We stumbled onto the Museum of Northern Arizona by chance. What a great spot. I mean: WOW! The museum was founded in 1928 and has an exceptional collection of ceramics, as well as baskets and jewelry, from the northern Arizona And four corners region (Hopi, Zuni, Navajo and other Native American peoples).
Several items caught my attention. First, the presentation of ceramics is outstanding. My iPhone photos don’t do the displays justice, but here is what I was able to capture.
There is a portion of a wall mural from a cliff dwelling ruin displayed in the museum. I’ve never seen anything like this before (and I’ve visited a LOT of precolumbian sites and museums with pottery from ancient peoples who lived in what is now the American Southwest).
I really like that the museum collects not just early ceramics from the area, but has purchased several recent “roadie cups” for their collection. Well done!
If you are in Flagstaff, Arizona, and have 1-2 hours to spare, I highly recommend the Museum of Northern Arizona. Check ahead of time – the museum has reduced hours due to Covid. But they only admit 10 people per half hour, so it is not crowded.
Fun fact: actor Ted Danson (of Cheers fame) grew up at the museum. His father was the museum director from 1959 to 1975.
JTW Ceramics 