The Heard Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art. It presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitions of traditional and contemporary art by American Indian artists and artists influenced by American Indian art. The Heard Museum collaborates with American Indian artists and tribal communities on providing visitors with a distinctive perspective about the art of Native people, especially those from the Southwest. The Heard Museum's mission is to be "the world's preeminent museum for the presentation, interpretation and advancement of American Indian art, emphasizing its intersection with broader artistic and cultural themes." The main Phoenix location of the Heard Museum has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride. The museum operated the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise which closed in 2009. The museum also operated the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale, Arizona, which closed in May 2014. History The Heard Museum was founded in 1929 by Dwight B. and Maie Bartlett Heard to house their personal collection of art. Much of the archaeological material in the Heards' collection came from La Ciudad Indian ruin, which the Heards purchased in 1926 at 19th and Polk streets in Phoenix. Portions of the museum were designed by architect Bennie Gonzales, who also designed Scottsdale City Hall. From its start as a small museum in a small southwestern town, the Heard has grown in size and stature to where now it is recognized internationally for the quality of its collections, its educational programming and its festivals. The current collection of the Heard Museum consists of over 40,000 items including a library and archives with over 34,000 volumes. The museum has over 130,000 square feet (12,000 m²) of gallery, classroom, and performance space. Some exhibits include: Home: Native Peoples in the Southwest The Mareen Allen Nichols Collection containing 260 pieces of contemporary jewelry The Barry Goldwater Collection of 437 historic Hopi kachina dolls An exhibition on the 19th century boarding school experiences of Native Americans. According to the New York Times, the exhibit admirably "captures the little-known experience of thousands of children bused, sometimes forcibly, from their reservations to government schools in order to erase their culture and ’civilize’ them. Haunting photographs, old uniforms, oral interviews and memorabilia offer a powerful look at this chapter in history." The Heard Museum now