Heard Museum

2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA

Address:	2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
Phone:	+1 602-252-8840
Site:	heard.org
Rating:	4.5
Working:	9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 9:30AM–5PM 11AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 8

Carolyn Bright

This museum used to be one of my mothers favorite places to visit, until recently. Last weekend, we made the big mistake of visiting the museum during the Indian Fair and Market. We didnt know in advance that this event was happening. When we saw it, we knew that my mother couldnt walk through the whole market which was set up on the outside grounds, but that was okay because we just wanted to tour the museum itself. We asked at the entrance, BEFORE paying the entrance fee, if she could still get a wheelchair to tour inside the museum. We were told yes, once we reached the museum, so we paid the entrance fee and went in. It took over 10 minutes to walk through the crowds, but eventually my Mom made it with the help of her cane. However, once inside the museum, we were told that no, wheelchairs were not available during this "special event". Even inside the museum? No, only in case of emergencies. "Whats an emergency?" I asked. The security person answered, "If someone falls." So basically, my Mom had to fall before getting a wheelchair. Trust me, that was a distinct possibility if she was expected to tour the museum without the aid of a wheelchair. We turned around and started the long walk back to the entrance. When we got there and asked for our refund, a very rude volunteer refused our refund and implied that we had somehow made our way in without paying (as if my 80 year old mother hopped a fence!). It went downhill from there before we finally got our refund. His whole goal seemed to be to make sure the Heard kept our entrance fee, regardless of our ability to access the facility. It is unfortunate that the Heard would allow visitors to be treated this way. Also, to not allow for any accommodations for those with disabilities is the ultimate in bad business decisions in this day and age, especially with the advanced ages of the typical moneyed tourist in Phoenix. The lack of courtesy and training evident in the volunteer we encountered during the refund saga was a key factor in ruining the experience of the Heard Museum for my mother. I hope the Museum takes measures to make sure they are represented more professionally, and that they are better prepared to accommodate visitors with disabilities in the future..

mike kelly

Very disappointed. I went to the Heard Museum when I was 13 with my grandparents who at the time lived in Phoenix. I was just back in Arizona for my wedding last week. Im 36 now by the way so its been a while. We spent some time in Phoenix on our way back from Sedona. I was so excited to go to the Heard Museum because I remember really enjoying it as a kid. We paid out $38 for two tickets, which I thought was pretty steep, but whatever. We get into the museum only to find out that a good portion of it was closed to construction. There were no signs or anyone at the ticket counter advising us of that prior to entering and buying tickets. Nor, was there any sort of discount on the tickets. So, we toured what we could. We especially enjoyed the Boarding School exhibit, although it was a bit depressing. We then decided wed go up to the library and archives. A kind staffer pointed us in the right direction. Guess what? It was closed too. I went down and told the staffer and he said he had no idea it was closed or why it was closed. At that point, we were over it. I wish this experience would have been better as I was very much looking forward to it. Oh well.

Sabine Hertneck

Sehr schöne Außenanlage... Wir hatten genügend Parkplätze zur Verfügung. Die 18 Dollar Eintritt lohnen sich auf jeden Fall. Wer viel über die verschiedenen indianischen Kulturen und ihren Werdegang erfahren möchte, ist hier richtig. Bei uns wurde jede Stunde eine kostenlose Führung durch das Museum angeboten. Sie zeigte uns die Highlights der Ausstellungen. Anschließend sollte man dringend das Museum noch auf eigene Faust erkunden. Es gibt viel zu erfahren.

Cynthia Fabian

This museum is one of my favorites. I have been visiting since childhood. It has beautiful native works from throughout history as well as exclusive temporary exhibitions and works by modern native artists. I just went to to see the extraordinary Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera art exhibit that is showing through late August. The Heard is the only place in North America that this exhibition will be seen. It is a rare chance to see rare works by these incredible artists that have not been seen by the public much as theyre from a private collection. I was personally thrilled by the work and commend the museum for exhibiting these kinds of collections. I am spoiled living so near such a treasure, but for anyone who may visit from other states or countries I highly recommend the Heard Museum as a must see stop in the southwest.

Farinaz Parsay

The Heard Museum is known for its exhibits of the arts and cultures of Native Americans or American Indians with emphasis on the people of Southwest. The artworks are beautiful and a blend of modern and traditional heritage of the Southwest which include visual art, indigenous ceramics and pottery, paintings, new and vintage jewelry, the art of weaving, wood carvings and a lot more. There are on going and new exhibits throughout the year. The exhibits indicate the diversity and richness of Native American art and history. There are daily public tours and special programs for groups and children and adults. In the facility there is a museum shop, a courtyard cafe, a coffee cantina, a "book and more" section, and the collectors room. Visiting the Heard museum is a truly enjoyable and unique experience.

Jake E

A well designed museum, the Heard Museum is a popular attraction for a reason. Plenty of history with the occasional rotating exhibits, this is a great stop for the museum and history lover. It can be a little on the expensive side, but worth it if youre looking to learn more about the local Native American tribes and their cultures. Its recommend to give yourself around 2 hours to view it all, but you could easily cover it all in an hour if needed. Im not sure if I would recommend this for younger kids as they might not be as interested, but obviously that would depend whether they are interested in this kind of thing or not. If youre looking for something to do in the downtown Phoenix area, this might be right up your alley!

Stephen Arnold

Weve been to the Heard Museum twice this month: first, to observe the annual Indian Fair & Market, and, second, to view the Museums holdings. We suggest that the term "Museum" understates what this institution is about as opposed to naming it the Heard Native Arts & Cultures Museum. In our visit to Heard, we observed dancing, paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewellery, beadwork, clothing, weavings and dolls and heard singing, drumming, lectures and remenesing.There was also much opportunity to acquire the arts and experience the cultures. The Heard is first class in what you see and do.

Kate Taylor

Such a special collection, especially the INSANE amount of awesome Hopi Kachina dolls. The building and grounds themselves are just beautiful, a great place to relax and have a coffee in the courtyard afger touring the museum. Make sure you go up to the second floor for the fantastic and comprehensive exhibit on Indian boarding schools from the late 19th/early 20th century. The downstairs collections were beautiful but really could have benefitted from better descriptions or maybe an in depth guide I could download to my phone? Hire a tour guide if you want to get deeper, Id say.