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The Museum of Northern Arizona is a museum in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, that was established as a repository for Native American artifacts and natural history specimens from the Colorado Plateau. The museum was founded in 1928 by zoologist Dr. Harold S. Colton and artist Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is dedicated to preserving the history and cultures of northern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau. The museum is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museums program. Hours of Operation: Monday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. ==History== "Someone ought to tell the world about it," wrote Harold Sellers Colton and Frank E. Baxter in a 1932 guide for the northern Arizona traveler. They eloquently described the wonders of the vast region—colors to delight the artist, Native American peoples to engage the anthropologist, traces of human occupation to occupy the archaeologist, an open textbook for the geologist, plants and wildlife to intrigue the biologist and botanist—in short, an area abundant with treasures to delight both scientist and visitor. The authors were reiterating what had already been stated—northern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau were definitely worth exploring. Northern Arizona sits on part of the Colorado Plateau which extends over parts of four western states: Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. The section in northern Arizona features the towering volcano known as the San Francisco Peaks, the ever-changing palette of the Painted Desert, the unequaled Grand Canyon, beautiful Lake Powell, curious Petrified Forest, lush Oak Creek Canyon, bountiful Verde Valley, and the verdant White Mountains, just to name a few high-lights. Living amongst these physical marvels are the native peoples who, in the course of maintaining their cultural traditions, acknowledge and celebrate the natural wonders surrounding them. Elevations extend three miles vertically—from the 12,637 foot-high Humphrey's Peak of the San Francisco Peaks to the one-mile-deep Grand Canyon. In between are nearly limitless examples of the Earth's natural history, brought close together in an area that provides an unending laboratory for the inquisitive. Into this land came Harold Sellers and Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton and their family. Dr. Colton was a zoology professor at the University of Pennsylvania whose zest for knowledge went far beyond that field and who would be forever excited by the many research opportunities in northern Arizona. Mrs. Colton was equally intrigued by the native peoples and scenic grandeur of the region, and she spent many hours sketching and painting them. After numerous visits to the region, they moved to Flagstaff in 1926 to pursue their mutual and individual interests. The Coltons became involved in efforts to create a local museum that would display the natural and human wonders of the area. Combining their skill and benevolence, and in response to the urging of prominent citizens of both Flagstaff and Tucson, they helped the community found the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) in 1928. The Museum is a regionally based institution that researches, collects, and exhibits all that represents northern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau. Dr. Colton became MNA Director and Mrs. Colton the Curator of Art and Ethnology, allowing them to follow and explore their respective interests in science and art, and making MNA the spirited, multifaceted institution we enjoy today. With its unique blend of science and art, MNA stands alone. At MNA, research and public exhibits intertwine with collections to present a rich, composite view of northern Arizona and the Colorado Plateau. In 1930, they hired Katharine Bartlett a physical anthropologist from Denver to curate the museum. Bartlett spent the next 51 years organizing first the museum and then the library. Her cataloging procedures became the foundation of the research facility the museum has become. The Museum of Northern Arizona offers its visitors many opportunities to become familiar with the area through public exhibits and programs. At the same time, its staff and researchers continue their studies, because science, like life, is not static—it is ever-evolving. MNA continually explores ways to preserve this distinctive region and ensure that its uniqueness endures. MNA's three components—public programs, research, and collections—complement one another in a continual circle. Scientists study the data, utilize the collections, and develop public exhibits designed to introduce the Colorado Plateau. Museum visitors, after this introduction, often seek further knowledge, stimulating the scientists to reconsider the data and to reexamine the collections. This ongoing cycle is considered optimal for a museum, as each component is dependent upon the other. MNA is a private, nonprofit organization supported by its members and by supplemental funding. Its exhibit areas have grown from two rooms in the Flagstaff Woman's Club in 1928 to today's 24,700-square-foot Exhibits building that hosted over 91,000 visitors in 1996. On an adjacent part of the campus are its research and collections facilities. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Museum of Northern Arizona」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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