New Indigenous Art Exhibit at S’edav Va’aki Museum Debuts in October

S’edav Va’aki Museum’s (SVM) upcoming exhibit, Indigenous Identities, showcases the stunning work of ten Native American artists. Together they highlight that maintaining cultural identity is closely tied to survival, sovereignty, kinship, and connection to ancestral lands. In this contemporary art exhibit, visitors will explore issues of commodity, the right to cultural expression in public spaces, and the ancestral stories passed down through generations that speak to identity in both personal and collective ways. This changing exhibit runs October 8, 2026, through July 2027. Save the date for the exhibit opening on October 8, 2026. 

In the Indigenous Identities exhibit, art becomes an expression of memory, ancestry, struggle, resilience, and belonging. Discover how deeply culture is woven into individual identity and human expression by attending our artist speaker series. As part of our Thursday Evening Programs, the artists will discuss their understanding surrounding the complexity of identity and how art becomes a reflection of lived experience. To find out more about our Thursday Evening Programs, visit phoenix.gov/svm-thurs-programs.

SVM is a 1,500-year-old archaeological site once inhabited by the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People. Voted a Phoenix Point of Pride and listed as a National Historic Landmark, the museum offers two accessible interpretive trails on the prehistoric site.

Visitors can view a Va’aki (platform mound), ballcourt, and irrigation canals. Inside the museum, visitors can hear voices from O’odham community members, view our main gallery examining the lifeways of the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People, a changing gallery, and the Museum Store. SVM provides preservation, education, and collaborative interpretation of the cultural history of the Phoenix area and is managed by the City of Phoenix Arts and Culture Department. Throughout the year, SVM offers programs for visitors of all ages. Visit phoenix.gov/SVmuseum for hours, admission, and programming.  

The S’edav Va’aki Museum Foundation (SVMF) is the museum’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preservation, interpretation, and stewardship of this significant cultural site. SVMF supports museum programming, exhibits, operates the Museum Store, and more. For more behind this Frontdoor, visit svmfoundation.org.