Plan now to join the AISES family at the 43rd National Conference September 23–25 in Phoenix. In addition to all the opportunities for learning, networking, and meeting old and new friends at the Convention Center, the city itself has a lot to offer.
Long before Europeans set foot in North America, the land that is now occupied by the city of Phoenix was home to a sophisticated Indigenous community. For approximately 1,000 years, between AD 450 and 1450, ancestral Sonoran Desert people, referred to as the Hohokam (“people who have gone”) culture, occupied the village at Pueblo Grande.
Today the Pueblo Grande Museum Archaeological Park conserves the site and educates visitors about the well-established civilization that thrived there. This resource includes a nearly mile-long interpretive trail and a museum facility with galleries of rotating exhibits about the Hohokam civilization and the remarkable system of 135 miles of canals they devised to succeed in the challenging Salt River Valley. The museum and the surrounding 1,500-year-old site are easily accessible from downtown on Valley Metro Rail.
For more of both ancestral and contemporary Indigenous culture, get back on the light rail and head to the Heard Museum. You can learn about the more than 20 tribes of Arizona and explore the museum’s internationally acclaimed collection of Native art, which includes pieces by AISES founding member and renowned Hopi sculptor Al Qöyawayma.
If you are ready to reach for the stars, drop by the Arizona Science Center to catch a show at the Dorance Planetarium. The center itself has more than 300 hands-on exhibits and frequent demos. Or head outdoors and stroll the 140 acres of the must-see Desert Botanical Garden, dedicated to preserving the natural beauty of desert plant life. For a longer walk, South Mountain Park offers more than 50 miles of trails within the city limits. At more than 16,000 acres, it is one of the largest municipal parks in the world.
If you have more time, there are six picturesque lakes within easy reach of the city. One, tranquil Canyon Lake, is just 40 miles to the east, with great fishing and spectacular scenery along its 28 miles of pristine shoreline.
Many visitors to Greater Phoenix like to get their outdoor fix at one of the region’s famous golf courses. The city alone maintains eight public courses, five of them 18-hole championship courses.
If you want a change of pace from a busy conference schedule, take a break at the Phoenix Art Museum in the heart of downtown. Don’t miss their collection of Western art, which emphasizes the cultural history of Arizona and the Southwest. Or consider taking in a few hours of music at the Phoenix Symphony, which features programming for all ages and interests.
No AISES National Conference can happen without the contributions of the Local Volunteer Committee. Your ideas and hands-on participation are crucial to the success of the conference and play a big part in making possible the knowledge, insights, and memories of Phoenix that conference-goers will take with them. Please consider joining the committee and volunteering at the conference. For more information about being part of the next great AISES gathering, visit www.aises.org/2021.
▸ HEARD AT THE CONFERENCE
Thank you for making this conference happen. It was a great experience for my first one. I am looking forward to seeing you all in person for the next conference.
— Jennifer Rusten
Thanks to all for helping the 2020 Conference set an attendance record, and to be able to be here in the year of the pandemic! I look forward to seeing you in Phoenix!
— William Tiger, AISES Board Member
