Hopi Cultural Center

The Hopi Cultural Center is located in Second Mesa, Arizona. The center has lodging, a gift shop selling arts and crafts made by local Hopi artisans, a restaurant featuring Hopi cuisine and a museum. Currently, there are 33 guest rooms and the motel includes meeting rooms for conferences. Cultural programs are hosted at the center. Some of these include "hands-on" activities, such as Planting Day, where participants learn about Hopi farming. The Hopi Cultural Center also hosts Hopi snake dances, although these are closed to the public. Historic artifacts such as documents and photographs are also part of the collection. and Priscilla Namingha. == History ==

Hopi artist, Fred Kobotie, wanted to bring Hopi culture and art back to the Hopi Reservation. In 1965, he began to plan the cultural center and, along with several sponsors, set up the Hopi Cultural Center, Inc. as a nonprofit entity. The new building was dedicated on June 26, 1971. Governor Jack Williams spoke at the dedication. In 1973 Hopi artists Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talasawaima, and Neil David Sr. formed the Artist Hopid. Joined by Delbridge Honanie and Milland Lomakema they opened a shop and studio in the Hopi Cultural Center mall. The group’s objectives included: researching and documenting Hopi history through visual arts for posterity and educating Hopi and non-Hopi about the cultural values of the Hopi Their work was well received and as a result the Artist Hopid were given a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Arizona Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The museum of the cultural center received a $10,000 grant from the Weatherhead Foundation for display cabinets. The cabinets were based on a similar design used at the Museum of Northern Arizona. The first curator was Terrance Talaswaima. The restaurant was remodeled in the early 1980s. == References ==