Phoenix – Tuscon
After seeing Arcosanti the next stop was the Heard Museum. What a fantastic place. An elegant traditional Hacienda style building containing so many beautiful objects from The South West’s many Native American cultures, including the Hopi, O’Odham, Hohokam, Navaho, Yavapai and the many more tribes which struggle to keep their identities in contemporary U.S. society. The subtle cultural difference can be overlooked by Western ‘Anglo’ eyes, but the differences are marked in their stories and legends, and this comes out in their crafts in patterning, shapes and motifs. The traditions of basket and pottery making were well represented, as were jewellery and rugs making. The range of pottery here was breathtaking. These skills have been continued through the necessity to make trade and the works of some names are highly collectible. One huge wall housed a display of Katchina dolls, an unimaginable array of colours, and patterns, shapes, tall, short, funny, beautiful and ugly. The common thing they all had was feet. Made originally to teach children about the different spirits – or Katchinas, that they believe in, but now made for the collectors that will spend up to several hundred dollars on them each or more if they are particularly high quality or thousands of dollars if they are old. I couldn’t help wondering how much of this money actually has been seen by the Indian artists themselves. I’m told, though I haven’t witnessed it first hand myself as yet, that the Native American population is reduced to very depressing circumstances. Their cultures have dissipated, their connection that was once so strong to the land and cultural aspirations have been severely damaged. Upstairs a huge amount of space was taken to recreate an Indian School education, with the lows as well as the highlights displayed. I was so moved by the display of word that accompanied this incredible and heart rending exhibit, I had to share them. 
In the Pop Art gallery beautiful beaded portraits of both Marilyn Monroe and Obama caught my eye. How sadly remote it seems that the USA will ever have a Native American for President.
Outside were several sculpture made by Nora Moranjo Norse, a wonderful Pueblo Indian Artist from Santa Clara Pueblo, near Santa Fe, who I hope to visit in September. Her tall standing figurative pieces, were made from Bronze, and set in the garden. One reminded me strongly of a Henry Moore.
The scale and weight of this museum was extraordinary, and I would have loved to have given it longer.
Our final day in Phoenix was spent visiting Arizona State University’s Ceramic Research Centre and Art Museum. The latter, a concrete bunker of a place, which felt, on entering, like an un appealing underground car park. We Brits have our share of ‘Brutalist’ art centres, – London’s South Bank and New Art Gallery Walsall are fine examples. However this was even more an homage to concrete. Pairs of tall square grey concrete columns and 60’s saucer shaped concrete planters sporting broadly spiked native desert surviving plants signalled the entrance, blasting heat back at you as you scurried underground and away from the furnace that is August in Phoenix. Inside were a number of rooms. American artists, represented by Georgia O’Keefe with her cows scull, a variety of landscape painters, an Edward Hopper, a striking tall stark bronze bomb shaped sculpture who’s surface relief was made up of contorted dead bodies – I couldn’t help thinking of the Atom bomb when I saw that.
There was also a room dedicated to looking at how people transport themselves both now and in the past, ‘What Moves Us’. This covered the animals we use – Burro’s and Horses, trains, (incredible to think that just a tiny percentage of Americans has ever been on a train) bicycles and more. There were plenty of community and children engaging activities -it was the summer holidays and this gallery is free. One children’s TV programme and a number of quizzes and drawing stations – really well designed and thought out exhibit, but alas, no one but us seemed to be there. Upstairs was a travelling exhibition by a Vietnamese Installation Artists which contained extraordinarily adapted bikes, and photos of parts of bikes, and motor bikes in Vietnam by Dinh Q Lé. The peice I particularly liked had many wing mirrors attached (like a ‘Mod’scooter), but these mirrors were actually facing the traffic supposedly so they could see themselves.
To Canelo
An overnight stop in Tuscon, as it broke our drive from Phoenix to Canelo and the Project – and home -of Athena and Bill Steen. With more than 7 books behind them, and two of the biggest selling Straw Bale books around, they have made an impact on building techniques both over here in the US and the world. This couple have also created an amazing array of beautifully made and decorated buildings on their many acres of undulating land. The spaces have grown organically here, space after space added during workshops held twice a year here for many years. Athena, Bill, their son’s Oso and Panther, made us feel very welcome and nourished, both with fabulous home cooking and by providing us with a beautiful and inspiring location to rest our travellers bones temporarily. We were treated to a stay in the B&B. I can thoroughly recommend it.
“Located in Southeastern Arizona at the base of the Huachuca Mountains, Canelo is 17 miles south of Sonoita and 15 miles west of SierraVista.
The Canelo B&B guest house is located next to the main house on a 40-acre parcel surrounded by National Forest, the Audubon Research ranch and the Nature Conservancy. It looks directly out onto the cottonwood-lined Turkey Creek which flows 10 months out of the year (always dry May and June and more depending on the rainfall.)
The riparian area around the creek draws many species of wildlife and birds. This is an ideal spot for hiking, birding, enjoying peace and seclusion.”
Meetings in the Middle of Somewhere 
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