Arizona State Museum

09/02/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Ann Lane Hedlund, retired curator of ethnology, whose book, “Mac Schweitzer: A Southwest Maverick and Her Art,” was a winner of a 2026 Southwest Book Design Award bestowed by the New Mexico Book Association.

Earlier this year, the book was recognized by the Pima County Public Library as one of four “Top Picks” for the Southwest Books of the Year awards. The Albuquerque Journal also listed the book as one of four "favorite reads" in 2025.

In Tucson during the 1950s, nearly everyone knew, or wanted to know, the southwestern artist Mac Schweitzer. Born Mary Alice Cox in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1921, she grew up a tomboy who adored horses, cowboys, and art. After training at the Cleveland School of Art and marrying, she adopted her maiden i...

08/31/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Michael Brescia, ASM curator of ethnohistory, who was appointed Visiting Scholar in the Institute for International Studies (IIS) at Univerzita Karlova, in Prague, Czech Republic, for the fall semester.

Michael will be teaching a course on the history of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands for the IIS’s Department of North American Studies. What a treat for those students!

This appointment is part of Michael's sabbatical from September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027. We will miss Michael at ASM this year, but he will keep us posted on his sabbatical activities, so stay tuned for updates!

08/28/2026

Tucson Comic-Con is next week! Our special guests will be Indigenous creatives Tom Farris, Bobby Stills, and Pachynne Ignacio. See you there!

08/26/2026

Associate Curator of Zooarchaeology Dr. Martin Welker's latest co-authored article, “Swimming Upriver? Exploring the Sources of Freshwater and Marine Fish in Military Diet in Sixteenth to Nineteenth-Century Northeastern North America,” was published in the July issue of International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oa.70136

In this paper, the co-authors track the exchange of cod and other fish into interior North America. Cod, haddock, Atlantic herring, and Atlantic mackerel remains occur in small numbers in faunal assemblages from military sites in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, revealing that these fish were traded up the St. Lawrence River. No Atlantic cod or other marine fish were identified in assemblages upriver from the Niagara Falls, suggesting that the falls served as a natural barrier, separating two trade networks.

08/19/2026

Today is World Photography Day, a celebration of the art, craft, science, and history of photography. Tomorrow, Jannelle Weakly, ASM manager of photographic collections, will be giving a talk on the importance of ASM’s photo collections.

Join us tomorrow, 6:00 p.m. at Whiskey Del Bac for this free presentation.

Full details here: https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/events/reflections-connections

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08/17/2026

ASM will be popping up at Tucson Comic-Con, Sept. 4, 5 & 6, Tucson Convention Center, Booth F18.
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08/12/2026

Over the past six months, Gina Watkinson, assistant conservator and ASM’s newest faculty member, has had the pleasure of mentoring Arnold Zavala, an emerging collections management professional, through the Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists (ARCS) Mentoring Program. The mission of the program is to connect established museum professionals with emerging and mid-career specialists for mentorship, professional growth, and the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

Gina and Arnold have been meeting virtually to discuss issues related to the museum profession, including collections stewardship, health and safety, and career development. Recently, they had the opportunity to meet in person and made a visit to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City together.

https://www.arcsinfo.org/membership/mentoring%20program

08/10/2026

Last Friday, ASM hosted Akimel O’odham master basket weaver August Wood ( on Instagram) and more than a dozen of his students and friends to examine O’odham baskets for inspiration and insight into traditional basketry techniques. Associate curators Drs. Ed and Ruth Jolie, with curatorial assistant Connor Moore, facilitated the visit. Great fun was had by all and we look forward to many return visits.

08/09/2026

ASM objects are featured in the cover story of the current issue of "Archaeology Magazine," which explores the sounds of the ancient world, from Bronze Age cymbals to Celtic war horns to Puebloan cocoon rattles.

Read and listen here:

Tuning in to the sounds of the ancient world

08/07/2026

Join us for our next FREE, in-person lecture at Whiskey Del Bac, featuring Jannelle Weakly, ASM’s photographic and multi-media collections manager. Thursday, August 20, 6:00 p.m.

Full details and RSVP here:
https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/events/reflections-connections