The Arizona Commission on the Arts' annual report,
The Report to the Governor, compiles a narrative and financial summary of
the projects funded by the Commission.
To read a copy of the current Report to the
Governor, click here. To request a hard copy, call (602) 255-5882. The
following are narratives from highlighted programs from previous years.
1984 - CULTURAL FACILITIES
"We shape our buildings and they shape us." -
Winston Churchill
More and more Arizonans are participating in the arts, as professional
artists, as amateur performers, as dedicated audiences for the rapidly
increasing numbers of organizations that present the arts. And as people turn to
the arts, cities and towns are looking for homes for the arts - places where
participation and celebration help turn western towns into more livable
communities.
This movement to create performance spaces began in the late 19th century
when new settlements dotted the Arizona landscape. Then, towns built opera
houses and theatres to attract the touring troupes that criss-crossed the
country. Today, dance, theatre and music groups are springing up in even the
smallest communities; painters, sculptors and craftsmen are seeking exhibition
opportunities. Communities are once again thinking of arts spaces as attractive,
not only to touring and local performing artists, but to residents who demand an
active cultural life in their hometowns. Many communities are developing an
awareness of the arts as one step to industrial and population growth. Cultural
facilities are viewed as a selling point for the community and a validation of
the western towns coming-of-age.
The search for arts spaces can, in many Arizona communities, return to the
historic buildings from our frontier days. Those opera houses and theatres are
often unused reminders that Arizona has a century-old cultural tradition of
presenting the performing arts. By reviving historic buildings for use as
performance facilities, communities can affirm that tradition and provide for
its continuity. Revitalization of historic properties for use as arts facilities
may vary from the spectacular rehabilitation of grand movie palaces to the
adaptive use of industrial spaces as galleries. Churches, schools, courthouses
or even fruit packing houses can be evaluated for conversion to performance
facilities in communities without historic theaters.
In searching for places where the arts can be presented to growing audiences,
communities are finding that the research and planning that precedes design and
construction makes the difference between a lively, useful arts facility and a
building that doesn't meet the artists' or the audiences' needs.
It is at this stage that the Arizona Commission on the Arts can provide
assistance. The Cultural Facilities program of the Commission gives technical
assistance to communities and nonprofit organizations seeking to develop housing
for the arts-performing arts centers, galleries or museums, cultural parks or
artists' spaces. Assistance is given on all stages of the facility development
process, from garnering citizens' comments to hiring consultants. A combination
of staff and professional consultants are used. Assistance is available for
preparation of grant applications for feasibility studies and pre-architectural
planning grants.
Between the dream of an arts facility and the reality of construction or
renovation there are many tough decisions to be made. To help the many Arizona
communities planning cultural facilities to reach the right decisions for their
communities, the Arizona Commission on the Arts sponsored Places for the Arts, a
two-day symposium designed for community groups involved in the process of
planning and developing cultural facilities. Fifty-five attendees representing
twenty Arizona communities heard arts facility planning experts discuss the
importance of facilities to the growth of the arts; creative use of space;
revitalization of historic properties; preplanning, planning, feasibility
studies, design and construction. The enthusiasm of the participants was matched
only by the excitement of the symposium leaders as everyone became involved in
wide ranging discussions pertinent to each topic presented. Participants left
the symposium with the basic information to plan and develop a successful
cultural facility and an awareness of the resources available to assist them.
Two important publications available to communities planning a cultural facility
are; Staging a Comeback: Recommendations for the Rehabilitation of Historic
Arizona Buildings as Performing Arts Facilities, published by the Arizona
Commission on the Arts; and Building for the Arts: A Guidebook for Planning and
Design of Cultural Facilities, published by Western States Arts Foundation.
One of the first projects undertaken by the Commission's Cultural Facilities
program was a feasibility study leading to a two theater complex in Central
Phoenix. The Arts Commission coordinated the project with in-kind services from
the City of Phoenix; a citizens' committee raised cash match to a grant awarded
by the National Endowment for the Arts.
A consultant team of nationally known arts facility planning experts, Bradley
Morison of Arts Development Associates and William Morrish and William Fleissig
of Citywest, was retained to conduct the feasibility study. The study was
completed with a successful presentation to the Phoenix City Council in
November, 1981.
Responding to the Central Phoenix Theater Study, the Herberger family
presented two million dollars to the Phoenix Performing Center, Inc. for a two
theater complex in Central Phoenix; the donation was a challenge to be matched
with private funds.
In addition to Phoenix, the Cultural Facilities program has provided
technical assistance to the cities of Mesa, Sedona, Kingman, Douglas, Chandler,
Yuma, Sun Cities and Sierra Vista, all in various stages of planning a cultural
facility. Initial discussions with Chandler city officials focused on the
building of a performance auditorium, but evolved into a vision of downtown
revitalization undertaken through a national competition to redesign downtown
Chandler. With Commission staff, assistance the City of Chandler was awarded a
$29,700 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support an urban
design competition focusing on the adaptive reuse of San Marcos Park and the
Civic Center Plaza. The city committed $29,450 and staff time to the project.
The design competition attracted 163 entries from forty states and three
foreign countries. The winning design, Chandler Square, includes wide,
tree-shaded walkways in the original historic San Marcos Hotel motif throughout
the downtown area and many outdoor seating and recreational areas. Chandler
contracted with the design competition winner to implement the winning design.
From the initial planning, throughout the design competition, and continuing
as the revitalization of downtown becomes a reality there is an optimistic
spirit with citizen committees from many community sectors working cooperatively
to make Chandler, their city, a special place to live.
Across the state, the Yuma Crossing Park Council sponsored a Conference on
Revitalization to initiate a planning process which would culminate in the
design of a master plan for a historic park within the boundaries of the Yuma
Crossing and Associated Sites National Historic Landmark on the
Arizona-California border.
The site is significant in the history of the American West. Yuma Crossing
served as a vital transportation and communication link across the Colorado
River between California and the American Southwest for over three centuries. It
was, therefore, imperative that the master design reflect sensitive, innovative
methods that enhance the unique historical, bicultural, architectural, natural
and recreational qualities of the site.
Recognizing their responsibility for protection and management of this
national resource on the banks of the Colorado River, the City of Yuma, the
Quechan Tribe, the Arizona State Parks Board and the U.S. Department of the
Interior joined with the Yuma Crossing Park Council for development of the
master plan and historical research. An interdisciplinary team of historical and
landscape architects, archaeologists, planners and historians addressed
restoration, interpretation and design of new facilities within the park.
The Cultural Facilities program served as technical advisor to the Yuma
Crossing Park Council throughout the planning process and assisted the Council
to obtain $30,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts to design the master
plan for the historic park.
In announcing the NEA grant, Governor Bruce Babbitt said, "The park will be a
big, splendid asset, not only for Yuma, but for Arizona and all the Southwest."
The grant was matched by a commitment of $15,000 from the City of Yuma and
$5,000 from the Park Council. In addition $10,000 was awarded by the U.S.
Department of the Interior and $5,000 from the Arizona Historical Society for
extensive archaeological research to trace activity at the Crossing back to
prehistoric times.
The Yuma Crossing Park project is an example of a federal, state and local
partnership working to preserve and develop a regional park of national historic
and bicultural significance at the western gateway to Arizona. The Yuma Crossing
Park will be a place for people - to walk, picnic, play, or simply sit in the
sunshine to view what nature creates on the desert shores of the Colorado River.
West of Phoenix, the Sun Cities Art Museum will be the first art museum in
America to be built by and for a retirement community. People have come to live
in Sun City and Sun City West from all fifty states and over sixty foreign
countries.
With them, have come the resources of a vastly diverse population,
homogeneous in age, but different in every other aspect. Now their cultural,
educational and recreational facilities will be enhanced by their own art
museum, a testimonial to the hundreds of citizens who had a vision of a Sun
Cities Art Museum, who have given money time, hard work and devotion to make
their dream a reality.
The Sun Cities Art Museum will be situated adjacent to Arizona State
University's Sun Cities campus, between Sun City and Sun City West. Support for
the Museum comes from the Del Webb Development Company, Gannett Foundation,
Maricopa County and local citizens through the fund-raising efforts of the Sun
Cities Art Museum League and the Board of Trustees. The Commission's Cultural
Facilities program has provided basic ongoing technical services-staff
assistance, planning consultants and use of the Commission's Arts Resource
Center - throughout three years of planning the Museum. The Commission will
continue to offer its technical services to the Museum as it begins to research
programming, exhibitions and acquisitions.
In 1984-85 the Cultural Facilities program will offer one-day consultations
with knowledgeable arts facility planners for those communities considering
feasibility and planning studies. Assistance is required in organizing plans of
action, establishing effective community committees and preparing requests for
proposals for consultants. The Cultural Facilities program of the Arizona
Commission on the Arts offers an important service to help Arizona communities
chart the unfamiliar territory of planning and designing a cultural facility and
take the significant steps toward opening night.
1985 - TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS
PROGRAM
The Traveling Exhibitions Program is older than the Arizona Commission on the
Arts, having had its genesis in the early sixties when Louise Tester Pollard,
then director of Yuma Fine Arts Association, loaded the back of her El Camino
with exhibitions from the Phoenix Art Museum, University Art Collections at
Arizona State University, the University of Arizona Museum of Art and Northern
Arizona University Art Gallery and brought them to the Yuma City/County Library.
She shuttled back and forth carrying art work from these institutions to Yuma,
sometimes bringing exhibitions organized in Yuma, such as the Yuma Southwestern
Invitational to Phoenix and Flagstaff.
During these early years, Rudy Turk, director of University Art Collections,
gave strong support, not only loaning exhibitions, but through his expert
knowledge of the field helping to plan exhibitions to tour small communities. It
was his suggestion to incorporate ceramics into the annual Yuma Southwestern
Invitational which became a showcase for Arizona artists and craftsmen and
continues as such today.
As early as 1968, at the suggestion of Mrs. Pollard, by then a member of the
Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Commission approved financial assistance to
art galleries and museums to upgrade the quality of their shows.
In addition, in response to a report from Rudy Turk, chairman of the
Commission's Visual Arts Advisory Committee, $5,000 was set aside to be matched
by local sources "to bring to communities which have little or no opportunity to
view art shows of excellent quality, exhibitions of interest - to audiences who
find it difficult to attend exhibitions available to metropolitan populations."
* This remains the primary purpose of the Traveling Exhibitions Program today,
along with giving exposure to the artists of Arizona.
In 1969 Louise Tester Pollard became the executive director of the Arizona
Commission on the Arts bringing her vision of touring exhibitions statewide. Her
concept of helping the Arizona artists and bringing art into small communities
was favorably received by the members of the Arts Commission.
By 1972 the Commission was touring seventeen exhibitions to twelve Arizona
towns: Bisbee, Flagstaff, Glendale, Grand Canyon, Jerome, Many Farms, Mayer,
Mesa, Prescott, Scottsdale, Tempo and Yuma. The exhibitions that year reached
176,873 people, people who would not have had access to quality exhibitions nor
to the work of contemporary Arizona artists.
