Phoenix Art Museum Receives Largest Native Art Donation in Its History

The Phoenix Art Museum received its largest Native art gift, including nearly 200 works from William P. Healy’s collection.

June 13, 2026

In a landmark event for the Phoenix Art Museum, a record-breaking donation has transformed its collection of Native art. Nearly 200 pieces of Indigenous artwork have been gifted to the museum, marking the largest addition in its 65-year history.

This significant contribution comprises a diverse range of paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures by 99 artists hailing from 44 different tribal nations. These works, contributed by long-time museum member William P. Healy, encapsulate tales and traditions from across the Americas and highlight Native artists from the Southwest.

Del Curfman, Untitled, 2015-2017. Oil on canvas. Gift of William P. Healey and part of “The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art” (The William P. Healey Collection at Phoenix Art Museum).

CEO Jeremy Mikolajczak of the Phoenix Art Museum underscores the importance of Healy’s donation, especially in enhancing the museum’s representation of Indigenous works from the modern and contemporary eras. “So it was a really great opportunity for us to really engage and really understand and work with this particular collector, this collection that he built, and really what we could do and how we would utilize it here at the museum, and how it would fit within our own goals and objectives here,” he explained.

Photograph of a woman with tattoos wearing a grass skirt and several beaded necklaces against a green backdrop with gold circles and Native American artifacts. The bright red frame around the photo includes symbols related to playing cards — “Fawn,” 2025. Archival pigment print on Legacy Platine, part of “The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art” (The William P. Healey Collection at Phoenix Art Museum).

Healy’s gift is seen as a catalyst for fostering community support. As Mikolajczak noted, “It really creates this great strategy and this great opportunity for future partnerships to really happen between institutions, between curators, creating a larger, greater network and more visible platforms for Indigenous artists through the course of history and contemporary art as well.”

The museum is preparing to unveil an exhibition featuring these works in August, promising an insightful exploration of Indigenous art.