Indian Arts Research Center

Frommer's Review

Having grown up in New Mexico, surrounded by Native American arts, I had a hodgepodge knowledge of whose work looked like what. The center put my knowledge into an understandable framework. The School of American Research, of which the Indian Arts Research Center is a division, was established in 1907 as a center for advanced studies in anthropology and related fields. It sponsors scholarship, academic research, and educational programs, all in the name of keeping traditional arts alive.

The school has collected more than 10,000 objects, in the process compiling one of the world's finest collections of Southwest Indian pottery, jewelry, weavings, kachinas, paintings, baskets, and other arts that span from the prehistoric era (around 300-500 A.D.) to the present. You'll be led through temperature- and humidity-controlled rooms filled with work separated by tribe. Admission, however, is by tour only; see below for details.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.