Donations and Acquisitions

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New Acquisitions

Highlighting Yaki Point, by Michelle Condrat, oil painting. This painting was displayed in MNA's 2019 Gala exhibition 9 for 90: Artists for a New Era
Pastel drawing by Beatien Yazz, Navajo, donated by Rachel Wilson. The donors mother-in-law found this artwork in a thrift shop in Sedona. MNA has 93 pieces of art by Beatien Yazz, but this is the only one that is a pastel.
Corn applique buff jar by Iris Nampeyo, Tewa; Polychrome jar by Jean Sahmie, Tewa; Polychrome bowl by Lilly Salvadore, Acoma. These three pueblo ceramics were donated by Roger Lustberg in memory of his sister, Cathy Lustberg Sugg.
Hopi rattle and katsina dolls, part of a collection of 273 items donated by Kathy Moffit in memory of Dave Breternitz and Lex Lindsay, who she worked with in the MNA Anthropology Department in the early 1970s.
Mogollon Brown Ware corrugated bowl donated by Connie Schwartz. This bowl is a type common along the Mogollon Rim, but is the first patterned corrugated version in the museum collection and a great type specimen, according to Dr. Kelley Hays-Gilpin.
Rugs by Nellie Tsosie, Navajo, donated by Kathy Moffit. Kathy worked in the MNA Anthropology Department in the early 1970s and donated her collection of 273 items in memory of Dave Breternitz and Lex Lindsay.
Return to Dust by Josh Elliott, oil painting, 2019. This painting was displayed in the MNA 2019 Gala exhibition 9 for 90: Artists for a New Era
Grandmother by Melanie Yazzie, print, 2019. This print was displayed as part of the MNA 2019 Gale exhibition 9 for 90: Artists for a New Era

The purpose of MNA’s collections is to document the natural and cultural history of the Colorado Plateau and its adjacent areas. MNA houses a diverse array of collections, including archaeological, ethnographic, geological, paleontological, and biological specimens, as well as many fine arts and archival materials. These collections are used to further knowledge and provide a basis for research on the Colorado Plateau, for aesthetic appreciation, for public display and education, and for other educational purposes.

Donating items to collections

MNA collections expand through donations of objects from individual collectors. To be added to the museum collections, the item must be legally owned and acquired and must be relevant to and consistent with the mission, purposes and activities of the Museum. MNA must also be able to store, protect, and preserve items under conditions that ensure their availability for Museum purposes and adhere to professional standards.

Any object donated with a value more than $20,000 must have an independent appraisal by a qualified appraiser in that particular field. MNA staff are not permitted to do appraisals.

Donations to the Manuscript Collection should be of an original nature. Any material that is not of an original nature will be considered for addition to the library holdings as reference-only.

Email inquiries to the Collections Director

Donations not added to collections

MNA may accept objects which are not considered appropriate for the collections if there is a clear understanding and a signed agreement between the donor and the museum. These objects may be used for educational purposes or sold for the benefit of the museum. Complete and accurate records of such transactions will be maintained by the Collections Department.

Tax deductions

For a donor to receive a tax deduction in a particular year, donations must meet the following criteria:
1. The museum has accepted the gift
2. The museum has a signed deed of gift in hand by December 31st
3. The donor has relinquished control of the gift by December 31st