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Here, Now and Always

January 1, 2005 through February 11, 2020

Three simple words—Here, Now and Always—tell the story of the Southwest’s oldest communities. From elder to younger, each generation has taught the next: We are here, now and we will be here always.

The story begins in a time before word, before mountains, before rivers, before people. Trace for yourself the path of the Southwest’s people as you come up from the Earth and enter the exhibition hall.

You hear your first words from the elders of today’s communities. Your teachers are poets and parents, environmentalists and educators, grant writers and grandmothers, fathers and farmers, historians and homemakers, singers and sons, and above all storytellers. Their stories guide you through the galleries, the tools and treasures of the people, and the faces and voices of the Southwest.

Listen carefully. Let the stories carry you to the center created by each Native community. Here, at the intersection of sky and earth, you will find the Southwest’s people.

Here, Now, and Always is a major exhibition based on eight years of collaboration among Native American elders, artists, scholars, teachers, writers and museum professionals. Voices of fifty Native Americans guide visitors through the Southwest’s indigenous communities and their challenging landscapes. More than 1,300 artifacts from the Museum’s collections are displayed accompanied by poetry, story, song and scholarly discussion.

Here, Now & Always 2

Here, Now & Always 1

Necklace ca. 1920
Necklace, ca. 1920, Artist Unknown, Navajo Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology, 10675/12 Photography by Addison Doty This remarkable silver necklace holds 38 large globular beads, 24 three-petal squash blossoms, and is anchored by a large double arm cross pendant. On the opposite end, adjacent to the clasp, the artist included a single elk tooth – their signature, or maker’s mark – adding their personal touch to the already substantial piece.