Southwest USA Museums and Culture

    The Contemporary Museum, Hawaii

  2411 Makiki Heights Drive - Honolulu, HI            
The only museum in the state of Hawaii devoted exclusively to contemporary art. TCM provides an accessible forum for provocative, dynamic forms of visual art, offering interaction with art and artists in a unique Island environment. TCM presents its innovative exhibition and educational programs at two venues: in residential Honolulu at the historic Cooke-Spalding house, and downtown at First Hawaiian Center.
    Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Arizona
  2021 North Kinney Road - Tucson, AZ           
A world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place! Exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region so realistically you find yourself eye-to-eye with mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, and more. Within the Museum grounds, you will see more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert.
    Bishop Museum, Hawaii
  1525 Bernice Street - Honolulu, HI             
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Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. The Museum was established to house the extensive collection of Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms of the Princess, and has expanded to include millions of artifacts, documents and photographs about Hawai‘i and other Pacific island cultures.
Today, Bishop Museum is the largest museum in the state and the premier natural and cultural history institution in the Pacific, recognized throughout the world for its cultural collections, research projects, consulting services and public educational programs. It also has one of the largest natural history specimen collections in the world. Serving and representing the interests of Native Hawaiians is a primary purpose of the Museum.
    The Children's Museum, Utah
  840 North 300 West - SLC, UT             
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    San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, California
  404 Third Avenue - San Diego, CA            
The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum is a nonprofit organization. The museum was founded in 1996, by the San Diego Chinese Historical Society under the leadership of its first three presidents: Sally Wong, Tom Hom, and Dr. Alexander Chuang. Charles Tyson donated the museum's current building, originally a Chinese mission located at 645 First Avenue, and in 1991, the City of San Diego graciously provided a piece of land in the original Chinatown area where the museum now resides.
Since opening in 1996, the museum has presented more than 47 exhibits highlighting the rich tradition of Chinese culture and history in San Diego and the world. The Museum also features a library of books on Chinese culture and a tranquil garden with koi pond.
    Pima Air & Space Museum, Arizona
  6000 E. Valencia Rd. - Tucson, AZ           
Pima Air & Space Museum, where history takes flight, is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, and the largest non-government funded aviation museum. You'll see more than 275 aircraft and spacecraft including many of the most historically significant and technically advanced craft ever produced, both from the United States and throughout the world.
    Grammy Museum, California
  800 W. Olympic Blvd. - Los Angeles, CA            
In celebration of the life and work of Michael Jackson, The GRAMMY Museum is sharing a collection of Jackson's most iconic wardrobe pieces (including the suit he wore on the cover of Thriller). Starting today (Friday, June 26, 2009), these will be exhibited on the Museum's third floor alongside video of some of Jackson's most exciting GRAMMY performances. We hope this exhibit will serve as a fitting tribute to one of the most significant entertainers in music history. The Museum will open to the public on Friday at 11:30am.
For thousands of years, royalty has called attention to itself with extravagant clothing and other finery. Jewels, fine fabrics, and elaborate accessories can complete the transformation of a person into a brightly-shining star that holds its audience spellbound.
As the self-anointed "King of Pop," Michael Jackson has fully embraced this royal tradition. And like his album HIStory, this exhibit gathers together some of his greatest hits — pieces that are uniquely and unmistakably his.
    Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, New Mexico
  PO Box 2087 - Santa Fe, NM            
Inspiring appreciation for and knowledge of the diverse native arts, histories, languages, and cultures of the Greater Southwest.
    San Diego Air & Space Museum, California
  2001 Pan American Plaza - Balboa Park - San Diego, CA             
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The San Diego Air & Space Museum celebrates aviation and space flight history through preservation of significant artifacts, presentation of dynamic exhibits, and commemoration of the men and women who forged aerospace history, educating the public about the social and historical significance of aerospace technology and its promise for the future and inspiring students to excel in technology, mathematics and the sciences, and encourage all visitors to become life-long learners in support of aerospace advancement.
    Mission Houses Museum, Hawaii
  553 South King Street - Honolulu, HI            
The Mission Houses Museum, a National Historic Landmark, is the primary program of the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society, a non-profit educational institution and genealogical society. The Museum interprets the "missionary period" of Hawaiian history, 1820-1863, which is fundamental to an understanding of contemporary Hawaii.
    San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California
  151 Third Street - San Francisco, CA             
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As one of the world's most innovative museums of modern and contemporary art, SFMOMA has had an active Web presence for over nine years (a very long time, when measured in Internet time). During this period we have redesigned our site twice, always with the idea that a museum such as ours should continually strive to improve the ways in which it serves a diverse public. And, as our collective understanding of emerging digital technologies has increased, we felt that perhaps it was time to use the Web to explore our understanding of the museum itself.
    USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, Hawaii
  11 Arizona Memorial Drive - Honolulu, HI            
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park's mission is to restore and preserve the World War II submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287), and submarine-related artifacts on our grounds and in the Museum. Bowfin Park's parent organization, the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association (PFSMA), is a non-profit group that receives no state or federal funding.
