Museum of Northern Arizona grants free access to all NAU students

Museum of Northern Arizona logo

Beginning this fall, students may find themselves immersed in the history of the Colorado Plateau as the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) has made an agreement with Northern Arizona University to grant all full-time students free access to the institution.

“MNA has always had a strong relationship with NAU professors and students, but this agreement ensures all students have easy access to our rich cultural and scientific resources,” said MNA director and CEO Carrie Heinon.

Partnering with the university, MNA looks to provide students with an abundance of resources to help with their studies, hoping they take advantage of their public programs.  

With a broad range of exhibits, from prehistoric pottery to contemporary art, the museum has something for everyone to experience. Exhibits typically change every few months. Current exhibits include the Tselani/Terrain: Tapestries of D.Y. Begay and Photographs by George L. Beam and The Making of Arches National Monument. Those with interest in the Mesozoic era will appreciate the dinosaur skeletons on display while those into fashion culture may look more toward the Zuni, Hopi and Navajo silverwork collections.

Recently renovated, the Native Peoples of the Colorado Plateau exhibit displays the stories of 10 tribes of the Colorado Plateau: Acoma, Zuni, Southern Ute, Hualapai, Havasupai, Yavapai and Dilzhe’e Apache, Southern Paiute, Hopi and Diné (Navajo). Through carefully chosen objects and displays, MNA helps these tribes to tell of their own stories, values and cultures.

Both the museum and NAU find the importance in providing educational opportunities for both Native American and non-Native students to help better understand the legacy and significance of cultural and material history of the Native Americans, Heinon said.

“This agreement builds upon a longstanding natural connection between the leading university serving Native Americans in northern Arizona and the leading museum caring for and sharing Native American culture,” NAU President Rita Cheng said. “We are pleased to provide our students access to the exceptional resources offered through the museum, which shares our dedication to research and commitment to diversity.”

The Museum of Northern Arizona is located at 3101 N. Fort Valley Road in Flagstaff. For those without transportation, the museum has a stop on the Mountain Line bus route 5, or they may follow the Flagstaff Urban Trail System.