest in the world, spanning the classic period of the 1800s through the transition blanket era and into the rug period of the early 20th century.

The Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market, held each March on the museum's grounds, is one of the most prestigious Indigenous art markets in the country, second only to Santa Fe's Indian Market in scale. More than 600 juried artists participate, selling directly to collectors with guaranteed authenticity documentation. The museum's ongoing programming includes artist talks, demonstrations, film screenings, and community events that maintain active relationships with the Indigenous communities whose art and culture it presents. For collectors, students, and art travelers, the Heard Museum is an essential stop in any serious engagement with the art of the Southwest.