The Verde Valley National Monuments are excited to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day with cultural demonstrations by artists Charles Decker and Joshua Ballze. Both artists have contributed artwork to the park for future exhibit and on Monday, October 9, they will present their art while working on a live piece for visitors to experience. They will speak about the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a day to honor American Indians, their resilience, and their contributions to American society throughout history. Please see below for event specifics: 

Montezuma Castle: Camp Verde, AZ 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Join Charles Decker at the Interpretive Circle in front of the Castle to see his art and hear him speak about his art and culture. Charles is a member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation. He incorporates celestial art motifs with ancestral symbols to fit in with traditional designs of his American Indian World. 

Tuzigoot: Clarkdale, AZ 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Join Joshua Ballze in the Visitor Center Museum to see his art and hear speak about his art and culture. Joshua is with the Hia-Ced O-odham and Tarahumara nations of the southwest. He uses his background as an amateur Archaeologist and Paleontologists in his art as well as to do scientific reconstructions and recreations to recapture much of American Indian history including that of the Hia-Ced O’odham that’s been lost over the last 200 years.