Sunrise in Prescott, Arizona.
Phoenix
The Heard Museum here is arguably the world's most prominent resource for Native-American history and culture. The ubiquitous kachina dolls displayed here are an integral component of Native-American culture, with each figure representing one or more aspect of the human story - life, death, marriage, birth, illness, harvest and more. The more one examines the rich history behind each kachina - or katsinas as the Hopi pronounce it, since there is no "ch" in their language - the more obvious it becomes that these stories transcend Native-American cultures and apply to all humankind.
These ancient stories of promise and purpose have been translated into all creative technologies and media over time: cave drawings, dance, crafts, paintings, design, books, radio, television, interactive and multimedia. Sure, technology and media remain essential. However, as I considered the Heard collections, I was reminded that technology and media must live in service to powerful stories and messages. In our case, we call it the clients' "brand promise." So while the Detroit Auto Show and the Sony Wonder Center in New York celebrated technology and creativity, they need to do so as conveyors of messages and meanings that make people think, feel and act.
The 1000-horsepower, V-16 Cadillac at the Auto Show and the miniature cameras at the Sony Center were marvels, but the tiny, centuries-old kachina remain vastly more powerful. The message and not the medium should always be the message.