1973 was the initial year of an exhibition of Hopi-Navajo crafts which would
become a tradition of the Traveling Exhibitions Program. The late Inger
Garrison, a consultant to the Arts Commission on Native American crafts, took
Mrs. Pollard across the Indian reservations to meet the Indian artists and
craftsmen. From this trip the Hopi-Navajo /exhibition was organized. Over the
years, Mrs. Garrison continued as a consultant to the Commission, serving as
curator for Hopi-Navajo II, III, IV, V, Dreams, Hands and Fibers and the Spirit
of the Weaver. Dreams, Hands and Fibers featured over eighty contemporary Native
American baskets by nine Arizona tribes: Chemehuevi, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai,
Navajo, Papago, Pima, San Carlos Apache and Yavapai.
The posters for these shows were designed by Thomas Hall and won many awards
on local, national and international levels. The Hopi-Navajo IV poster was one
of only one hundred posters from around the world accepted into the Art Poster
Exhibition and Competition of the 2nd International Art Fair in Tel Aviv,
Israel.
An unusual exhibition organized in 1976 was Roger Buchanan's Seeds of the
Gila, a photographic documentation of Indian artist Larry Golsh's residency at
St. John's Indian School on the Gila Reservation, where he worked with the
Indian students teaching them their native crafts.
The Commission's first visual arts fellowship was awarded in 1979 to
photographer James Cowlin in the amount of $4,000. For Cowlin, the fellowship
bought a month of time to pursue a project which had only been a dream. He
walked the length of the Verde River documenting the river with hundreds of
photographs. From his expedition came the Verde River Walk, an exhibition of
forty of Cowlin's photographs.
Since their beginning the Traveling Exhibitions have given a panoramic view
of the traditional and contemporary visual arts, a perspective of Arizona's
history and minorities, as well as its ties with Mexico. Mexican Masks from the
Moya Collection featured 120 antique Mexican ceremonial and dance masks from the
collection of Victor Jose Moya and was made available for circulation in the
United States by Fonda Nacional Para Activida de Sociales (FONAPAS), a Mexican
federal arts agency. Bisbee 1880-1920 presented 200 photographs documenting
Bisbee's history as mining camp and boom town. The exhibition was organized by
Cochise Fine Arts Association and Bisbee Council on the Arts and Humanities.
Eight Bisbee Artists showed thirty-two works on paper by eight contemporary
Bisbee artists. Glittering Recuerdos: The Glass Painting Tradition of Magdalena,
Sonora, was mounted for touring by the University of Arizona's Southwest
Folklore Center and the Pimeria Alta Historical Society in Nogales. Thirty from
Thirties, drawn from the collection of the University of Arizona Museum of Art,
consisted of thirty prints from the Graphic Arts Division of the Federal Art
Project, a part of the Works Project Administration (WPA). Four Corners States
Craft Biennial, organized by the Phoenix Art Museum, exhibited the work of
craftsmen living in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Currently, being
toured, Outer World/Inner Vision represents the work of four Prescott artists in
painting and sculpture. Next year an exhibition of the works of two artists
working in the Commission's Artists-in-Education program will be available to
tour.
An exhibition which toured nationwide from 1983 through 1985 was the 7 Views
of Hopi, mounted by Arizona State University's Northlight Gallery and curated by
Erin Younger, executive director of ATATL** and Victor Masayesva, Jr., Hopi
photographer. The exhibition's tour included the Southwest Museum in Los
Angeles, LaRoche College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Joslyn Art Museum,
Omaha, Nebraska, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It will
open in March 1986 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural
History, Washington, D.C. in conjunction with the exhibition, Sun Tracks, an
American Indian Literary Series and the University of Arizona press published
Hopi Photographers, Hopi Images edited by Larry Evers.
Proposals to the Arizona Commission on the Arts for traveling exhibitions are
accepted from artists, groups of artists, collectors, Arizona museums,
galleries, community colleges, universities, libraries and community arts
organizations.
Eligible exhibitions include contemporary or historical painting, drawing,
printmaking, photography, sculpture and crafts. Proposals for exhibitions drawn
from museum permanent collections are encouraged as are proposals featuring
ethnic artists.
Exhibitions submitted feature individual artists and groups of artists and
frequently are curated for touring by Arizona museums, community arts groups,
colleges and universities. Institutions curating exhibitions have included
Arizona State University's University Art Collections and Northlight Gallery,
Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, Galena de la Raza in San Francisco, Northern
Arizona University Art Gallery, Museum of Northern Arizona, Phoenix Art Museum,
Tucson Museum of Art, Yuma Fine Arts Association and Western States Arts
Foundation.
A five member panel of professional artists and arts-related professionals
select the exhibitions to tour based on artistic excellence and the
appropriateness of the exhibition for touring.
Each year at the Commission's Annual Presenters Conference, held in
conjunction with the Scottsdale Festival of the Arts, museums, schools,
community colleges, universities, visitor centers and community organizations
have the opportunity to view slides of exhibitions available to tour and to
schedule their next year's season of exhibitions. The exhibitions selected
present a wide variety of media and are scheduled by organizations in Arizona
towns from one comer of the State to the other.
Exhibitions are not only toured to Arizona communities, but also to
out-of-state sponsors. On occasion exchanges are arranged with other states.
Touring and exchanging exhibitions out-of-state gives increased visibility to
the work of Arizona artists. The Arizona Commission on the Arts' Traveling
Exhibition Program has exchanged exhibitions with the University of Oregon's
Visual Arts Resources and the Utah Arts Council. Exhibitions exchanged with the
Montana Art Gallery Directors Association and the Texas Arts Exchange are
block-booked by these out-of-state sponsors for a specified time period.
The Traveling Exhibition Program also offers technical assistance to the
sponsoring organization. Design assistance is available to organizations
attempting to improve their gallery facilities and/or their publications.
Sponsors are provided with sample news releases and, if available, posters or
brochures. Commission staff helps with program development, lighting,
installation and gallery design. The program schedules, frames, packs and
delivers or ships exhibitions year round.
The Traveling Exhibition Program is especially suitable to Arizona where
rural communities are far from the two urban centers. If people can't get to the
art, the Arts Commission's Traveling Exhibition Program brings art to the
people.
*Arizona Commission on the Arts, Minutes, January 31, 1968.
**National service organization for Native American Artists.
1986 - SERVICES
The day the Arizona Commission on the Arts opened its doors for business as a
state arts agency Arizona artists and arts organizations not only requested
funding support, but also help with the business aspect of the arts. The Arts
Commission responded, and continues to respond, offering services in an
increasingly complex arena of legalities and economics.
Arizona has experienced a wave of migration from other states over the last
few years and with these new citizens have come many artists to make Arizona
their home. This influx of artists and people spawned small arts organizations
to serve their needs, to produce arts activities in which they could
participate. Operating with limited staff or volunteers, these organizations
wanted help to grow professionally.
In 1975, the Arts Commission initiated a program to give assistance in
problem areas common to all artists and nonprofit arts organizations. The Arts
Services program, the first formalized arts services program in a state arts
agency began to address the legal and economic aspects of operating an arts
organization or making a living as an artist. The program offers information and
referral services and technical assistance which includes consultant services,
and workshops.
Consultant Services provide access to professional consultants who offer help
with accounting and tax problems, board development, management, marketing,
fundraising, cultural facility planning, and design. Frequently, the project
utilizes arts organizations with professional staffs to assist smaller arts
organizations managed by volunteers or limited staff. Out-of-state consultants
are used where expertise is not available within Arizona.
The Arts Resource Center, a specialized non-circulating library in the
Commission's offices, has books and periodicals covering all aspects of
operating a nonprofit arts organization, designing and planning a cultural
facility or making a living as an artist. The Center's publications generally
aren't available in the public library. Also located in the Arts Resource Center
is the JobBank, an up-to-date nationwide listing of jobs in the arts. The Center
is used by arts organizations, artists, Commission staff and the general public.
Travel assistance was implemented to help artists and representatives of
small arts organizations attend out-of-state conferences and workshops where
they could learn new techniques and make regional and national contacts. This
information, which is not available locally is shared with Arizona artists and
arts organizations and has had a decided influence on the professional
development of the arts in Arizona. It is not feasible to list all the national
conferences and workshops attended by Arizona artists and arts administrators
since 1975, but a sample would include:
In addition, the Commission's services were broadened to include workshops
and technical assistance specific to particular arts fields. In the late
seventies, the Commission's Expansion Arts program assisted the Black Writers
Workshop sponsored by the Phoenix Urban League and supported a national meeting
of AtlatI, a Native American arts service organization. The program helped
ethnic artists and representatives of arts organizations serving Arizona's
ethnic communities to attend the 1st Annual Hispanic Theatre Conference, the
Smithsonian Museum Workshop Program, the American Indian Museum Association
meeting and the American Indian Film Festival.
Apache Medicine Man Phillip Cassadore received assistance to research
historical information at the Smithsonian Institution on the lifestyle of the
Apache in the 1800's. Consultant assistance with exhibition planning and design
was provided the Quechan Indian Museum (Yuma), Colorado River Tribal Museum
(Parker) and to the Hopi Cultural Center (Second Mesa).
Since 1974, the Arts Commission has sponsored many workshops, seminars and
conferences. These meetings have drawn not only artists and arts administrators,
but also many other people who work in some capacity of community service and
whose support is necessary to the growth and development of the arts in Arizona.
The number and variety of the meetings precludes a comprehensive listing. A
summary listing follows.
Exhibitions: A Technical Workshop (1974). Over one hundred people
representing museums, galleries, community arts centers and college and
university art departments from around Arizona attended the workshop to hear
presentations on exhibition packing, shipping, installation, security and
lighting.
Legal and Accounting Problems of Nonprofit Art Organizations (1975).
Volunteer accountants and attorneys presented this workshop for thirty
representatives of small arts organizations.
Art Law Seminar (1977). Co-sponsored with the State Bar of Arizona and lead
by Leonard Duboff of Lewis and Clark Law School. An outgrowth of this seminar
was the formation of the Art Law Committee of the State Bar of Arizona. The Art
Law Committee wrote, and the Arts Commission published, a booklet on nonprofit
incorporation in Arizona which is made available to arts organizations seeking
Arizona incorporation.
The Business of the Arts (1978). A series of three workshops attended by one
hundred thirty poets, writers, visual artists and representatives of small arts
organizations. Copyright, taxes, contracts and nonprofit incorporation were
discussed by attorneys from the Art Law Committee, while the health hazards of
the arts were presented by Gail Barazani, director, Hazards in the Arts in
Chicago and staff from the State Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
Price, Waterhouse and Co. accountants gave instruction in accounting and tax
procedures for nonprofits.
