Upcoming Events
Benefit Event on Wednesday, March 29th from 6:00pm-8:00pm
Join us for an evening of wine tasting, cheese and charcuterie at the newest, ultra premium winery and tasting room in the Heart of the Verde Valley. Cove Mesa Vineyard and Tasting Room is located at the corner of Page Springs and Cornville roads.
Live band music by Joe Clyne and The Motown Revue. If you enjoy the music of the 60’s Motown you will love this group of professional players taking you back in time!
Members Opening Reception: Indigenous Cosmology and Astronomy Gallery
Wednesday, April the 12th
5:00pm-7:00pm
In-person at VVAC
Join us in celebrating the debut of the museum’s new Indigenous Cosmology and Archaeoastronomy Gallery. The way the sun impacts the rhythm of our daily lives and the changing seasons has been recognized since time immemorial. We are not so distant from our forebears who first gazed into the cosmos, studied its celestial geometry and applied astronomical wisdom to their lives. Astronomy gave Native American and Indigenous People a new perspective on time, understanding the cycles of the sun and the moon allowed these People to look into the future with confidence, while providing a stable framework. We are fortunate in the Verde Valley to have present-day descendants among the Hopi, Yavapai and Apache, who continue to practice ancient sky lore through stories and rituals.
The museum commissioned four Katsinas for the gallery by traditional Katsina carver, Darance Mak’wesa Chimerica (Hopi) from the village of Hotevilla. The commissioned Katsinas relate to the celestial realm.
The reception will feature a gallery ribbon cutting. Wine, refreshments and light hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
Discover Hopi Textiles with Master Weaver
Ahkima Honyumptewa
Saturday, May the 20th at 11:00am
Ahkima Honyumptewa will present his art of weaving and continuing a time honored Hopi tradition. Ahkima will also speak about his process of replicating an Ancestral Hopi textile from VVAC’s Dyck Cliff Dwelling Collection. Ahkima’s replica weaving will be on view in the museum’s Textile Gallery.
An assortment of Ahkima’s weavings, art and merchandise will be available for purchase after the presentation.
"My name is Ahkima Honyumptewa of the rattlesnake clan, from the village of paaqavi, on the Hopi reservation. I am a weaver, painter, farmer and architect. I’m a student of philosophy and Chinese martial arts. These are some of the many attributes I try to develop.
I have been weaving since the end of 2007. It was by chance that I started weaving. I didn't care to do it until they offered me a spot in a class they were having at the paaqavi community center. It just so happened that one of my uncles from hot villa was teaching the
class, so I joined. After a couple of days, I picked it up quick. It was easy for me. That's how I got started doing textiles.
Most of the weavings I do were no longer being made. Somewhat lost because of laziness and people not sharing the techniques. I on the other hand want to share the techniques and help any Hopi develop these skills to better one self and our culture. This is exactly why I was able to learn it was to share it. I weave everything Hopi has to offer.
My paintings I've been doing since I was at a young age. I entered the youth judging at the heard museum in high school. I stopped after I graduated and haven't got back to it until 2006. Ever since then I have been painting up to this point. Which I show improvement every year.
I have been farming since 2006. I used to live in Phoenix and moved to paaqavi in 2004. I wasn't farming before that. My uncle gave me a small piece of land to plant on and I have been dry farming since then. So almost 20 years planting. I'm thankful to have that chance
back then and I've been keeping it going.”
AHKIMA
Earth Day Talk with Yolanda Hart Stevens (Pee-Posh/Kwatsan) Artist and Community Activist from the Yuman Peoples of the Colorado River
Saturday, April the 22nd at 11:00am
In-person at VVAC
From birth to death, the mesquite tree is an integral part of life for many who call the desert home. The mesquite tree is just one of many holistic materials, elements of our natural environment, that are vital to sustaining Native culture and practices. But climate change and environmental degradation are changing the landscapes of Arizona. From the lack of water resources to the loss of mesquite trees, the future is uncertain. Join us for a program about water, land, and the environmental challenges impacting Native communities.
Yolanda Hart Stevens (Pee-Posh/Kwatsan) from the Yuman Peoples of the Colorado River is a successful artist and community activist. An artist in residence at the Heard Museum, her art (presentation) has been featured in exhibitions as far away as New Zealand. Yolanda is passionately involved in spreading knowledge of, and appreciation for, Native American art and culture. She shares her knowledge of bead working and traditional dance with youth and elders through various community events. She volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club Komatke Branch Gila River and Indigenous Tribal Museums in the southwest. She also works with a contemporary artist group called “Indigenous Artists Continuum” to effectively communicate with other Native American Artists in surrounding urban areas in Arizona to acknowledge, identify and incorporate design.
Archaeoastronomy Class
Saturday, April the 15th: 10:00am – 1:00pm
In-person at VVAC
Members: $65 per person (includes the required book)
Non-members: $95 per person (includes the required book)
Limit of 16 participants
This is an abbreviated version of the course offered by the Arizona Archaeological Society entitled "Archaeoastronomy of the Southwest."
This class is designed to complement the new Indigenous Cosmology and Astronomy exhibit. The class will review the current literature on ancient astronomy in the American Southwest, discuss important issues related to naked eye observations of celestial objects in the night sky, and cover basic recording techniques and methods of the Hisatsinom (Sinagua). The class will sample a small portion of the large body of literature on the subject.
At the conclusion of the course, attendees are expected to:
1. Understand the issues involved in observation of celestial objects with the naked eye
2. Understand the ethnographic basis of astronomical observation
3. Understand how and why astronomical observation was used in various cultures related to the
American Southwest: Mesoamerican, Hohokam, Pueblo, Navajo and others
4. Understand the Hisatsinom (Sinagua) calendric sites in the Sedona/Verde Valley area
Class fee includes a copy of Heart of the Sky.
Instructor:
Ken Zoll, Director Emeritus
AAS Certified Archaeoastronomy Instructor
NAU Road Scholar Presenter
Past Arizona Humanities "AZ Speaks Program" Speaker