Heard Museum magazine has new focus

Debra Utacia Krol, Heard Museum's marketing communications manager, submitted this information. The Heard Museum West is at 16126 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise.

The Heard Museum in Phoenix is re-launching its signature publication with a new focus, name and design. Formerly known as the Heard Museum Journal, the new publication, Voices Heard: Journal of the Heard Museum, "will further the museum's mission of educating the public about American Indian peoples by addressing issues of national significance to Native and non-Native readers within a broadly defined discipline," said museum Director Frank H. Goodyear Jr.

"We strive to build cultural sensitivity, to combat popular stereotypes about American Indians, and to share the beauty and meaning of Native art," Goodyear added. "Voices Heard will provide another avenue to fulfill our mission."

The first issue of Voices Heard, scheduled for November, illustrates the new direction taken by the publication. The lead story will explore how Indians and non-Indians understand each other. The story includes a report released in 2007 by the non-partisan group Public Agenda, entitled "Walking a Mile: A First Step Toward Material Understanding," a study on the perceptions that persist between mainstream society and tribal communities.

Goodyear will discuss the ways the Heard Museum currently addresses many of the findings in the report.

An article about the traveling exhibit The Border Project showcases how young people who live along the border that separates Arizona from Sonora, Mexico, perceive the controversy that surrounds the movement of Hispanic people into the United States.

Voices Heard also will spotlight Native and Hispanic art. Cathy Cano-Murillo and her husband, Patrick Murillo, write about their journey to build a career in art and their upcoming exhibition, "La Casa Murillo: A Life-Size Shadow Box," which will open at the Heard Museum Phoenix on Oct. 4.

Voices Heard is a benefit of Heard Museum membership. To become a member, call 602-251-0261 or visit heard.org.