    New Mexico Museum of Space History, New Mexico
  PO Box 5430 - Alamogordo, NM           
The mission of the museum is to educate the people of New Mexico and visitors from around the world in the history, science, and technology of space. The museum stresses the significant role that the state of New Mexico has played in the development of the U.S. Space Program through collecting, preserving, and interpreting significant artifacts relevant to the history of space.
    International Wildlife Museum, Arizona
  4800 W Gates Pass Road - Tucson, AZ           
The International Wildlife Museum is dedicated to increasing knowledge and appreciation of the diverse wildlife of the world as well as explaining the role of wildlife management in conservation.
Founded in 1988, the museum highlights over 400 species of insects, mammals and birds from around the globe. Some of the collections are more than 100 years old and all the animals found at the museum were donated by various government agencies, wildlife rehabilitation centers, captive breeding programs, zoos and individuals.
    Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, Colorado
  1311 Pearl Street - Denver, CO            
Kirkland Museum has a nationally important display of 20th-century decorative arts, with more than 3,300 works on view of Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Glasgow Style, Wiener Werkstätte, De Stijl, Bauhaus, Art Deco, Modern and Pop Art.
    Molly Brown House Museum, Colorado
  1340 Pennsylvania St - Denver, CO           
As more and more historic properties were demolished in the 1960s, a group of preservation-minded Denver citizens joined efforts in 1970 to rescue the home of Titanic survivor Margaret Tobin Brown. The group incorporated as Historic Denver, Inc. and began major restoration efforts in order to return the home’s interior and exterior to its early 20th century grandeur. Since opening the Museum, Historic Denver has worked to save countless other Denver landmarks and increase public awareness of Denver’s unique historic structures.
    Denver Firefighters Museum, Colorado
  1326 Tremont Place - Denver, CO            
The mission of the Denver Firefighters Museum is to preserve the history of the Denver Fire Department and firefighting through the collection and preservation of artifacts, documents and photographs. The purpose of the Museum is to educate the public about fire safety and the history of firefighting in Denver from its inception to the present. This is accomplished through interpretive exhibits, educational programming and scholarly research.
    Colorado Historical Society, Colorado
  1300 Broadway - Denver, CO            
Founded in 1879, History Colorado, the Colorado Historical Society brings the unique character of Colorado's past to more than a million people each year through historical museums and highway markers, exhibitions, manuscript and photograph collections, popular and scholarly publications, historical and archaeological preservation services, and educational programs for children and adults. In short, the Society collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Colorado for present and future generations.
    Nevada Discovery Museum, Nevada
  490 S. Center Street - Reno, NV           
As northern Nevada continues to grow, the region's cultural and educational offerings must also expand in order to keep young minds thriving. The Nevada Discovery Museum is designed not just to meet this need, but to raise the bar for fun, family-based learning throughout our community. The museum also aims to provoke new aspirations and collaborations among children, parents and educators. The Nevada Discovery Museum is a place of open eyes, open minds and open horizons. A place where tomorrow's dreams win their wings.
Located in the former Reno City Hall, the Nevada Discovery Museum will be one of the centerpieces of Reno’s downtown renaissance.
    Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, Arizona
  140 North Main Avenue - Tucson, AZ           
The Tucson Museum of Art connects art to life, inspiring discovery, creativity, and cultural understanding through meaningful, engaging experiences.
    Utah Museum of Natural History, Utah
  1390 E. Presidents Circle - Salt Lake City, UT             
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The design for the new Natural History Museum, created by Polshek Partnership (now Ennead Architects), embodies the Museum's educational and scientific mission to inspire wonder and discovery of the natural world and the place of humans in it.
    Sparks Heritage Museum, Nevada
  814 Victorian Avenue - Sparks, NV           
A trip to the Sparks Heritage Museum is a fun filled learning adventure, focused on the culture and history of Sparks and the Truckee Meadows. Designed with the entire family in mind, several interactive and lifelike displays compliment the collections. The diverse artifacts range from arrowheads, quilts, and antique furniture to agricultural implements, mining tools, railroad items, and casino paraphernalia. Over 3,000 vintage photographs are currently digitized. Photographic copies are available for purchase. The research library contains collections of family memoirs, oral histories and local area reference materials.
    National Automotive Museum, Nevada
  10 South Lake Street - Reno, NV           
The mission of the National Automotive Museum is to collect and preserve the automobile for future generations, with an emphasis on items collected by William "Bill" Fisk Harrah, to tell the story of the impact of the automobile on American society, and to perpetuate the legacy of Mr. Hannah as a renowned collector.
    Nevada Museum of Art, Nevada
  160 West Liberty Street - Reno, NV             
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The Nevada Museum of Art is the only accredited art museum in the state of Nevada. Recognized for following best practices as outlined by the American Association of Museums, the Museum is committed to continuous institutional improvement and change. With accreditation, the Museum joins the ranks of other significant institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Just 5% of all museums in the US earn AAM accreditation
    Dinosaur Museum, Utah
  754 South 200 West - Blanding, UT           
    Museum of Southwestern Biology Division of Fishes, New Mexico
  University of New Mexico - Albuquerque, NM           
The long-term goal of the MSB Division of Fishes is to maintain, in perpetuity, the collection of fishes and supporting documents by using sound curatorial techniques and archiving the collections in optimal storage conditions. We strive to ensure that these collections will be available to future generations of ichthyologists and members of the scientific community.