Fodor's Expert Review IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA)

Sitting just a block from the Plaza, this fascinating museum is part of the esteemed Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and contains the largest collection—some 7,500 works—of contemporary Native American art in the United States. The paintings, photography, sculptures, prints, and traditional crafts were created by past and present students and teachers. In the 1960s and 1970s, it blossomed into the nation's premier center for Native American arts and its alumni represent almost 600 tribes around the country. The museum continues to showcase the cultural and artistic vibrancy of Indigenous people, helping to expand what is still an often limited public perception of what "Indian" art is and can be. Be sure to step out back to the beautiful sculpture garden. Artist Fritz Scholder taught here, as did sculptor Allan Houser. Among their disciples were the painter T. C. Cannon and celebrated local sculptor and painter Dan Namingha.