504 and the Arts (1979). A workshop to assist grantees in making the arts
accessible for persons with handicaps, and thereby comply with the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504. Arts and Special Constituencies
Director Larry Molloy and Robert Wade, general counsel, from the National
Endowment for the Arts lead the day long workshop which was signed by
interpreters for the deaf.
Collection Care Workshops (1981). Four workshops were held in each of four
Arizona towns: Nogales, Casa Grande, Yuma and Prescott. Topics covered were the
care of photographic and textile collections, furniture and leather and the
preservation of paper documents and works of art on paper. An outgrowth of these
workshops was the development of the Museum Environmental Test Kit, which the
Commission lends to Arizona museums to help them preserve their collections. It
was the first such test kit in the nation and has been copied by other states.
Health Hazards in the Arts (1982). Presented in Phoenix and Tucson by
physicians from the Environmental Preventive Occupational Health Clinic at the
University of Arizona Health Sciences Center.
Bicultural Exchange Seminar (1982). This seminar was held to strengthen the
existing historic ties to Mexico through cultural exchanges. Thirty-five Arizona
organizations took part in panel discussions lead by representatives from the
U.S. Information Agency, U.S. Customs Service, Dept. of Justice, Immigration and
Naturalization Service, Consulado General de Mexico, El Paso, Coordinacion
General de Cultura en el Estado de Sonora and Institute Cultural Mexicano.
Marketing the Arts (1984). Co-sponsored with Women in Design and conducted by
nationally known marketing art expert Calvin Goodman. Three hundred thirty
artists from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado and Nevada attended.
Earned Income Workshop (1985). Dr Richard Steckel, national fundraising
expert, led two hundred attendees through a step by step approach to develop and
implement marketing strategies to earn money from income producing ventures for
nonprofits.
Taxing Questions: There's More than Form 990 (1985). A workshop on federal
taxes and nonprofits conducted by the staff of the Internal Revenue Service for
one hundred fifty representatives of nonprofits.
Lesson One: How to Use Video for Marketing the Arts (1986). Helped one
hundred thirty artists and arts organizations learn about equipment selection,
production planning, video techniques and scriptwriting.
Grants Preparation Workshops for Organizations (1986). Presented by the
Commission staff the workshops covered all project areas eligible for funding
from the Arts Commission. One hundred seventy people attended the workshops
which were held in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.
The first Southwest Presenters Conference was held in 1978, an auspicious
beginning for what has become a major showcase for performing artists and an
important conference/booking meeting for presenting organizations from
throughout Arizona. The conference addresses such issues as programming risks
and how to market them, building an image through graphic design, audience
development and how to develop broad based community support. Held in
conjunction with the Scottsdale Festival of the Arts, the conference and
showcase give presenters the opportunity to see the artists they are considering
bringing to their communities perform before live audiences.
In 1982 the Arts Commission established the Small Organization Support
program. The SOS program is designed for community-based arts organizations
which are in a period of artistic and management growth. These organizations
have small staffs who manage both business and program areas; board members who
often are inexperienced in working with nonprofit organizations.
The SOS program is about commitment. The participating organizations are
committed to attaining professional artistic and management growth. The board
members and staffs make a three year commitment to a specialized training
program which combines salary assistance of a professional manager with
structured comprehensive technical assistance. This assistance helps them
develop skills and expertise to avoid some of the crises experienced by emerging
organizations.
To augment the SOS program, the Commission invited chief executive officers
of Phoenix and Tucson corporations with a commitment to community service to
identify members of their organizations who might be interested in serving on
boards of small arts organizations. The Commission served as broker by
introducing arts organizations to potential new board members from the business
community. Many individuals have been successfully placed as board members with
emerging arts organizations. This is a service continued by the Commission.
Just as small emerging arts organizations need help, communities around
Arizona seek assistance in their search for places where the arts can be
presented to growing local audiences, performance halls, galleries and museums,
cultural parks or artists spaces. The Design program offers help in the research
and planning that precedes design and construction. "Places for the Arts," a
two-day symposium was held in 1984. An enthusiastic, energy charged audience of
one hundred forty people heard Bradley Morison of Minneapolis based Arts
Development and Catherine Brown and William Morrish of San Francisco's Citywest
describe the planning and community analysis needed for a facility design which
meets the community's cultural needs.
Also in 1984, the Commission sponsored a state-wide theatre conference. One
hundred twenty theatre representatives from around the state met to discuss
issues of importance to Arizona non-profit theatres. The conference has become
an annual event. In the past three years speakers have included Bill Bushnell,
artistic director, Los Angeles Actors' Theatre, Jerry Turner, artistic director
Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Frederic Vogel, executive director, Foundation
for Extension and Development of the American Professional Theatre (FEDAPT).
During the past five years, the Arts Commission staff provided extensive
assistance to committees working toward the redevelopment of downtown Phoenix.
The Commission coordinated a Cultural Districts Workshop lead by Joseph Golden,
executive director of the Cultural Resources Council of Syracuse and Onondaga
County, New York. The Arts Commission was instrumental in obtaining federal
funds from the National Endowment for the Arts for the Central Phoenix Theatre
Study which resulted in the decision to build the Herberger Theatre, and for the
Downtown Phoenix Streetscape Design. Assistance was given during the
implementation of these projects and with the research for the South Mountain
Amphitheatre Study.
The Arts Commission's leadership has brought about the formation of several
statewide professional organizations: Museum Association of Arizona, Arizona
Composers Forum, Arizona Orchestra Association, City Presenters Network.
Beginning in the late sixties and continuing through the seventies to the
present time, the Arts Commission has a high rating nationwide as a service
agency The Arizona Commission on the Arts was a leader among its peers in
providing services to arts organizations, artists and communities throughout
Arizona, a prime example of the initiative and commitment of the public sector
to the professional development of the arts in Arizona.
1987 - ARIZONA:
THE ARTS IN PARTNERSHIP 1987-1990
"If a community does not have quality arts, it is a
signal that something is missing, that the community does not care. The arts are
vital to the spirit and essence of the community." - Don Reck, IBM General
Products Division, Tucson, AZ
The Arizona Commission on the Arts, in celebration of its twentieth
anniversary, has completed a major research project resulting in a statewide
arts plan. The plan Arizona: The Arts in Partnership 1987-1990 was developed to
give visibility to Arizona's model arts programs inside the state and to look at
how the arts could serve as partners with other sectors in promoting Arizona's
artistic resources outside of the state.
In developing its plan, the Arts Commission wanted to look beyond its own
programs and services to see how the arts are perceived by leaders in the state
and to determine what needs to be done to improve Arizona's efforts in
producing, preserving, presenting and promoting quality arts programs and
cultural activities for the citizens of the state.
Arizona is a young state. It has a rich tradition of indigenous arts and
culture. However, it lacks history in presenting the European arts. Many of its
residents are newcomers or, at least, have not the generational history of other
communities and states. As a result, Arizona does not have that sense of
permanency that comes from having extended familial roots in a stable community.
The arts struggle as do other community concerns, precisely because a sense
of roots and of community is missing. Unlike cities such as Minneapolis and
Cleveland, there is little feeling of responsibility for nurturing our cultural
institutions. Most conspicuous is the lack of sustained leadership in support of
the arts.
Yet, a desire to make something happen is emerging. Arizona's leadership is
worried about the intellectual fabric of our communities; the residents of these
communities are looking for roots. The arts can lend those roots to
strengthening a sense of community and history.
It is recognized that the arts make a significant contribution to the quality
of life in Arizona communities. They contribute to a sense of community pride.
They provide opportunities for citizens to see and be inspired by the work of
quality artists in concert halls, theatres, museums and the outdoors. The arts
provide vocational opportunities for citizens to participate in the arts by
painting scenery or studying pottery making. The arts provide a valuable
learning opportunity for students as part of a quality education. Citizens can
volunteer as members of boards of directors of arts organizations and be
involved in shaping the vision for the arts.
As well, the arts contribute to the overall image of Arizona. The arts affect
Arizona's ability to attract new business to the state and to increase tourism.
The arts are critical to downtown revitalization and activity. More and more the
quality of a community's cultural resources is a consideration by corporations
in their relocation decisions.
From September to November 1986, the Arts Commission conducted interviews
with a cross-section of Arizona leaders representing all segments of the
community. Public, private and civic leaders as well as representatives of the
arts community from throughout the state generously contributed their insights
and knowledge. The interview was designed to discuss with community leaders the
strengths and weaknesses of the arts in the state. The project was developed in
cooperation with Partners for Livable Places, a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit
organization with expertise in quality of life and economic development issues.
Arizona: The Arts in Partnership documents the perceptions and
recommendations of the leaders who were interviewed and is organized into three
sections. Section I outlines an action plan for the Commission in conjunction
with other partners and describes the 20 year history of the Arizona Commission
on the Arts. Section II explores the arts as a resource — to strengthen the
educational experience, to promote the cultural assets of our ethnically diverse
state, to enhance the built environment, to stimulate our economy and to
generate tourism. Section III describes the partnerships that can effectively
make this happen. Each chapter describes selected Arizona projects which can
serve as models to other organizations and communities. Supplemental brochures
identify a selection of arts programs in both rural and metropolitan areas of
the state.A draft report was presented by Robert McNulty of Partners for Livable
Places at the statewide conference, Entrepreneurship in the Arts on February 27,
1987. The conference sponsored by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and
Arizonans for Cultural Development, the statewide arts advocacy organization,
attracted an audience of over 150 arts and community leaders who had an
opportunity to review and comment on the draft plan.
This report was used as part of the research document for the Arizona
Academy's 50th Town Hall called Culture and Values in Arizona Life. The Town
Hall brought together 141 community leaders to discuss how to increase support
for arts and cultural activities in the state.
The Arizona Commission on the Arts is dedicated to making quality arts
opportunities available to the citizens of Arizona. The intention of the Arts
Commission in preparing this plan is to identify opportunities for partnerships
which will:
-
identify and promote the quality and diversity of arts
activities in Arizona;
-
raise the profile of the arts inside and outside
Arizona;
-
demonstrate how the arts as part of the infrastructure
are integral to the health and vitality of our communities;
-
identify how the arts can be part of the package
representing Arizona's assets used to attract new business and tourists.
The Arizona Commission on the Arts will take a leadership role in stimulating
the collective creativity of the Arizona citizens toward integration of the arts
into their communities.
Arizona: The Arts in Partnership 1987-1990 is available from the Arizona
Commission on the Arts.
1988 - ARIZONA ARTS TRUST FUND
The Arizona Arts Trust Fund was created in June, 1989, by the Arizona State
Legislature with the support of Governor Rose Mofford in recognition of the
contribution of the arts to economic development and quality of life in Arizona.
The establishment of the Trust Fund, which will contribute approximately one
million dollars to the arts annually, is a milestone in the funding history of
the Arizona Commission on the Arts. It came about through the cooperation and
leadership of the Governor, bipartisan leaders in both houses of the Arizona
State Legislature, members of the corporate community, the arts community,
Arizonans for Cultural Development and Arizona Commission on the Arts.
