Museum of Northern Arizona exterior

EXHIBIT EXPLORES ROCK ART—A FRAGILE ANTIQUITY

Peoples all across the Earth have long created rock art and the people who lived on the Colorado Plateau were no exception. Stories on Stone, an exhibit opening June 4, 2005 at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, takes a broad look at an ancient form of communication and begins to unlock the stories held in these intricate symbols and images.

Ever wondered about the mysteries of rock art? Stories on Stone explores how rock art was made, how it is studied today, how it can be understood, and how it can be conserved for generations to come. “The Colorado Plateau has a rich heritage of rock art, left by cultures spanning over 12,000 years and across many archaeological time periods,” says MNA Deputy Director Stefan Sommer. “This exhibit brings together many of the most beautiful examples that remain today.” Visitors have the opportunity to see how scientists study rock art using scaled photography, dating techniques, and spectral analysis. Everyone has a chance to make a take-home scaled drawing of rock art using symbols and images they create.

“The exhibit explains how all of our study techniques are nondestructive,” says Evelyn Billo, one of the exhibit curators. Billo and her husband, Dr. Bob Mark, have been recording rock art in the Southwest and around the world for 25 years. “Rock art is fragile and must be treated with care and respect. We cannot bring rock art to a research lab, but through a variety of new technologies we can record, study, and display it. In fact, some of these techniques can be used to reveal images that have faded over time.”

Both petroglyphs and pictographs exist in this region. Petroglyphs are engraved images that are carefully chipped out with stone chisels. These renderings required a great deal of time, effort, and precision. Pictographs are hand-brushed, hand-printed, and blown paint images made with natural pigments. They are particularly fragile as pigments can wash away, fade, and peel. Nonetheless, pictographs have survived in excellent condition in protected places. While petroglyphs seem less fragile, they are also vulnerable to natural erosive processes and other physical damage. These fragile works survive best in dry conditions, which explains the amazing density and variety of rock art found in this Four Corners region.

Why did people go to such great effort to chisel out intricate images and prepare a rich array of natural pigments for their paintings? Stories on Stone explores many purposes that rock art may have served. Symbols were used to tell time by tracking the sun through the seasons. Apparently these time-telling tools were also used to identify key dates such as planting time and the times for ceremonies, essential to their existence. These images sometimes depict significant events, such as the Spanish encroachment, the appearance of new technologies like the bow and arrow, and the advent of new ceremonies and cultural practices. Some rock art may document important stories and legend, or give us a glimpse into important lifeways by depicting everything from hunting techniques to hair styles. Some rock art murals display complex social interactions, fantastic humanoid beings, and a wide array of different plants and animals. In many cases rock art had a spiritual function in ceremonies as symbols for healing and for fertility.

This exhibit also explores the preservation of this fragile antiquity. Graffiti, target practice, and other thoughtless acts of vandalism have damaged and destroyed rock art in many locations. Visitors learn what can be done today to protect this ancient heritage, before the stories are lost forever.

The Museum of Northern Arizona seeks to inspire a sense of love and responsibility for the beauty and diversity of the Colorado Plateau. It sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks and is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180. The Museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For further information, call 928/774-5213 or visit the website at www.musnaz.org.