Heard Museum Launches $36 Million Centennial Campaign Ahead of 100th Anniversary

The Heard Museum is looking ahead to its 100th anniversary in 2029 with the launch of a $36 million Centennial Campaign designed to celebrate the institution’s history while investing in its future. Established by Maie Bartlett Heard in 1929, the museum has grown into a cultural destination dedicated to presenting the voice and vision of American Indian artists to the public. Today, it welcomes more than 150,000 visitors on-site and reaches approximately 1 million people online each year through its exhibitions, programs, library and archive.

Titled Walk In Beauty, the Centennial Campaign takes its name from a Navajo prayer emphasizing harmony and balance. It will support the museum’s long-term financial health, address critical facilities needs and expand exhibitions and programs.

“In addition to the financial campaign, the Heard’s centennial is an opportunity for us to build the collection, deepen relationships with Indigenous communities, and encourage even greater engagement with all the communities the Heard Museum serves,” said campaign co-chairs Nadine Basha and Wick Pilcher.

Of the $36 million campaign goal, $23 million will support new campus features, infrastructure and accessibility improvements. Another $10 million will be added to the museum’s endowment, while $3 million will be designated for operating and capital reserves. Among the projects supported by the campaign is a new, bespoke venue for the Heard’s nationally recognized restaurant. Longtime supporters David and “Weezie” Reese have made a $5 million lead gift toward the project, with additional major support from Heard Museum Trustees Sharron Lewis and Mary Ellen McKee.

The campaign will also support a new lifelong learning center called the Creativity Hub, made possible through a major funding commitment from E.A. Michelson Philanthropy. Designed with older adults in mind while welcoming learners of all ages, the accessible, intergenerational space will build on the Heard’s leadership in Creative Aging, including its Vitality Arts® workshops for adults “55 and better.”

The hub will expand opportunities for people with a range of accessibility needs and offer daily and weekly programs and activities for museum visitors. It will also include an accessible Living Room designed as an informal gathering space for older adults. Accessibility and universal design are central to the Heard’s broader campus improvements. A $1 million grant from The Steele Foundation in honor of John and Ellen Stiteler will support a new entry experience featuring enhanced accessibility, signage, seating, areas of respite, landscaping, lighting and outdoor sculptures.

The Heard will partner with PHX Architecture and Symmetry Construction on the three projects. The projects are fully capitalized and are anticipated to be completed and open to the public in January 2028. As the campaign enters its public phase in October 2026, the Heard has already reached 78 percent of its $36 million goal, with $28 million raised from 50 local and national foundations and individuals.

“We are grateful for the outstanding support we have received so far in support of our Walk In Beauty Centennial Campaign,” said David M. Roche, Heard Museum Dickey Family Director and CEO. “The generosity of so many affirms the special place that the Heard Museum holds in the heart of the Arizona community and the strong desire to see the museum thrive in its next century.”

The centennial celebration will also include a major new exhibition planned for December 2029. ORIGINAL PEOPLE: Indigenous Creativity in the American Southwest will occupy 12,000 square feet and feature highlights from the Heard’s permanent collection. The exhibition will explore 400 years of Indigenous creative expression through works representing 40 tribal nations from California to Oklahoma.

The Heard has already received planning grants from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, the Terra Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. An additional $6 million in contributions will be needed to complete the exhibition project, with fundraising continuing during the campaign’s public phase. For more behind this Frontdoor, visit heard.org.