The Trust Fund is administered by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and is
funded by an increase of fifteen dollars in the annual corporate filing fee paid
by for-profit corporations in Arizona. The purpose of the Trust Fund 1s "to
advance and to foster the arts in Arizona..."
Criteria for funding under the Arizona Arts Trust Fund is:
-
Artistic quality of the organization's program.
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Ability of the organization's programs to serve the
needs of the community, including efforts to reach artists and audiences in
the ethnic communities.
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Managerial/administrative ability of the organization
to carry out arts programming.
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Appropriateness of the organization's budget to carry
out its proposed programs.
-
History of the organization in producing or presenting
the arts.
Consideration will be given to organizations which serve persons with
handicaps, ethnic populations and rural areas.
In addition, recipient arts organizations must show evidence that their
governing boards include members of racial or ethnic minorities, or have adopted
and are implementing an affirmative action program to assure ethnic and minority
participation on their boards.
In 1989-90, arts organizations participating in the Arts Commission's
Organization Development Program I, II and III and those receiving Basic Aid
grants were funded by the Arizona Arts Trust Fund.
1989 - ARTS EDUCATION
"We need to help our children move toward
civilization. As we stand on the threshold of the 21st century, we are
concerned, and rightly so, with the quality of the education of young Americans
and whether it is preparing them for the challenges of the future. " - Frank
Hodsoll, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
This was a significant year for Arts Education in Arizona. The Arizona
Commission on the Arts and the Arizona Department of Education completed a major
joint research project, the First Statewide Survey on the Status of Arts
Education in Arizona Public Schools, 1988. Subsequently, a retreat was held in
Sedona attended by educators, arts administrators and community leaders from
around the state who discussed the survey findings and issued a consensus
statement, The Oak Creek Accord, a five-year plan for the future growth and
direction of arts education in Arizona.
The First Statewide Survey on the Status of Arts Education in Arizona Public
Schools documents the needs of arts education in Arizona. In addition to dance,
music, drama/theater and visual arts, it included creative writing and
traditional/ethnic arts. The survey was mailed to 209 Arizona public school
district superintendents in January, 1988. The responding districts serve 73% of
Arizona elementary, junior and high school students and represent a
cross-section in district size and ethnic diversity.
The survey reveals that fewer than 31% of all reporting districts in Arizona
include the arts in their district mission or goal statements. When they do,
music (33%) and visual arts (26%) appear most frequently; dance (3%) appears
least frequently. Funding and implementation of one year plans exist for music
and visual arts in 36% of the reporting districts, 21% of the districts have a
one-year plan for drama/theatre. Fewer than 10% of the reporting senior high
school districts cited a graduation requirement that involves the fine arts.
Superintendents listed budget and curriculum as the most critical immediate and
long range needs related to the improvement of arts instruction in their
districts.
The findings from the survey were announced by Arizona Superintendent of
Public Instruction, C. Diane Bishop to 450 education leaders at the Arizona
School Boards Association/Arizona School Administrators Association Conference.
Featured speaker for the conference was Chairman Frank Hodsoll who addressed a
national report on arts education, Toward Civilization, published by the
National Endowment for the Arts in May, 1988.
Later, Bishop and Hodsoll spoke to over one hundred arts and community
leaders. Superintendent Bishop said the findings of the survey are significant
to the future of arts education in Arizona and that the Arizona Department of
Education will continue to work with the Arts Commission. Together the agencies
will initiate a broad based planning process using the survey information to
identify priorities and develop strategies to improve the quality of arts
education across the state. Chairman Hodsoll said how pleased he was to hear the
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction publicly support arts education and
pointed out, that in his experience, this was rare.
During his brief visit to Arizona, Chairman Hodsoll also met with a class of
students at Apache Junction High School where he discussed with the students,
"What is Art." And he and Superintendent Bishop were interviewed by Horizon host
Michael Grant on KAET-TV.
Continuing their joint effort toward developing the arts in education, the
Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Arizona Department of Education held
eighteen meetings throughout the year with representatives from Arizona
community colleges, universities and education organizations to study ways to
make the arts basic to every person's education. Each group examined the
Findings of the First Statewide Survey on the Status of Arts Education in
Arizona Public Schools and appointed one member to represent them at a retreat
where priorities for action would be identified.
The Arts Education Survey Retreat was held in June, 1989, in Sedona, attended
by representatives of twenty-three organizations in education and the arts. The
retreat was facilitated by Steve Kaagan, formerly Commissioner of Education in
Vermont. It was sponsored by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Arizona
Department of Education and the Arizona Alliance for Arts Education.
Participants at the retreat issued a consensus statement, The Oak Creek Accord,
which outlined five-year goals and strategies for achieving them. It called for
a task force to follow through on the recommendations of the retreat.
Accordingly, an Arts Education Task Force was appointed by Superintendent
Bishop and Marvin Cohen, chairman of the Arizona Commission on the Arts to
develop strategies that build on existing Arizona School Board mandates and
noteworthy local programs already operative. In August, 1989, the State School
Board passed a requirement of one credit of fine arts or vocational education
for high school graduation. The Task Force will be comprised of one member each
from the Arizona Department of Education, Arizona State Board of Education,
Arizona Commission on the Arts, Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona School Boards
Association, Arizona School Administrators Association, Arizona State
Legislature, the corporate community, the arts education field, universities and
parents. In the next three years, the Arts Education Task Force will take a
leadership role in forming the future course of arts education for students in
Arizona, focusing on the importance of the arts to basic education.
1990 - INCREASED
SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS
Support and services for Arizona artists is the basic premise of all
programs, services and funding of the Arizona Commission on the Arts and has
been since its beginning in 1976. Whether it's funding arts organizations which
employ artists, running statewide programs which employ artists or providing
services to artists, the bottom line is the individual artist. Traveling
Exhibitions, the Commission's oldest program, tours the works of Arizona's
artists. Artists in Residence provides work for over eighty artists annually at
schools, libraries, museums and community center throughout Arizona. Art in
Arizona Towns places performing and visual artists in rural communities for
residencies and performances. Art in Public Places grants funds for the
commissioning of artists to produce works of art for public spaces. Bicultural
Arts arranges artist exchanges between Mexico and Arizona. Professional
Development grants help artists attend out-of-state conferences. The Visual
Artists Slide Bank, a resource of slides and resumes of artists, is used by
architectural and design firms, galleries, corporations, cities and towns and
the general public to locate professional artists. In addition, the Arts
Commission awards Artists Fellowships and, this year for the first time, awarded
Artist Projects grants and sponsored an Arizona Artist Conference.
In October 1988, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, as a member of a
seven-state consortium, received a three-year challenge grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts, administered by the New York Foundation on the Arts, for
support of the individual artist. The Arts Commission researched strategies for
expanding its fellowship program and developed a survey that went to 440 Arizona
artists and former fellowship recipients seeking input on how to best serve the
individual artist. A total of 124 artists responded. A focus group of artists
representing each arts discipline met in February 1989, to discuss the survey
results and to make recommendations to the Commission.
Recommendations adopted by the Commission increase the number of fellowship
awards in each category, divide the funding in proportion to the number of
applications per category and allow flexibility in the amount of each awards.
The artists committee additionally recommended a new program of project support
for individual artists.
Today, the Artists Fellowship program awards fellowships in three disciplines
annually. Visual arts fellowships rotate among three-dimensional art,
two-dimensional art and photography/film/video. Performing arts fellowships
rotate among choreography, playwriting and music composition. Creative writing
fellowships rotate between fiction and poetry. Recipients include artists whose
professional careers have been accelerated after receiving a fellowship-increase
in number of exhibitions, gallery acceptances, books published and public
recognition.
Over the years the Artists Fellowship program has received private and public
support. Corporate and business support has been received from B. Dalton
Bookseller, Dayton-Hudson Corporation, Salt River Project, The Hand and the
Spirit Crafts Gallery, Ramada Inns and Phelps Dodge. Public support comes from
the Arizona State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. A special
fund was established in 1981 by Kathleen Kadon-Desmond in memory of her husband,
writer Bill Desmond. The Bill Desmond Writers Fellowship Fund of the Arizona
Community Foundation supports the Commission's creative writing fellowships.
Artist Projects is a new program to support individual artists in all
disciplines for project-related costs. The program helps the artist(s) bring to
fruition what has been only an idea or dream. Artist(s) must propose a project
or phase of a project which can be realized within the requested budget and
completed within the proposed timeline. Particularly encouraged are projects
that allow the artist(s) increased time to research and develop ideas or new
works; that stretch the artist's work or seek to advance the artform; that bear
relevance to the artist's community; that involve interdisciplinary
collaborations with other artists or non-artists. An Artist Project is a
one-time award.
If the depth and variety of projects chosen in this initial year is any
indication of what can be expected in future years, then Artist Projects will
prove to be of inestimable value to Arizona artists and to the communities they
live in and contribute to. The artists chosen to receive an Artist Project award
in 1990 and a description of their projects are outlined below.
Rikki Francisco, a traditional basket weaver from Sacaton, will produce a
large Pima olla measuring eighteen inches in height and twelve inches in
diameter. Ollas are large, wide mouthed vessels traditionally used for storage
and have not been made among the Pima for many years. Commenting on her project,
Rikki Francisco said, "The art of basket making has been in my family a long
time. I learned to make baskets from my mother, who was taught by her mother.
The art has been handed down from generation to generation. It will be a
challenge for me to create a large olla and at the same time I will be helping
to bring back this lost basket form."
Zarco Guerrero, sculptor/maskmaker from Mesa, will travel to rural Indian
villages in Mexico to research the Tarascan masks of Michoacan, the Diablito
masks and Tiascala masks. His study of ancient surviving mask archetypes will be
undertaken with the intent of carving ritual and ceremonial objects and to see
these come to life in dance and theater performances. He will document through
photography and writing the symbolism behind the masks, the process of carving,
the tools used and the use of the masks.
David Lee Guss, photographer/filmmaker from Tucson, will continue his
patriotism photography, including Bicentennial documentation through 1991,
concluding his twenty-seven year project on "Patriotism in America." He will
make master prints of his finest images and fashion a photographic essay
spanning 1964-1991, a time span which represents some of America's most
turbulent years since the Civil War. The images personify the American people's
feeling about themselves and their country.
Victor Masayesva, filmmaker from Hotevilla, will research and develop a
computer-assisted story board videotape which will be the basis for shooting
"500 Years after Coyote Discovered Columbus," a fifteen minute Native American
coyote tale. Using a mixture of live footage and computer animation to reflect
aspects of reality and illusion in the context of contemporary Native American
experience, it will be a character study on the dual nature (pro and con) of the
Native American trickster and his vital role in contemporary Native American
communities fighting for their land, water and aboriginal rights 500 years after
Columbus.
