Today’s blog is written by Lisa Falk, Arizona State Museum’s Director of Education, and this blog’s editor.
People come to museums for a variety of reasons, but chief among these are to see objects, the art and artifacts on display. But according to those who study visitors in museums, visitors spend very little time actually viewing the objects. Different studies suggest that most people give items a casual glance of about 2 seconds or for something more familiar (say the Mona Lisa) perhaps 15-32 seconds. Of course some art or artifacts will draw specific viewers in for a longer look. By looking longer, a visitor can make a more meaningful connection with an object—you can see more, sense more, imagine more, learn more. … » Read more »
Today’s blog is written by Arizona State Museum’s archivist Amy Rule. She can be found working alongside the rest of the Library and Archives staff in the beautiful second floor reading room at ASM providing preservation and access to the over 1500 linear feet of archival and manuscript holdings.
In my job as the archivist for ASM each day is predictably unpredictable. You might think every researcher who walks in the door is seeking information about archaeological sites, ethnographic objects, or information on southwestern Native cultures. This is true for some visitors, but an amazingly wide range of questions come my way. In recent weeks I have assisted people with research topics on baseball, newspaper cartoonists, the anthropology of garbage, peyote rituals, mission bells, and library architecture. Even basic questions about the archaeology of the southwest sometime take me down unexpected archival avenues.
For example, recently I was looking into the Edward H. and Rosamond B. Spicer Papers, a collection known for its wealth of information about Yaqui culture. I was surprised to find … » Read more »
Today’s blog is written by ASM’s Director of Education Lisa Falk, who was lead curator for ASM’s exhibit Through the Eyes of the Eagle: Illustrating Healthy Living, and is co-author of the It’s Up 2 You! comic book.
Last fall we displayed the exhibit Through the Eyes of the Eagle: Illustrating Healthy Living about diabetes awareness and prevention from a Native American perspective, offered diverse programming around the topic of health and culture, and created resource materials. One of those materials is a comic book, It’s Up 2 You!, aimed at youth (5th grade and older). Ryan Huna Smith
illustrated it and together we co-wrote the story with input from area teens and health professionals. An exhibit of the comic’s enlarged pages is currently on display at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, part of the Pima County Public Library system, through April 30, 2012. If you’re in Tucson, stop by to see it. While there, grab one of our bookmarks and scribble a healthy living pledge on it. Here are some that folks copied into our pledge book. … » Read more »
Today’s blog is written by ASM’s Dr. Michael Brescia who is on sabbatical this year. A Fulbright-Carlos Rico Award for North American Studies, under the categories of teaching and research, has taken him to two locales in North America. This past fall at the University of Western Ontario, Brescia taught a research seminar on the comparative history of North America. At the same time, he conducted research for his project, “Water Rights and Competing Legal Traditions in North America: Historical Perspectives,” which examines the historical tensions between common law and civil law in the adjudication of property rights, particularly water rights, on the continent. Dr. Brescia is now in Puebla, Mexico for part II of his Fulbright, conducting additional research in the Biblioteca Palafoxiana, a rare book library founded in 1646. He returns to ASM late this summer.
It was a poignant moment for me as I drove my Jeep Liberty on Interstate 90 into western New York to start the Canadian portion of my North American Fulbright. The vineyards on my right were ripe with Concord grapes on the peak of harvest, while on my left the shores of Lake Erie produced gentle breezes; you could hear the occasional sound of seagulls above the din of the numerous tractor trailers that monopolized the roadway. … » Read more »
Virkinee Eloisa Hanessian, a senior at the University of Arizona majoring is Art History, shares her thoughts on Native American shoes that are included in the Through the Eyes of the Eagle exhibit as an illustration of physical activity. 
This semester she interned in ASM’s education department and helped with installation prep work for the Through the Eyes of the Eagle and in presenting school and public programs related to the exhibit. Originally from Nogales, AZ, she hopes to work in a museum one day.
On entering the Through the Eyes of the Eagle exhibit, the shoes are one of the first things you notice. Showcased are 18 shoes, spanning 1,400 years. When I spoke to Andrew Higgins, who is the curatorial specialist at the museum who curated this case, he stated, “Native American shoes inspired many of the shoe styles of today.” One style that has stood the test of time is the moccasin. … » Read more »
For the last eight years the Hanson Film Institute has partnered with the Arizona State Museum to develop and produce the Native Eyes Film Showcase featuring the best new works by and about Native Americans and Indigenous peoples. This blog is written by Vicky Westover, director of the Hanson Film Institute, College of Fine Arts, University of Arizona. She and Lisa Falk, director of education at the Arizona State Museum, rely on their dynamic collaboration to create a provocative showcase each year. … » Read more »
Lisa Falk, ASM director of education and blog editor provokes you to think about the questions raised in ASM’s newest exhibit Through the Eyes of the Eagle: Illustrating Healthy Living for which she is the lead curator.
Our newest exhibit, Through the Eyes of the Eagle: Illustrating Healthy Living, uses objects, stories, photos, videos, hands-on activities, comic book art and children’s book illustrations to explore Native American history, culture and wellness.
Did you know that one in three children in America are obese? Did you know that over 50% of the Tohono O’odham have diabetes? Why? What can help reverse this growing epidemic? … » Read more »
Lisa Falk, ASM director of education and blog editor shares preparation for ASM’s newest exhibit Through the Eyes of the Eagle: Illustrating Healthy Living for which she is the lead curator.
Do you remember preparing for those school plays? Just before opening night it seemed you were always running around making one more prop, painting one more set piece, changing bulbs, looking for an additional costume and trying to remember your lines. Putting together an exhibit is kind of like that—the last two weeks everyone is doing his part to get it all together and ready for the grand opening. … » Read more »
