If you haven’t visited downtown Phoenix in the past five years, you’ll find a transformed urban core. What began in 2006 has grown into more than $4 billion in investment across the 1.5-square-mile downtown area, creating an energetic center linked by an efficient light rail system. New hotels and restaurants, four professional sports teams and a broad range of cultural and museum options have replaced the quiet streets of the past, now drawing over 10 million visitors annually. Much of this revitalization celebrates Phoenix’s Wild West and Indigenous heritage through several outstanding museums.
I’ve long been intrigued by Native American history and art, and the city’s premier institution for this field is the Heard Museum, located on Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix. The Heard attracts around 200,000 visitors a year with 12 gallery spaces, peaceful outdoor courtyards and a collection that exceeds 40,000 objects, offering a comprehensive look at the cultures of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
One of the museum’s most powerful installations is “Remembering Our Indian School Days: The Boarding School Experience.” The exhibit documents the U.S. government’s removal of Native American children and their placement in regimented boarding schools. The stories and artifacts on display convey the emotional and cultural cost of that policy—the cutting of long, spiritually significant hair being one especially poignant example.
The Heard’s origin story is also compelling. More than 80 years ago, Dwight B. and Maie Bartlett Heard, a philanthropic couple with ties to the True Value Hardware legacy, settled in Phoenix. Their passion for Indigenous cultures and art led them to assemble an extensive private collection—eventually numbering thousands of objects. At their daughter’s suggestion, they founded the museum. After Dwight’s unexpected death, Mrs. Heard carried the project forward, serving as director, curator, lecturer, guide and maintenance steward for the institution for more than two decades, ensuring the collection and mission endured.
Before you leave the Heard, visit the Berlin Gallery to view and purchase contemporary Native American art, then relax in the Courtyard Café. The café’s menu highlights Southwest-inspired cuisine, and its setting—fountains framed by Spanish colonial architecture—makes it a fitting end to a thoughtful museum visit.
Art lovers should also plan a stop at the Phoenix Art Museum, the largest art museum in the Southwest. Its permanent collection and rotating exhibitions include more than 17,000 works across a wide range of periods and styles. If your trip falls on the first Friday of the month, don’t miss the First Fridays ArtWalk, one of the country’s largest art-walk events, where more than 80 galleries and art-focused businesses open their doors for an evening of exhibitions, performances and neighborhood energy.