Greg Steinke, composer from Tucson, will spend an intensive week working with
Japanese/American poet Lawson Inada from Ashland, Oregon and photographer Joan
Myers from Santa Fe, at the sites of Japanese/American internment and/or
relocation camps in Poston, Gila, Mayer and Leupp, Arizona. They will recreate a
week similar to that of one Japanese/American from assembly center to relocation
center to citizen isolation camp. Their research will involve exploration,
photography, discovery and discussion of written, photographed and composed
components in preparation for a multimedia work, "Concentrated Images," a
statement in words, images and music about the internment camp experience of the
Japanese/Americans during World War II.
Kurt Weiser, Tempe ceramist, will spend the summer working at Umdang Ceramic,
a village pottery in Dankwean, Thailand. Pottery has been produced for seven
hundred years in Dankwean, a village of several thousand people with thirty to
forty independent family potteries producing traditional work. About fifteen
years ago a number of Thai ceramic artists moved to Dankwean and set up studios.
Umdang Ceramic was one of the first and has become the most successful not only
to carry on the traditional work, using the same materials and many of the
techniques but also to introduce experimentation and exploration within the
framework of traditional Thai ceramics. Potters from many countries work at
Umdang Ceramic. Weiser, discussing his project, said, "I think that it's
important for artists to stretch themselves into new areas. I know that it will
challenge me and allow me to see my work and my place in ceramics from a
different perspective."
Professional Development grants are awarded throughout the year to help
artists attend out-of-state conferences and seminars which keep them abreast of
developments in their field and contribute to their professional growth. This
knowledge is shared with other Arizona artists. In 1989-90, thirty-seven artists
were assisted to attend a range of conferences and workshops, from the National
Association for Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling to Yellow Bay
Writers' Workshop, the Guitar Foundation of American Conference and the Atlatl
Native Network Conference.
The first Arizona Artists Conference was held on the campus of Northern
Arizona University in Flagstaff August 11-13, 1989. The conference was about
process and creativity and provided an opportunity for artists to crossover into
another discipline, showcase their own work and hear nationally known artists.
Over 200 artists spent the three days in interdisciplinary participatory
sessions led by teams of Arizona artists. The conference ended on a high note
with "performances" showcasing the creativity of each session.
The first Arizona Artists Conference was an acknowledged success by all
participants. The conference was a cooperative effort by the Flagstaff Arts
Council with the City of Flagstaff Tourism Fund, Phoenix Arts Commission,
Scottsdale Cultural Council, Tempe Arts Council, Tucson/Pima Arts Council,
Arizona Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The services the Commission offers to artists assists them in making a living
as an artist. The Arts Resource Center is a library of publications on the
business of the arts, e.g. marketing, contracts, taxes, copyright, health
hazards of working with art materials, setting up a gallery, pricing of artwork,
and information about emergency loans, artists' colonies and workshops,
insurance (medical, disability, life), national artists organizations.
The Artists Guide to Programs, published annually by the Commission, carries
information about every program available to Arizona artists including deadlines
and application procedures for these programs.
The Arizona Commission on the Arts is the agency of resource on the state
level for Arizona artists. Any artist may request to be added to the
Commission's mailing list to receive the Bulletin and other special mailings of
interest to them as an Arizona artist.
The Arizona Commission on the Arts will continue to serve the Arizona artist
refining and structuring its programs, services and funding to respond to the
needs of its constituent artists.
1991 - ARIZONA TRIBAL MUSEUMS
PROGRAM
Arizona is rich in Native American heritage with a history of its Native
Peoples that dates back thousands of years. The diversity within the Native
American population, which is the third largest in the United States, is
strikingly apparent in the fifteen Native American cultures represented in
Arizona - Apache, Chemehuevi, Cocopah, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Maricopa,
Mohave, Navajo, Paiute, Pima, Quechan, Tohono O'odham, Yaqui and Zuni.
Native Americans are the State's most rural population; more than a fourth of
the state is American Indian reservations, most of which are far from the two
major urban centers. In addition, the tribes are geographically distant from one
another and without a viable communication network. Each Native American
community has its own traditions of language, social structure, rituals and
material culture. Historically, these cultural traditions have been passed on
through the clan, but social, economic and political changes have forced these
communities to search for new ways to maintain their culture and pass on their
traditions.
Recognizing the Native American peoples' contribution to Arizona and the
nation, the Arizona Commission on the Arts initiated the Tribal Museum Program,
in cooperation with ATLATL, a national Native American arts service organization
based in Phoenix, and with the Arizona State Museum in Tucson. The Tribal Museum
Program is designed to help tribal communities preserve and care for their
cultural heritage; provide access to resources and expertise in the care of
their collections.
The stimulus to form the Tribal Museum Program came from the efforts of the
Ak-Chin Tribe in central Arizona who were working with the Smithsonian to
develop an ecomuseum. The Ak-Chin is not alone in struggling to preserve the
integrity of their identity. Their experience in developing their museum is
typical of the changes and tensions facing Arizona's tribal communities. Many of
the same forces are at work in other tribal communities, and like the Ak-Chin,
many feel an urgency to reconnect their communities, especially the younger
generations, with their land, customs, history and language.
The Ak-Chin's rich cultural heritage is slowly fading and the community
fragmenting, as the tribe's language is displaced by English; traditional
activities, such as gathering basket materials, are disrupted by modern farm
technology and land use; and the tribe's isolation, which has insulated its
cultural identity from its larger neighbors, is eroded by participation in the
marketplace.
The need to find a new way to preserve their traditions and their past arose
after 700 boxes of artifacts were discovered at several sites on Ak-Chin land.
This discovery alerted the Ak-Chin people to a heritage they knew virtually
nothing about. The artifacts were placed in a federal repository in Tucson until
the Ak-Chin could develop a place of their own to house them - an ecomuseum, a
non-traditional museum. The underlying idea of an ecomuseum is that it is not a
place apart from the community, rather it is a community cultural center in
which the identity, value and spirit is a reflection of its community. It is a
museum without walls, one that reacts and interacts with the activities of the
land and its peoples and encourages their participation. It is a living tribal
vessel connecting past and present.
To help them develop their ecomuseum, the Smithsonian arranged for Ak-Chin
tribal members to visit other tribal museums; one of the visits was to an
ecomuseum in Quebec, Canada. Subsequently, tribal members from Quebec were
invited to visit the Ak-Chin community and the Arts Commission was asked to
identify other places the visitors should see. The visit offered the Arts
Commission the opportunity to bring the Arizona tribes together to welcome the
visitors from Canada and tell them about their programs and plans for tribal
museums.
The first meeting, initiated by ATLATL and the Arts Commission, brought
together fifty-six participants from fourteen Arizona tribes who discussed their
programs, dreams and frustrations. Of primary concern was the lack of access in
their communities to information that would help their museums fulfill their
missions. These issues and interest in learning about new trends and
technologies in the museum field; the struggle to balance the pressures of
economic development and tourism with the need for cultural preservation; and
professional development opportunities, became the focus of the Tribal Museum
Program funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
To provide the assistance needed by the tribal communities, the Arizona State
Museum, in cooperation with the Arizona Commission on the Arts, undertook to
survey and identify the needs of the existing tribal museums and those tribal
groups that didn't have a museum, but had specific cultural preservation needs.
Based on this information the Arizona State Museum developed programs for
different levels of museum training in the Native American communities and
determined the need for consultant services to tribal museums.
The Arts Commission worked with existing tribal museums and cultural
committees from communities that demonstrated support for developing a museum to
prioritize the areas where each needed assistance. This ranged from collections
management to programming. The decision on the type of consultation and
consultant was made by the museums/cultural committees and when possible
consultants were selected from the Native American community. Awards for
consultants went directly to the tribal museums and it was the museum's
responsibility to arrange for the consultation. Some museums like the Hoo-hoogam
Ki Museum on the Salt River Pima Reservation used a consultant to help develop a
volunteer auxiliary and a board for the museum. Says Doreen Duncan, "we were
looking to do some educational programming with the tribe to get them more
involved with the museum and we plan to use these volunteers as teachers for
basketry, pottery and other types of classes."
Still others, like the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe, asked the Arts Commission to
help them with the design component in building their new Yavapai Indian
Heritage Center. The staff from the Heritage Center met with an architectural
consultant who helped them create a five-year plan for building their museum.
Since the consultancy, the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe has been awarded an Arts
Commission design grant to implement the plan. This master plan will allow for
realistic development of a center to perpetuate the cultural heritage of the
Tribe and encourage economic development of the Tribal community.
A long-term goal of the Arts Commission is integrating the professional
development of the tribal museums into other agency programs, such as the design
grant to the Yavapai-Prescott Tribe or the Arts in Education grant awarded to
the Ak-Chin. In particular, the Arts Commission hopes that as the tribal museums
develop they will become involved in the agency's multi-year Organization
Development Program, which is designed to assist organizations with
administrative and organizational skills. Thus far, the Hopi Cultural Center
Museum at Second Mesa on the Hopi Reservation and the Fort Yuma Quechan Museum
in Yuma have been selected to participate in the program.
The Tribal Museum Program continues to offer a forum for tribal
representatives to discuss common issues. These meetings are held at different
locations and each meeting showcases a different museum or tribal cultural
center. The success of the meetings can be attributed to the role tribal museums
play as presenters and in the planning and running of the meetings. The topical
breadth of the meetings is evident by the diversity of the Native American
presenters:
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Bonita Stevens, curator registrar at Colorado River
Indian Tribes Museum
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Margaret Archuleta, fine arts curator for the Heard
Museum
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Emory Sekaquapetwa, Hopi Dictionary Project, University
of Arizona
-
James Luna, contemporary Native American artist
-
Dr. Rina Swentzell, Santa Clara Pueblo Historic
Preservation Project
-
Dr. Fernando Escalante, Yaqui Family Literacy Program
-
John Crouch, Native American videographer, University
of Arizona
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Victor Masayesva, Hopi videographer
-
Susan Guyette, planning director for Santa Fe Community
Development
In addition to these presentations, the twenty-five to seventy participants
at each meeting discussed a range of issues from the nuts and bolts of museum
management to repatriation with cultural mores and governance with tribal
council support. Weldon Johnson of the Colorado River Indian Tribes Museum
states this last issue succinctly, "A challenge for the museum is trying to
structure ways to insure preservation through tribal government. For example,
developing a tribal ordinance that includes policies and procedures to protect
sites on the reservation."
The meetings built a sense of community and empowerment which contributed to
a development of trust. Informal networks of support evolved resulting in
resource exchanges among the participants. The Arts Commission encouraged tribal
museum staff, through professional development grants, to attend out-of-state
conferences; the information gathered and contacts made at these conferences
shared with the other tribal museums.
In 1990, as a direct outgrowth of the success of the tribal museum meetings,
Arizona hosted the Western Museums Association Conference, at which the Ak-Chin
tribe, the Smithsonian Institution and the Arts Commission presented a workshop
on the development of the ecomuseum and the collaborative efforts of the tribal
communities with ATLATL, the Arizona State Museum and the Arts Commission to
support the development of tribal museums.
