Verde Valley Archaeology Center

COMMUNITY FACILITY GRANTS

"THE VERDE VALLEY ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER WILL UPDATE ITS EXHIBITION ON THE YAVAPAI-APACHE NATION TO BETTER EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THESE NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THE MUSEUM WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH THE YAVAPAI-APACHE NATION'S CULTURAL DIRECTORS AND ARCHAEOLOGIST TO DETERMINE THE STORYLINE AND, CONTENT OF THE NEW EXHIBITION, AND COLLECT HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS. THE INTENT OF THE EXHIBITION WILL BE TO PROVIDE A BETTER PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE ANCESTRAL AND CURRENT YAVAPAI AND APACHE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE VERDE VALLEY SINCE 2,000 B.C. WITH THE INVOLVEMENT OF YOUNGER GROUPS IN THE PROJECT, THE MUSEUM HOPES TO INCREASE THE PRIDE OF THE NATION'S YOUTH IN THEIR HISTORY AND LANGUAGES."

THE VERDE VALLEY ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER WILL IMPLEMENT A COLLECTIONS DIGITIZATION PROJECT TO INCREASE ACCESS TO ITS SINAGUA TEXTILE COLLECTION. THE SINAGUA WERE A PRE-COLUMBIAN CULTURE THAT OCCUPIED A LARGE AREA IN CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING THE VERDE VALLEY. THE CENTER WILL PURCHASE PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT, ESTABLISH A DIGITIZATION LAB, AND HIRE A FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER TO CREATE DIGITAL IMAGES OF THE TEXTILE COLLECTION. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL EXPAND THE CENTER’S ONLINE VIRTUAL MUSEUM AND ENHANCE THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD AND METADATA BY ADDING 1,500 ENTRIES INTO THE COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THE PROJECT WILL ENSURE THE PRESERVATION OF THE FRAGILE TEXTILES, WHILE PROVIDING BROADER ACCESS FOR SCIENTIFIC STUDY, RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, AND EXAMINATION. THE EXPANDED ONLINE CONTENT WILL BENEFIT MUSEUM STAFF AND THE PUBLIC BY PROVIDING THEM WITH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE AND HISTORY OF THE VERDE VALLEY.

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA