Heard Museum to host Moondance Gala in Phoenix

The Heard Museum will host its annual Moondance Gala in Phoenix in October.

During the 23rd annual event, the Heard will honor longtime supporters Rose and Harry Papp and renowned textile artist DY Begay (Diné). The event, chaired by Merle and Steve Rosskam, will also celebrate the grand reopening of the fully renovated Heard Museum Shop.

The Gala starts at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at the museum, located at 2301 N. Central Ave.

"As we prepare for Moondance, we are poised to celebrate not just our achievements, but the collective spirit that drives our organization forward,” David M. Roche, Heard Museum Dickey Family Director and CEO, shared in a press release. “This event embodies our commitment to excellence, the dedicated community that supports us and our enduring vision to connect the world with Indigenous creativity.”

The evening will begin with a cocktail reception and special access to the newly renovated Heard Museum Shop. For more than 40 years, the shop has played a critical role in supporting the livelihoods of countless American Indian artists, helping to generate $46 million annually in economic activity across the state of Arizona and throughout Indian Country, the museum reports.

During the cocktail hour, there will be entertainment from a variety of different artists.

At 7:30 p.m., following shopping and special performances, guests will gather in the Freeport McMoRan Plaza to enjoy dinner and pay tribute to the evening’s honorees.

DY Begay is a Navajo textile artist and fourth-generation weaver born into the Tóʼtsohnii (Big Water) Clan and born from the Táchiiʼnii (Red Streak Earth) Clan. Growing up around female weavers, she was exposed to herding and shearing sheep, carding and spinning wool, harvesting plants for dyeing, and learning to weave in the traditional Navajo fashion.

The Papps are lifelong Valley philanthropists and community leaders whose support has been seminal to many organizations from the Phoenix Zoo to the Heard Museum.

Visit heard.org/event/moondance . Tickets and sponsorships are also available.

The Heard is open Tuesday through Sunday through Aug. 31, then daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ticket prices for the museum are: adults $25 at the door, $22.50 online; seniors (65+) $20 at the door, $18 online; students with a valid ID $10 at the door, $9 online; children (6-17) $10 at the door, $9 online; all children 5 years and under, American Indians (with Tribal ID or CIB) and Heard Museum members are free.

The nonprofit Heard Museum was founded in 1929.