The Ak-Chin Him-Dak opened in June, 1991, the first nationally recognized
ecomuseum in the United States-a tribute to the culture of the Tribe and
emblematic of the efforts of Arizona's tribal communities to ensure the
continuity of their culture. Him-Dak means "the way of life." "The Him-Dak is
here for the Elders of our community to bring what they know to the young
people, then the young people will know how to carry on the O'odham way of
life," explained Teresa Valisto, museum technician. Members of the tribe also
are enrolled in college degree programs so that they will be able to staff and
manage their ecomuseum. The museum and its future curators will be a vital link
in handing down tribal traditions to the next generation.
The Tribal Museum Program is launched; its emphasis on self-determination and
cooperation stimulated trust and sharing, which spawned a strong network among
the tribal museums across the state. The Tribal Museum Program will continue to
assist the museums in their endeavors to preserve the cultural heritage of the
Native Peoples in Arizona.
1992 - ARIZONA DANCE ON TOUR
In the past three years, Arizona hosted outstanding national dance artists as
one of only fourteen states selected for the Dance on Tour program of the
National Endowment for the Arts. Arizona Dance on Tour has brought dancers Brian
Jeffery, Tim O'Slynne and Mary Ward of Chicago's XSIGHT! Performance Group,
Chicago choreographer Sam Watson, New York City solo dance artist Robert Small,
Dennis Spaight, co-artistic director of Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland,
Eugene Ballet Company from Oregon and Lewitzky Dance Company of Los Angeles.
These dancers and companies challenged Arizona dancers and audiences;
providing professional development for the dancers; expanding audience awareness
of dance as an artform.
Each year, the planning for Arizona Dance on Tour is done in partnership with
Arizona presenters and dance companies. As active partners the planning group
shapes the residencies of the visiting dance artists to gain maximum benefit
from the program. Building enjoyment of and support for dance in Arizona is a
long term energetic on-going cooperative effort.
The first year of Arizona Dance on Tour Arizona dance companies selected
out-of-state choreographers to create new work for their companies. The
choreographers and the dance companies they worked with are listed below.
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Tim O'Slynne and Brian Jeffery XSIGHT! Performance
Group (Chicago)
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Mary Ward XSIGHT! Performance Group
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Robert Small, solo dance artist (New York City)
-
Dennis Spaight, co-artistic director Oregon Ballet
Theatre
-
Sam Watson, Chicago choreographer Mary Ward, XSIGHT!
-
Sam Watson, Chicago choreographer
-
Center Dance Ensemble Phoenix
-
Desert Dance Theatre Tempe
-
a ludwig co: dance theatre Tempe
-
Ballet Arts Foundation Tucson
-
Tenth Street Danceworks Tucson
-
Orts Theatre of Dance Tucson
The guest artists choreographed new works, conducted classes, gave
lecture/demonstrations and participated in other audience development
activities. The residencies concluded with a performances by guest artists and
local companies, in Tucson sponsored by the University of Arizona Office of
Cultural Affairs, and in Phoenix sponsored by the Herberger Theater Center.
Arizona Dance on Tour Year I challenged Arizona dancers to create something
new and experimental. Working with the guest artists allowed Arizona dance
companies to experiment artistically and "stretch" their existing repertoire. As
Frances Smith Cohen, artistic director of Center Dance Ensemble, said of her
company's work with the out-of-state artists, "Working with other artists
allowed my dancers to expand their range of technique; this brought the
experimental quality into focus."
Modern dance audiences were exposed to inventive and exciting works during
rehearsals and performances. The guest artists worked with students at the
University of Arizona and Arizona State University, in schools with pre-school,
elementary and high school students and presented performance/discussions for
the public which included senior citizens. XSIGHT! presented mini-performances
in several venues during Downtown Saturday Night in Tucson. The guest artists
truly reached out to the community.
Bear, Beaver, Wolf and Raven-the great totems of the Northwest Coast
Indians—spun their tales in the Eugene Ballet Company's "Children of the Raven"
during the second year of Arizona Dance on Tour. Native American storyteller Ed
Edmo narrated; the storyteller is a vital figure in Native American culture who
helps preserve legends from extinction. In "Raven," the legend was told in the
traditional, complementary manner, first in spoken word, then in dance
form.Based on a richly woven tapestry of Indian legends from the Pacific
Northwest Coast tribes, "Raven" featured animal crests from the totem poles of
the Tschimin, Haida and Kwakiuti tribes. The dance style for "Raven," an
original piece choreographed by Toni Pimble, artistic director of the Company,
utilizes contemporary movement and props to create various effects. Dominating
the striking set, designed by Native American artist Lawney Reyes, was in
immense, raven-topped totem pole that bore the crests of Bear, Beaver, Wolf and
Raven. Totem poles, canoes and house beams were prominent fixtures.
Eugene Ballet was in residence in Page, Prescott, Safford/Thatcher, Lake
Havasu City and Yuma. "Raven" electrified these rural communities. One attendee
was so impressed with the Ballet's performance that he wrote a letter of praise
and enclosed a $500 check to the presenting organization. In another instance, a
family who hosted two male dancers and storyteller Ed Edmo have become devoted
dance fans. Previously, they attended the "Nutcracker" with their grandchildren
but were not fans of dance.
The Ballet's three-day residencies included dance and storytelling workshops,
informal performances and lecture/demonstrations in schools, parks, nursing
homes, senior citizen centers, outdoor arenas and a formal concert. Attendance
at the Arizona Dance on Tour events in the five communities was 15,938, an
impressive audience for dance in rural Arizona.
One performance of "Children of the Raven" was presented at the Herberger
Theater Center in downtown Phoenix.
In addition, during the second year, Arizona Dance on Tour sponsored
residencies and performances by Arizona dance companies in the rural
communities: Orts Theatre of Dance in Safford/Thatcher, Tenth Street Danceworks
in Page, a ludwig co: dance theatre in Lake Havasu City and Desert Dance Theatre
in Prescott.
Arizona Dance on Tour's third year sought to expand audiences for dance in
several ways while giving a guest company needed time and space to create a new
work. Working primarily with the Scottsdale Cultural Council and Ballet Arizona,
the Arts Commission brought the Lewitzky Dance Company of Los Angeles to present
"Episodes in Dance: The Lewitzky Project," a month-long residency beginning in
June 1992.
Bella Lewitzky, pioneer of modern dance, is hailed internationally as a
leader in modern dance choreography and is an eloquent advocate for the arts.
She founded the Dance Theater of Los Angeles in 1946 with Lester Horton and
formed the Lewitzky Dance Theater in 1966. She performed with the Company until
just ten years ago and continues to choreograph at least one piece a year. She
is an educator, artist and champion of freedom of expression.
During the residency Ms. Lewitzky created a new work that premiered, along
with an evening of company repertoire, at Scottsdale Center for the Arts. The
new work, "Episode #3: The Outsider," is based on an Asian in America and her
feelings of exclusion from society. The new work was set on four dancers and is
an episode in a much larger work.
The public had the opportunity to participate in the Lewitzky residency in
many ways additional to concert attendance. For a limited time Ms. Lewitzky
opened the rehearsal room to observers to allow insight into the creative
process behind the development of new choreography. Observers were able to track
the growth of the new piece and to briefly talk with Ms. Lewitzky about the
process. Groups from the Arizona dance community were invited to observe the
warm up: Wolf Trap teachers, dancers, dance teachers and visual artists
interested in dance. At the close of the class, Ms. Lewitzky addressed the
public and answered questions.
Throughout the residency Ms. Lewitzky was generous with her time. On five
occasions she joined select groups for lunch to speak to them before going into
her rehearsal. These special gatherings included legislators, arts advocates,
Scottsdale Cultural Council and Arizona Arts Commission board members, Business
Volunteers for the Arts and corporate contributors.
Company members presented a lecture/demonstration for the public at the
Herberger Theater Center. At the Scottsdale Center for the Arts the Company
presented master classes in intermediate level modern dance technique; a weekend
long seminar in technical theatre, dance production and touring; and a unique
opportunity to work with Ms. Lewitzky in a "Craft of Choreography" course which
took place three times a week for three weeks and resulted in a Choreographers
Showcase presented by the participants at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts.
Dance forms in the Choreographers Showcase ran the gamut from flamenco to
classical ballet.
The Lewitzky Dance Company began its Arizona residency in Tucson where they
presented classes in advanced and intermediate modern dance technique and a
workshop for composers taught by Larry Attaway, the company's resident composer.
During the residency in Scottsdale, the Company spent time in the East and West
Valleys conducting workshops through the West Valley Fine Arts Council and Mesa
Arts Center.
An important component of the third year project was the setting of the new
work on Ballet Arizona. Ballet Arizona dancers worked alongside the Lewitzky
dancers to learn the new piece which is now a part of their repertoire. Ballet
Arizona and the Lewitzky Company worked closely during the residency, with the
Ballet providing extra rehearsal space when necessary and technical assistance
during the lecture/demonstration.
In addition, the five rural presenters who participated in Arizona Dance on
Tour the second year were invited to attend the American Dance Festival/West in
Utah in August 1992. There they were introduced to new dance forms, dance
training and philosophy and had a chance to explore dance presentation
facilities. Ms. Lewitzky returned to Arizona in December 1992, accompanied by
Betsy Brininger of the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in
California, to visit the five rural communities and talk with arts leaders about
dance as an artform and creative programming and marketing.
Each year Arizona Dance on Tour has taken a slightly different form. The
first year brought out-of-state dance artists to work with Arizona companies on
new work for presentation in joint concerts in Tucson and Phoenix. Audience
development activities were conducted. The second year, Eugene Ballet toured
five rural communities and presented one performance in Phoenix. Marketing
consultancies were provided to the rural communities. The third year brought the
Lewitzky Company to Scottsdale in June for a one month residency, rural
presenters attended the American Dance Festival West and Ms. Lewitzky returnee
to Arizona in December to work with the five rural communities on programming
and marketing. Arizona Dance on Tour will bring the Lewitzky Company back to
Arizona in 1993 for a tour of five rural communities and Tucson.
Arizona Dance on Tour is progressing towards its goals. There is increased
commitment in rural areas to the presentation of local and national dance
companies and renewed commitment to dance on the part of major urban presenters.
1993 - COMMUNITY
CULTURAL ASSESSMENT PROJECT
"Cultural Assessment and Planning is based upon the
premise that members of a community can define their cultural identity and can
plan for quality of life amenities in just the way cities have long planned for
streets and zoning; and more recently for historic preservation and downtown
redevelopment." - Craig Dreeszen, Arts Extension Services, University of
Massachusetts
The Community Cultural Assessment Project is a response to many Arizona
communities interest in a planning process which would strengthen growing
cultural activities and increase communication between city government, arts
groups and the community-at-large. A cultural assessment considers a community's
strengths and potential growth within the framework of cultural development.
