I’ve worked with the Heard Museum in a number of capacities since 1999. I’ve had the privilege of being an artist in residence, an exhibiting artist, a juror on many selection committees, as well as a consultant on contemporary art and digital media. In 2014, Digital Preserve was formed and began creating new and engaging digital content for number of departments at the Museums including: the Cultural and Educational Outreach Programs, Marketing, Development, and the Heard Gift Shop. I'm honored to lead our team of creatives to continue this long lasting relationship of crafting meaningful content for a growing audience of museum attendees and supporters! - Steven J. Yazzie
Community Outreach and Knowledge Sharing
Heard Museum's Master Artist Workshops
The Heard Museum's Master Artist workshop series is designed to support community resilience, strengthen cultural awareness, and promote intergenerational knowledge-sharing among American Indian communities in the Southwest by facilitating access for adult and youth learners to accomplished artists working in specific traditional forms, expert cultural historians, and relevant museum collections and objects, while also encouraging sustained dialogues about traditional arts among museum professionals and Native artists and communities.
Master Artist Documentary
Project: The Paddle and Anvil: a Piipaash Pottery Tradition.
Digital Preserve produced, "Paddle and Anvil: a Piipaash Pottery Tradition", a short documentary for the Heard Museum. From clay dug in the Phoenix area, to a beautifully designed and finished pot, the film captures the process and creative thought which leads to a work of beauty. Featuring Piipaash Maricopa artist, Ron Carlos, we are allowed into the world of a modern day denizen who is one of a handful of Piipaash artists left in the world. Digital Preserve is honored to have been a part of creating this new documentary film and we want to give a special thanks to the Heard Museum, The Heard Museum Guild, and the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation for their support in the making of this film.
The Paddle and Anvil: A Piipaash Pottery Tradition
Master Artist Documentary
The film Features Piipaash Maricopa artist, Ron Carlos, a modern day denizen who is one of a handful of Piipaash artists left in the world. The story follows his journey of crafting a pot through his uniquely creative and straightforward process, from excavating raw earth from his traditional land and forming in into to a fully realized finished work of art.
Written and Edited by Steven J. Yazzie & Jonathan Bond
Story Consultant: Maryann Fast
Executive Producer: Heard Museum, Heard Museum Guild
Support from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
Associate Producer: Maryann Fast
Sound
Unity for Christ: “I’m Going That Way”
Clay Hawkins: “The Falls One”, “The Falls Two”, “Stanley”
Ron Carlos: Ayesha Songe Series, “Enemy Crying”
Nathan & Uncle Bino: “Gavilan Pollero”, “traditional”
Drew Barefoot: “Enjoy The Calm”
Special thanks to: Ron Carlos and family, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Gila River Indian Community, Ak-Chin Indian Community, and Google Earth.
Yazzie Studio © 2019
Fundraising and Community Celebration
The Moondance is an annual event honoring the past chairs of the Heard Museum Board of Trustees for their leadership and achievements in growing and strengthening the Heard over the past 85 years. The Moondance is the Museum’s signature fundraising gala, a majestic evening filled with museum friends and supporters in the museum’s iconic Spanish-colonial style courtyard and plaza. The 2016 event honored community members Arlene and Giora Ben-Horin as well as artist Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee) and Digital Preserve was hired to create two videos for the event, highlighting these incredible community members.
The Heard Museum Gift Shop: Artist Series
The Heard Museum Shop was one of Digital Preserve's first clients. We learned a lot from our experience in this production and working with the many talented indigenous artists and staff from the Museum made our experience a rewarding one. The Heard Museum shop has been selling Native American art for more than 70 years in the Phoenix area. This project explored a little of the history, and the ongoing relationship the shop continues to nurture with the artists they represent. Five exceptional artists who are represented by the shop are highlioghted in these short video profiles.