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Arizona Commission on the Arts
417 W. Roosevelt Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003-1326
p: (602) 771-6501
f: (602) 256-0282
e: info@azarts.gov

About the Commission

The Commission consists of a governing board of fifteen members, including one chairperson, appointed by the Governor of Arizona. Commission members serve terms of three years and are chosen for their demonstrated ability, good judgment and experience in arts-related fields.  In addition, they are selected to ensure the geographic and ethnic representation of all areas of the state. Commission members attend quarterly Commission meetings, chair selection panels, award grants and formulate policy consistent with the enabling legislation.

Current Commission Members

Virginia Cárdenas, Chair (Chandler) is the Intervention Assistant for the Chandler Unified School District at Chandler High School.  She serves on the board of Xicanindio Artes, Inc. She also served as a commissioner for Housing and Human Services in Chandler. She received the Community Involvement Award from Chicanos Por La Causa in 1999. Governor Napolitano has reappointed Ms. Cárdenas as chair for a second term with the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

Lisa Barnes (Mesa) has been a docent with the Phoenix Art Museum since 1998 and currently serves on the Docent Governing Board. She is the co-chair of the Museum’s Art Masterpiece Training Program and has been an Art Masterpiece volunteer for over 10 years. Prior to becoming an arts volunteer, she worked as a legislative analyst for the Arizona House of Representatives for 10 years. She also volunteers at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and elsewhere in the community.

Shirley Chann (Tucson) serves on the boards of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, the Stonewall Foundation, the Grand Canyon Music Festival, and is a national trustee of the National Symphony Orchestra. She has won numerous awards for her service to the arts and the Tucson community, including Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year, YWCA Women on the Move, and the University of Arizona Alumnae Distinguished Citizen Award.

Victoria Cummiskey (Phoenix) is a Public Affairs Representative in International Relations at Salt River Project. She serves on the Board of Directors for the World Affairs Council. Victoria also serves as a member of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Character Education and the Junior League of Phoenix. She has also served on the Board of Literacy Volunteers of Maricopa County and the Fiesta Bowl Host Committee.

Brooke Davis (Tucson) is an Equity actor, whose performed with many Arizona theatre companies including The Arizona Repertory Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company. Ms. Davis teaches theatre to young adults and children and has served as an artist in residence for the Tucson Unified School District. Ms. Davis has served on various arts boards including the Theatre Arts Advisory board for the University of Arizona, The Tucson Boys Chorus and for the Southwest School of Music.

Darryl Dobras (Tucson) is President DBD Investments. He is the past chairman of the Tucson Museum of Art, Arizona Theatre Company, and The University of Arizona Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Fellows for the Center for Creative Photography at The University of Arizona, Patronato San Xavier, and the Downtown Development Corporation.

Stella Pope Duarte (Phoenix) is an author, educator, and community activist whose work has won honors and awards nationwide; she also is a motivational speaker, addressing audiences of all ages on topics related to her work, as well as on issues related to culture, literacy, writing, and storytelling. Stella also serves as an artist in residence for districts in the Phoenix Metro area, and surrounding communities.

Judith Wright-Evans (Phoenix) Judith is a designer of artistic jewelry using natural gemstones and unique beads. Her exceptional work has been shown from San Francisco to the Hudson Valley in New York. She has a degree in Communications and has volunteered as a mediator and counselor for several community outreach programs. As a resident of Phoenix for over forty years Judith is an engaged supporter of the renaissance of historic downtown Phoenix.

Alison Hughes (Tucson) is a faculty member of Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, director of the Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, and Associate Director Arizona Telemedicine Program. She comes to the Commission with a long-term interest in the arts, having studied sculpture at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., as a youth.  As first Executive Director of the Tucson Women's Commission she generated initiatives that supported women in the arts.

Natalie Lang (Scottsdale) is a business consultant in private practice and is active on numerous non-profit boards. Throughout her career, she has been an activist on arts and cultural boards, women’s and children’s health educational organizations, and public policy associations in both New York and Washington, D.C.

Diane Prescott (Cottonwood) works as an attorney in Cottonwood where she lives. She also worked as a professional artist, showing her work nationally and internationally.

Danita Rios (Phoenix) is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments in Phoenix, Arizona.  She works exclusively with individual investors and small business owners and specializes in retirement planning and estate planning.  She has been with Edward Jones for seven years and is currently a Limited Partner with the firm. Danita is an active member in the Biltmore Kiwanis Club, Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer with Saint Vincent de Paul.  She also serves on the Arizona State Quarter Commission which helps to design the state quarter that will be released in 2008. Danita received her bachelor’s degree with honors in Business Management and International Business from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.  She is a native of Arizona and resides in Phoenix.

William Sheppard (Phoenix) is a partner with Gammage & Burnham and has authored numerous publications on Arizona business law. He is on the board of directors of the Arizona Citizens for the Arts, and is the Vice-Chairman of Arizona Advocates for the Arts.  He is a former Chair of the Phoenix Arts Commission as well as The Arizona Theatre Company, and was a cofounder of the AIDS Project Arizona.

Judith "Judy" Walsh (Oracle) is a painter and art instructor who specializes in the ancient medium of encaustic.  Her work has been featured  at the Shemer Art Center,  Herberger Theater,  Burton Barr Library, MARSARTSPACE and The Casa Grande Art Museum.  She is currently represented by Victoria Boyce Gallery in Scottsdale and teaches at the Shemer Art Center and in her Oracle studio.

Former Commission Members

Names & Dates of Service

* Deceased

For assistance, please click here for a list of staff, or contact us at (602) 771-6501 or info@azarts.gov.

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