Culture, different in each community, shapes daily life. The assessment process
helps communities define and focus on strengths and growth potential within the
framework of cultural development. It examines current cultural resources within
a community, types of art events community members would attend and support, how
the arts overall could be strengthened, nurtured and supported and how new or
additional arts programs could be integrated into the schools.
The Community Cultural Assessment Project began in 1987; the project expanded
in scope in 1989 as a result of a three-year grant from the Locals Program at
the National Endowment for the Arts. Funds were designated to assist local arts
agencies with professional staff development and on-going consultant assistance,
once they had conducted a cultural assessment.
Craig Dreeszen of Arts Extension Service, University of Massachusetts,
conducted the cultural assessments. Mr. Dreeszen also developed the Arts
Commission's Peer Consulting Program. The Peer Consultants are Arizona arts
professionals especially trained to do consultations in broad areas of the
business of the arts for Arizona local arts agencies, arts organization and
communities. The Peer Consultants will conduct future community cultural
assessments.
Several communities participated in the Cultural Assessment Project:
Avondale, Bisbee, Casa Grande, Eagar, Flagstaff, Glendale, Goodyear, Holbrook,
Lake Havasu City, Litchfield Park, Mesa, Page, Payson, Peoria, Prescott, Sierra
Vista, Yuma, Taylor, Tempe, Litchfield Park, Payson, Goodyear, Mesa, Sedona,
Sierra Vista, Snowflake, Tempe, Winslow, Yuma. The process is flexible and
adaptable to specific needs of a community. Each cultural assessment produced
different results; for example, Sedona, Tempe, Sierra Vista and Yuma hired
fulltime managers for their Arts Commissions.
Before the cultural assessment, community leaders were targeted for
interviews and community support was cultivated for the project. The press was
involved and as many people as possible were informed about the assessment and
their participation encouraged. Once the assessment began numerous meetings were
arranged with key community members such as the Chamber of Commerce leaders,
city staff, education leaders, individual artists, leaders from minority/ethnic
cultures within/nearby the community, local arts organizations, local media,
mayor and council members and private and corporate funders. Each meeting was
short—maximum forty-five minutes—and involved a group of people.To define a
culture, unique to each community's heritage, resources and blend of ethnic and
racial populations, is a challenging task. Time is needed to reflect, to ask
questions and to learn. When examining a community's culture all other issues
must be placed in a broader context. Then a community's cultural resources
become building blocks for every aspect of community development, from schools
to Main Street re-development, from social services to tourism. Focusing on
cultural needs can have the effect of transforming and revitalizing programs and
organizations throughout the community.
Many Arizona communities share the challenge of maintaining an enviable
quality of life and sense of identity as they double and re-double in
population. Cultural development can play a major role in maintaining a small
town feeling while planning to weave the arts into the fabric of community life.
Artists and arts advocates share with their neighbors a concern to maintain as
much as possible of the community's ambience. This concern presents numerous
opportunities for productive collaborations between the arts and other
organizations concerned with growth in their community—local arts agencies
working with Chambers of Commerce, city departments of parks and recreation or
leisure services, school districts and service clubs. In some communities this
can mean integrating the arts into the restoration of a revitalized downtown; or
capitalizing on a diverse population to develop a rich cultural life for all
groups.In several Arizona communities the potential impact of existing cultural
activity is not fully realized. The cultural assessment can help to focus not
only on the needs of the community, but also on how existing arts, business,
economic development and hospitality organizations can work together to coalesce
what is already there, and to pinpoint where there are gaps to be filled—such as
a need for cultural facilities or arts activities for teenagers or access to a
wider range of arts activities.Cultural assessments were carried out with
twenty-eight communities, ranging from urban Tempe, with a major university, to
the rural isolated and insulated communities of Snowflake and Taylor; from
Sierra Vista and Winslow with their broad cultural diversity, to the close knit
homogenous community of Litchfield Park.
The cultural assessment process is not a quick fix for surface problems.
Rather it pushes a community to uncover underlying issues—to consider policies,
structures and financial support for cultural development. It is important that
a community review the cultural assessment and through a public process set
priorities which can develop into an action plan. Everyone who participated in
the interviews and the community-at-large should be encouraged to become
involved. The arts community in each participating town has the opportunity to
contribute to the community's overall development through planning for and
implementing policies that enhance their community's quality of life.
1994 - THE ANTI-DRUG
A.P.P.L.E. CORPS
By Rose McBride, Anti-Drug A.P.P.L.E. Corps
Coordinator, Arizona Commission on the Arts.
It's three o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon, and the final school bell has
rung. Do you know where your children are?
If your children are students at Cottonwood Elementary School in Casa Grande,
Arizona, they're in the school cafeteria, learning about African folk tales,
dance and music. "These guys have never played an African drum before," says
guest artist Keith Johnson, referring to two boys who are busily teaching the
drumbeats they've learned to their after-school classmates, "but they've
practiced enough in the last couple of days that they can teach the others a
simple beat. And that makes them leaders in this group of kids." As participants
in an after-school program run by the town's Parks and Recreation Department,
the grade-schoolers are spending two weeks with Johnson in an Anti-Drug
A.P.P.L.E. Corps residency.
As a special program of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the A.P.P.L.E
Corps provides grants to after-school programs in schools, community centers,
and parks and recreation programs across the state to fund guest artist
residencies. Its prevailing purpose is to facilitate and support programs that
help Arizona's children, families and communities reject drugs. The A.P.P.L.E.
Corps is a partnership of Artists, Private enterprise. Prosecutors, Law
enforcement officials and Educators. These partners are unified by the belief
that experiences in the arts are opportunities to build confidence, self-esteem
and pride, providing children and adults with productive activities that
strengthen the resolve to turn away from substance abuse. During its five-year
history, the A.P.P.L.E. Corps has reached nearly 33,000 students, educators,
after-school program staff and parents across the state of Arizona. It is
currently funded by the State and Regional Program of the National Endowment for
the Arts and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Developing New Partners
The origin of this unique partnership dates to 1989. At that time, the
lobbying efforts of the statewide arts advocacy organization, Arizonans for
Cultural Development, and the Arizona Commission on the Arts resulted in the
establishment of an increased fee for profit-making corporations filing annually
with the Arizona Corporation Commission. The fees created the Arizona Arts Trust
Fund, a fund of approximately one million dollars annually, which in addition to
the state appropriation to the Arts Commission was dedicated solely to the
Arizona arts community.
Immediately after the Fund was established, a strong movement began in the
Arizona State Legislature to divert the arts money to non-arts programs that
addressed crime prevention. Although not previously allied with the arts
community nor responsible for the administration of the Fund, the Maricopa
County Attorney, Richard M. Romley, spontaneously stepped forward to speak out
against shifting the money away from arts-based programs to crime prevention
programs.
"After studying the issue I decided not to support the transfer of these
monies to law enforcement." Said Romley, in his recent testimony before the
United States House of Representatives Sub-committee on funding for the National
Endowment for the Arts. "In view of my position as a prosecutor, my opposition
to transferring more money to law enforcement surprised some. However, I
believed then, as I do today, that if we abandon the positive contributions of
art to our society in order to fight the drug war, then the drug dealers have
won again. They should not be permitted to take from our community that which is
good."
Romley initiated a lobbying effort and eventually persuaded state legislators
not to divert the Arizona Arts Trust Fund to non-arts programs. His leadership
also opened the door for two diverse groups – the arts community and law
enforcement - to come together and explore solutions to the extraordinarily
complex problem of drug abuse. During early brainstorming sessions, several
mutual beliefs surfaced: that unusual, creative partnerships were required to
address issues of drug abuse, and that the arts had special qualities that could
be applied to such partnerships. Resolving to seek additional community input,
representatives from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, Arizonans for
Cultural Development and the Arizona Commission on the Arts approached the
Phoenix Police Department, the Arizona Department of Education, local artists,
arts organizations and arts agencies. This varied cross-section nonetheless
shared common ground. With the gathering of these proponents, the A.P.P.L.E.
Corps was formed - a partnership based on the premise that drug problems pose a
serious threat to the community and that creative solutions from all parts of
the community would be necessary to create change.Recognizing a New Constituency
Initially, the A.P.P.L.E. Corps functioned as a resource listing of arts
groups across the state offering programs with an anti-drug message for
school-age audiences. When the Arizona Department of Education announced that
schools would be permitted to use drug prevention funds for arts events, it soon
became clear that the demand for anti-drug arts programming would exceed the
availability of such offerings. In his role as County Attorney, Romley had
direct access to the Maricopa County Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund (or RICO
fund), which is derived from assets seized from drug dealers. Demonstrating his
commitment to the A.P.P.L.E. Corps, Romley awarded $20,000 from the RICO Fund to
the Arizona Commission on the Arts to re-grant to arts organizations for the
development of programs with anti-drug themes. Immediately afterward, Romley
further strengthened the partnership between the arts and law enforcement by
successfully advocating that the legislative language on the uses of RICO funds
be broadened to include prevention programs.
While researching new outlets for serving Arizona's youth through the
A.P.P.L.E. Corps, the Arts Commission became aware of the increasing number of
quality after-school programs across the state, which often lacked both arts
programming and the opportunity to receive arts funding. Further, after-school
programs were operating in a variety of community-based settings, such as
YMCA's, Boys and Girls Clubs', and parks and recreation centers, but were not
participating in any of the Commission's funding programs. Since they operate
during hours when children are often not supervised, the connection with
potentially at-risk youth was clear. "Today, all kids are at-risk, some to a
higher degree than others because of environmental factors such as poverty,
crime and abuse." says Linda Siciliano, child care director at Phoenix's South
Mountain YMCA, "but the kids who are most at-risk are those who are alone
after-school. Teen sex, drug use, gang activity - these things are most
prevalent when the school day ends and there's nothing else to do." According to
Pam Willier, Recreation Coordinator for the Phoenix Parks, Recreation and
Library Department, "One of the problems facing kids is the abundance of free
time, especially after school. One of the things we try to do is fill that time
with positive activities - and that doesn't mean just volleyball and basketball.
The arts should be a part of it, too, and can really hook a kid and steer him
into a positive direction." With these considerations in mind, the Arts
Commission identified after-school programs as ideal candidates for a new
funding program. Subsequently, grants were sought and received from the National
Endowment for the Arts and the Maricopa County RICO fund to develop a program
that would connect after-school programs statewide with artists and arts
organizations.
Getting Started
After-school program directors immediately responded with excitement. Recalls
Gwen Worthington, Community Education Director of Phoenix's Creighton School
District, "My first thought was thatfinally we would have an opportunity - and
the means - to enrich our after-school program through the arts, in a way that
addressed our specific needs. Other grant programs were not as accessible to us,
because they were limited to a regular school day schedule. But learning
continues throughout the day."
