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The Verde Valley Archaeology Center (VVAC) is a non-profit Arizona corporation (recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity). It is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of a group of individuals with a professional and avocational interest in the field of archaeology. We value the human adaptation to the Verde Valley and feel that both artifacts and archaeological sites should be protected and preserved as the top priority. An understanding of the past is a key to developing sustainability and the Center believes that the VVAC should provide a forum for the discussion of ideas about the past, present and future.
The Center is the only organization in the Verde Valley region dedicated to the care, management and use (‘curation’) of archaeological artifacts found throughout the Verde Valley region. The Center’s vision is to be the foremost research and educational institution devoted to the preservation, interpretation, and celebration of archaeology of the Verde Valley by creating and sustaining an archaeological center and museum where artifacts:
- are cared for in a state-of-the-art environment
- are available for further academic and professional research
- are used in educational programs and museum exhibits so the public can enjoy learning about the prehistory of the Verde Valley
“Virtually every major artifact collection from the Verde Valley is some place other than the Verde Valley,” says Jim Graceffa, Past President of the Center. There are many good reasons for creating an archaeology center in the Verde Valley, but the one that keeps coming up most often is the loss of artifacts that continues today. Verde Valley artifacts are in museums and universities around the world — everywhere but here. Over the years dozens of other archaeologists have sent items to the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott and the Arizona State Museum in Tucson.
It’s not just those items found in research or regulatory compliance excavations; it’s also a matter of finding a place for private collections. We get asked all the time to find a home for private collections. If we don’t make one, they will also find their way out of here. The drain of artifacts is one of the primary reasons the Center was created.