Arizona State Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arizona State Museum
Arizona State Museum North building
General information
Type	Museum
Location	Tucson, Arizona, USA
Opened	1893
Owner	The University of Arizona

Arizona State Museum South building

The Arizona State Museum (ASM) started in 1893. At first, it was a place to keep and protect old treasures found in the ground. Today, ASM still keeps these amazing items. It also shows them in exhibits and helps people learn through education and research. The museum is run by the University of Arizona. You can find it on the university campus in Tucson, Arizona.

Discovering the Past: What is the Arizona State Museum?

The Arizona State Museum helps us learn about the Native peoples who have lived in North America for thousands of years. Museum experts study how these groups lived, what their homes were like, and how they created their art and communicated.

They look at old sites to find out what people ate, what they wore, and how they made beautiful things. Many of the homes and villages these people built have changed or been destroyed over time. The museum helps us understand their daily lives.

A very important director of the museum was Emil W. Haury. He led many digs in the Southwest. He also taught students about his methods and what he found.

What Can You See? Collections at ASM

ASM has many items made by cultures from long ago and by people living today. These items include pottery, jewelry, baskets, textiles, and clothing.

• Archaeological objects are found during digs by museum staff and others.
• Ethnological items are not found in digs. They are given by Native American tribes, bought by the museum, or donated by individuals.

The museum also has a huge collection of photos. There are over 350,000 prints, negatives, and slides. These pictures show the history and cultures of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. Famous photographers like Forman Hanna and Emil Haury have their work here. The museum is also adding more digital photos all the time.

Explore and Learn: Exhibits and Programs

Woven Through Time: American Treasures of Native Basketry and Fiber Art exhibit at the Arizona State Museum

ASM always has different objects on display. You can find out what exhibits are currently showing or coming soon by checking their website.

The museum also has many programs for the public. They celebrate the ancient and continuing Native cultures of the region. They share their knowledge and collections with everyone. This includes:

• School programs
• Lectures
• Hands-on activities
• Workshops
• Travel tours

Behind the Scenes: Research and Preservation

Students studying archaeology, anthropology, art, and design work with ASM staff. They learn about the materials, techniques, and objects from the museum's collections. Some students even help with archaeological digs.

The Office of Ethnohistorical Research (OER) studies the peoples of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They have old Spanish and Mexican documents and scholarly books. Their library has over 8,000 sources of information. This includes maps and guides for reading old handwriting. OER also has an online index called Documentary Relations of the Southwest (DRSW). It lists over 17,000 documents from the Spanish colonial period. These documents cover many topics, like how Native Americans, Spanish colonists, and missionaries interacted.

AZSITE keeps a special map database of cultural sites and surveys. This helps researchers find information without visiting many different places. There are hundreds of these sites in Arizona.

The Arizona State Museum's library and archives are open to the public. They focus on the archaeology, cultures, and history of the Southwest and northern Mexico. They have over 100,000 books and journals. Many of these are rare. The archives include original research notes, maps, letters, and sound recordings.

ASM takes great care of its artifacts. Each type of item needs to be protected from humidity, heat, and insects. The museum has the world's largest collection of Southwest Indian pottery. It is kept in a special vault to protect its 20,000 pots from damage.

The Arizona State Museum also helps manage state laws about old discoveries. This includes issuing permits for archaeological work on state lands. It also helps with the proper handling of ancient human remains found during digs. The museum keeps records of archaeological sites and stores collections safely.

The museum is connected with the Smithsonian Institution.

Working with Tribes

ASM works closely with tribal members across the Southwest. This means museum staff visit tribal communities. Tribal members also visit ASM to look at objects. They also cooperate with ASM staff during digs. ASM also follows federal law about returning certain items, like sacred objects, to tribes.

Leaders of the Museum

The museum has had seven directors since it began:

• Byron Cummings (1915–1938)
• Emil W. Haury (1938–1964)
• Raymond H. Thompson (1964–1998)
• George J. Gumerman (1998–2002)
• Hartman H. Lomawaima (2002–2008)
• Beth Grindell (2008-2013)
• Patrick D. Lyons (2013-present)

See also

In Spanish: Museo Estatal de Arizona para niños