Art, color on display at EcoMuseum celebration Saturday

The Him-Dak EcoMuseum will celebrate art in a big way Saturday.

Art activities, basket-weaving, music, dancing, a toka demonstration and the traditional fun run are all part of the Ak-Chin Indian Community’s 24th annual Him-Dak Celebration. It is the grand opening of the 7,000-square-foot art classroom building next to the museum.

All Maricopans are invited.

“We are really looking forward to not only the Ak-Chin community but Maricopa and our neighboring area as well coming out,” museum technician Wendy Aviles said.

This year, a 5K race has been added as a “color run” similar to the previous “Copa Color 5K” in Maricopa. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. The Ak-Chin Health Department is helping with the event.

Museum technician Melanie Antone said the incorporation of the color – whether in powder or liquid form – is a tie-in to the art theme. Sign-up is free, and the first 200 to register receive a T-shirt.

A ribbon-cutting for the new art building and the renovated museum is set for 9 a.m.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Expanding Our Him-Dak through Excellence in the Arts.”

There will be demonstrations of basket weaving, oil painting and pottery. Youth members will demonstrate the game toka, which is similar to field hockey and played only by women. Entertainment will include Ak-Chin performers as well as the Duncan family performing as the Yellow Bird Dance Group, flute-player Randy Kemp and San Juan dancers. By tradition, the Old Tyme Fiddlers will close the event.

Antone said each group will perform up to an hour.

The day includes arts and crafts vendors, information booths and food vendors.

The Him-Dak EcoMuseum opened in 1991. In celebration of the expansion, the original consultants of the museum project are coming in from Quebec, Canada, Washington, D.C. (including the Smithsonian), Nevada and Arizona, according to Aviles. The original architect and the original staff will also be on hand.

“We’ve finally come full circle,” she said.

Aviles, who is one of those original staff members, said the expansion had been in the planning process since the late 1980s when Ak-Chin was developing the idea for the museum.

She said the community wanted to have a facility for preserving history. “Our mission for the museum and for the archives is to promote sharing our past, present and future,” she said.

Antone said the museum is “our little treasure chest.” Members are always welcome to bring in their historic pieces just for safe storage. The museum will also copy photo graphs. Antone said all of the photos in the archives are from the community rather than outside sources.

“One of the best things about my position is going and interviewing the elders and interacting with them and getting their stories from them,” she said. “One of the times I did go out and interview an elder she shared some pictures with me. I was able to give those photos back to her in protective sleeves.”

The main museum is 8,000 square feet. It is distinguished from a traditional museum in that residents take a role as both curator and viewing public. Ak-Chin community members are encouraged to help with curating, maintaining and enjoying the exhibits.

There is one permanent exhibit, while others change every year. The annual celebration also marks the unveiling of the newest exhibit.

Facilities associated with the museum are the historic BIA Agent House and the St. Frances Catholic mission school.

Renovations to the original museum include an elevator to the observatory.

“The museum addition of the art classroom is a dream we’ve had since 1991 when we first opened the doors,” Aviles said. “The addition, with the elevator, and the classroom, it was all part of the original plan back when we were deciding on a building.”

Back when the EcoMuseum opened, staff worked with pieces it had on hand and has been growing the collection ever since.

Antone said the art building is another resource to allow artists to keep their work in the community.

“We have many great artists doing basketry, oil painting, pottery. The pottery is the most popular one that everyone’s excited about,” she said. “Our ancestors were pottery-makers, and a lot of the members are excited to get back to that.”

The art building is not just focused on traditional arts and crafts. “There is graphic art, a classroom for ceramics,” Aviles said. “We have a lot of community members that are really into doing ceramics.”

Teaching positions are still posted for the art classes.