Throughout 2024, the Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Museum has pushed the boundaries of the physical museum space by inviting institutional collaborations, conducting research projects and hosting engaging programming all while furthering our mission of preservation, conservation and education.
VVAC started the year with our Annual Membership Meeting followed by an informative and entertaining lecture by archaeologist, Chris Coder. Coder shared his time spent as a Project Archaeologist in the river corridor for Grand Canyon National Park, participating in over 60 river trips in the 1990s.
We hosted many engaging lectures throughout the year, including a presentation on Stonehenge by Dr. Todd W. Bostwick, which drew parallels to the solar and lunar calendars here in the Verde Valley. In February, Karen Armstrong shared her experience participating in the first excavation of the Dyck Cliff Dwelling in 1962. In May, VVAC held a book talk with author Nancy Dallett on her book “Crooked River: The Creation and Preservation of Tuzigoot National Monument and Heritage Tourism in the Verde Valley,” an administrative history of Tuzigoot.
In October, Margaret Hangan, Project Archaeologist at Tonto National Forest, gave an insightful presentation on the African American History of Northern Arizona and the contributions the skilled African American laborers and workers contributed to shaping Arizona’s history and present.
VVAC continually promotes an environment that fosters education and does so by offering classes and workshops for both our membership and the public. In March, Ken Zoll VVAC's Director Emeritus taught a comprehensive two-day course on the archaeology of Sedona and the Verde Valley. In November, VVAC Archaeologist John Rose taught a course on lithic analysis with guest presenter Michael Kellett, Archaeologist and Lithic Technology Demonstrator.
In February, VVAC partnered once again with the Verde Valley SciTech Festival and hosted workshops for children ages 8 to 12, helping to instill an appreciation of local culture and history at a young age. Local children toured our Grand Canyon exhibit and created their own split twig figurines and baskets.
We celebrated Arizona Archaeology and Heritage Awareness Month throughout the month of March, topping off the month with the return of Beaver Creek Heritage Days. Formerly known as V-V Days, this year’s event included a renaming ceremony that commemorated the name change from the V-V Heritage Site to The Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site. Stewart Koyiyumptewa of the Hopi Office of Cultural Preservation led the renaming effort and spoke at the event.
We ushered in spring with an eventful April, including our Jazz Into Spring event with the Jazz Trio: Kris Baldwin, Kathi Bellucci and Joe Clyne, and our Native American flute making workshop taught by Aaron White. We hosted our annual Archaeologist Luncheon with Prescott National Forest, National Park Service, Coconino National Forest, and archaeological colleagues.
VVAC has partnered with neighboring institutions for both collaborations and in-depth research projects. The Museum of Northern Arizona gave a tour of their Easton Collection Center for VVAC members. We have partnered with the Grand Canyon Collection Center at Grand Canyon National Park for the curation of our current exhibit, and they generously provided our members a tour of their private facility. The GCMC curators and staff also visited our museum and exhibit in April.
This fall, we launched our Virtual Educational Field Trip Program through our collaboration with Woodland Elementary in Eagleville, Pennsylvania. We were able to share the archaeology, culture, and history of Native Americans and the Southwest to the fourth graders of Woodland Elementary. We look forward to expanding this program in the coming year and are seeking funding for proper technology.
VVAC is honored to be participating in a comprehensive Smithsonian research project on the paleo-genomics of agave with Desert Botanical Garden and the National Autonomous University of Mexico featuring agave quids from the Dyck Cliff Dwelling Collection.
VVAC participated for our second year in the annual Pecos Conference, an outdoor gathering of professional and avocational archaeologists. Richard McGaugh, dedicated VVAC volunteer and excursion leader, received the Alexander J. Lindsay Jr. Unsung Hero Award at this year’s Pecos Conference. McGaugh leads our members’ hikes, including this year’s trips to Ridge Ruin at Winona Village and Veit Springs.
Our members have access to many exciting excursions and programming such as our visit to Hopi in September, another reason to consider giving the gift of membership today.
Our Native American Heritage Garden has continued to flourish under the guidance of our Ethnobotanist, Rob Estrada, and our garden volunteers. We held a garden open house in May that gave the public insight into what we grow and how we grow it, such as utilizing the traditional Hopi dry farming method. Our garden has also been supplying agave pods to Desert Botanical Garden. Estrada and volunteer Walter Trevisan have been cultivating different native heritage species of corn in the garden for a corn study analysis, further showcasing our garden as a living laboratory.
Our volunteer survey crew continues to offer cultural resource management services to Prescott National Forest.
In October, we proudly celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day with a Native American Artist Market. Don Decker, Apache Tribal Specialist and Artist, gave an opening blessing, and Barbara McCabe, Apache Culture Specialist at the Yavapai-Apache Nation, shared an insightful presentation.
We wrapped up the year with a successful financial campaign, a Winter Solstice lecture by Ken Zoll followed by a holiday reception, and a Winter Solstice viewing at The Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site.
“2024 was a pivotal year for the museum, taking the museum to another next level as far as visitor experiences, membership, engagement, community outreach, and inclusivity,” said Monica Buckle, VVAC’s Executive Director. “The museum is on a great trajectory for the next several years and up is the only way we're proceeding."
“Due to the tremendous work of the staff, the volunteers, and members of the board, we have become a go-to destination, not only for out-of-town visitors but returning membership,” continued Buckle. “It's paramount to recognize how members are our cornerstone and the reason why we are here. Because of their generous contributions and support, it's imperative to make certain we offer sophisticated and diverse programs, be it workshops, classes, excursions, hiking trips, and exhibits. It's critical to cast a wide net and provide an array of diverse programs and topics to VVAC to ensure there's an offering for everyone in our membership."
“It’s been an expeditious growth and I attribute this to an extreme amount of hard work and a shared vision,” continued Buckle. “I personally thank so many people who have a helping hand in achieving an organization that the Verde Valley community, as well as Northern Arizona can be proud of.”
For our “Embracing the Past, Shaping the Future” year-end appeal, VVAC raised $62,595, generously surpassing our goal of $20,000.
“Ed Goodwin, VVAC's amazing Board President, and myself, are sincerely grateful and immensely humbled by the outpouring of financial support for the year-end appeal campaign,” said Buckle.
This funding supports the most basic needs of the museum, including the day to day operational expenses such as keeping the lights on.
“It's of importance that whenever we have a lecture or book launch, that we also bring people together after these programs with light receptions. It's nice for museum guests to mingle after a program and talk with one another. It's essential to have that sense of shared space." said Buckle
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