Eligible applicants, who were defined as established after-school programs
affiliated with parks and recreation programs, neighborhood centers, boys and
girls clubs or school districts, were encouraged to apply to the Arts Commission
through a competitive process. Funding priority would be given to sites with
limited access to arts programming, sites with youth populations at a high risk
for drug abuse and gang involvement, or sites located in rural communities.
Applicants also had to demonstrate their administrative capability to complete
the project, that their projects focused primarily on increasing staff skills in
the arts and working directly with children, and that they had worked
collaboratively with the guest artist in planning the project.
The Residency Design - Achieving Goals Through Multiple
Activities
To date, 78 A.P.P.L.E. Corps grants have been awarded. Since some grantees
choose to use their funds at more than one site, a total of 174 separate
after-school programs will have participated in residencies by the end of the
1994-95 school year. Projects have featured diverse artists and disciplines,
with a wide variety of structures. In each of the projects, after-school program
directors selected artists from the Commission's Artist Roster. After-school
program directors and artists collaborate to develop short-term residencies
featuring three types of activities: staff training, workshops for children and
professional presentations of the artists' work for the community.
In training sessions with after-school staff, artists concentrate on
increasing skills in the chosen arts discipline, using videotapes, slide shows,
lesson plans and the same hands-on activities that will be presented during
workshops with children. The benefits of the arts in building communication
skills, promoting creativity and encouraging self-expression - all tools in drug
prevention - are also emphasized. "I particularly liked the hands-on experiences
the staff received as they made their own puppets and experienced success at
creating something of their own design," said Nancy Kiser, After-school Program
Director Phoenix's Alhambra School District in response to a puppetry residency,
"I believe that they have found a creativeness and resourcefulness that they did
not realize they possessed." Helping after-school staff to develop skills and
ideas for using the arts to work with kids during and more importantly, after
the project is the primary goal. "The beauty of this program is in the staff
training," says Gwen Worthington, "After-school programs have a very high
student turnover from the beginning to the end of each year, so a project that
includes exciting, lively experiences specifically for staff really has an
impact. Maybe it's not seen immediately, but the artist's influence is
long-lasting and pervasive. We could never have trained our staff in the way
that the artists have."
Artists also work directly with the children, in workshops which don't
necessarily focus on anti-drug themes, but which do use the experience of making
art as a vehicle for practicing cooperation, finding alternate solutions to
conflicts, and increasing pride, self-esteem and confidence. "We wanted the kids
to realize that they have talents and abilities and a valuable contribution to
make," said Downtown Phoenix YMCA Executive Director Lisa Druin on her project
with muralist Martin Moreno, "It's a strategy to build their self-esteem and
self-confidence so they won't feel like there's nothing better for them to do
than get involved in drugs and other forms of anti-social behavior." The
resulting mural from the YMCA project is now on display in the cafeteria of
Phoenix's Wilson Elementary School. It is painted on three four-by-eight foot
panels, and depicts shadowy figures of children rising above images of
pollution, crime and poverty. "I've always wanted to paint a mural," said Jose
Lopez, an eight-grader who volunteered his skills to help the grade-schoolers
who participated in the residency. "This was the only chance I'd ever have."
A.P.P.L.E. Corps projects must also include a professional presentation of
the artist's work, and project directors have been very creative in showcasing
their guest artists. Residents of Page, a rural community on the edge of Navajo
Indian Reservation, had the opportunity to visit the town's only art gallery
during a two-week exhibition of Navajo rugs and jewelry crafted by artist Nanaba
Aragon, who presented a residency at Page Middle School. The Scottsdale
Recreation Division, in preparation for a project with muralist Martin Moreno,
held a public meeting for residents living adjacent to the site where a large
outdoor mural was to be painted. Moreno discussed the history of mural art,
presented a slide lecture of his own work, and described the process through
which the mural would be developed. Once a magnet for spray-paint vandals, the
wall on which the mural was painted remains graffiti-free more than a year after
its completion.
A Challenge With Rewards
Artists have universally found that working in after-school programs is a
challenging endeavor – with many rewards. "It was a totally new experience,
working with the South Tucson Youth Center and the children involved in the
after-school program," said Leon Myron, a Native American artist whose
residency, sponsored by the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department, taught
grade-schoolers about traditional Hopi Kachina-doll carving. "They really got me
thinking about how we as artists can give more of ourselves and help change
kids' attitudes about themselves - and about other cultures."Since many of the
projects focus on art-forms that have specific ethnic and cultural origins,
participating students have the chance to learn about another culture first-hand
- a valuable experience in developing respect for others.
Tucson musician Chuck Koesters, who worked with his wife, dancer Anne Bunker,
in a residency with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson, adds, "Most of the
students we worked with were fairly young, and most expressed a real fear of
gangs and drugs. In a community ravaged by gangs and drugs, children have to
'grow up' or 'harden' to survive. I feel our project gave our students a chance
at self-expression that could free them, if only for a moment, of the pressure
from their environment and show them that there is opportunity in choosing a
different way of acting and reacting."
After-school programs have evolved over the last ten years to meet the
changing needs of the family, according to Renee Chambers, community education
director of Madison School District in Phoenix. That means accommodating a wider
age range of kids, allowing for flexible scheduling and attendance and
understanding that the kids have already had a full day of structured classroom
work by the time they get to work with the artist. Still, says mask-maker Maria
Luisa Ruiz, "These kids are wonderful kids. They need after-school activities to
keep them busy, where they can share ideas and interact with each other in a
safe setting. You have to be able to relate to them and become their friend and
respect their traditions." Adds Chambers, "The love that the artist has for his
work is absolutely contagious, and the kids pick up on that when they're working
together." And participating artists have indeed responded by re-evaluating
their ideas and adapting their methods of bringing art to children.
Although A.P.P.L.E. Corps is still a pilot project, participating
after-school directors attest to the impact that arts programming has had on the
kids served by their programs. As Pam Willier says, "The arts have a very
therapuetic value that can help kids communicate their state of mind. It gives
them a chance to express things going on in their lives in a powerful and
unusual way." Project directors have also found that kids are attracted to
after-school programs in larger numbers when an arts project is underway.
Reports Laura Fredericks, project director at Page Middle School, "It was so
great to see the number of kids who wanted to be here instead of on the streets.
Half of our kids were reservation kids, who may never have had this
opportunity." Noreen Wernick, Community Education Director of Sunnyslope
Extended Day Program in Phoenix recognized this benefit as well: "We had many
more children in our program during the residency. Therefore, many more were
with us rather than home alone. This unique opportunity provided new exposure
and opened new doors for our Extended Day program."
Future Directions
After-school programs, whether offered through school districts, parks and
recreation departments, or other community organizations, are here to stay. As
professionals in an increasing and evolving industry, after-school program
directors are continuously fine-tuning their offerings to reflect the changing
needs of the families they're trying to serve. In spite of this, money continues
to be tight. "After-school programs do not typically have funding," says Renee
Chambers, "and that means we have to be very creative in finding new
partnerships, like the one with the Arizona Commission on the Arts, in order to
offer better programs each year."
The dedication of after-school program directors to present quality arts
opportunities to the kids whom they serve cannot be ignored, nor can the
anecdotal evidence that the arts do have an impact on participating youth. "The
Arizona Commission on the Arts is committed to this program. We have reached new
constituents: both students and after-school staffs. This program has challenged
artists to adapt their presentations to non-traditional settings. Based on the
response from the first three years of activity in after-school programs, we
will find the resources for the A.P.P.L.E. Corps to continue," says Shelley
Cohn, the Arts Commission's Executive Director.
"Gangs and drugs are people's attempt to plug the holes of our society and to
reduce the pain of low self-esteem and poverty," Chuck Koesters adds, "It will
be a long process to fill the holes with art instead. But one big advantage is
in the ability of the arts to improve self-esteem and self-worth, through the
students' realization that they can produce something of beauty." Gwen
Worthington agrees, "Anything that enriches a child's life has value, and the
arts, in particular, get through to the soul of a child."
1995 - ARIZONA THEATRE
CONFERENCES 1984-1995
"Write about what you know." - Horton Foote
It was a magic weekend for the 140 theatre professionals from throughout who
attended the 1995 Arizona Theatre Conference in Tucson the first part of June.
The magic was Horton Foote, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright. A man of gentle
elegance and unstinting energy, Foote electrified the conference as he guided
Arizona directors, playwrights, actors and actresses through discussions,
auditions and staged readings of his play The Roads to Home. Known worldwide for
his work in film and on Broadway, the prolific Foote, now 79, is the author of
over forty plays and screen scripts and numerous works for television, spanning
a half century. His Pulitzer Prize winning play. The Young Man from Atlanta, was
produced by the Off Off Broadway company, Signature Theater. His many credits
include film versions of Of Mice and Men starring John Malkovich and To Kill a
Mockingbird directed by Alan Pakula, for which he won an Academy Award. His Trip
to Bountiful opened on Broadway in 1953 starring Lillian Gish and Eva Marie
Saint, and the 1952 Broadway production of The Chase starred Jose Ferrer. Off
Broadway and regional credits include the 1986 production of Tomorrow starring
Robert Duvall, and The Widow Claire starring Matthew Broderick and Hallie Foote.
Other movie credits include The Chase, Baby the Rain Must Fall, Tender Mercies
and Convict.
Opening the Conference, Broadwav director Marshall Mason delivered the
keynote address, "Theatre: An Artform on the Edge of Extinction" in which he
told theatre artists, "The content of our work must be relevant: not just to
current events, like an after school special or a movie of the week, but to the
deeper, spiritual needs of contemporary life. We must dare to be relevant, or we
will be discarded as an unnecessary accessory." "We must learn that breath that
keeps the flame of theater alive." He urged his audience "...not to be
intimidated by the threat of the unknown," instead to ..."welcome the scientific
assistance that a theatre of the 21st Century surely will employ."
Mason is best known for his Tony Award nominated work on Broadway and his
Obie award winning work off Broadway. On Broadway, for his productions of
Lanford Wilson's Redwood Curtain, Burn This, Angels Fall, Fifth of July,
Talley's Folly, Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, William Hoffman's As Is, Knock
Knock, by Jules Feiffer and Albert Innaurato's Gemini. He has won seven Obie
Awards and a Drama Desk Award. Mason was founding artistic director of Circle
Repertory Theatre in New York and currently is a faculty member of the
Department of Theatre at Arizona State University in Tempe.
Workshops and panel discussions rounded out the Conference: "Actors-Save your
Voice, Save your Career," "New Technology Tools for Theatre Design" and
"Establishing Your Theatre's Relevance in Your Community." As the magic weekend
came to a close, inspired participants decided to form a statewide theatre
organization.
The Arizona Commission on the Arts has presented the Arizona Theatre
Conference annually since 1984, always in cooperation with the theatre community
and co-sponsored with Arizona theatre organizations. A statewide theatre
committee planned each conference. The list of co-sponsors includes Valley
Theatre Coalition, Arizona State University, Department of Theatre, Tempe
Municipal Arts Commission, Prescott College, Prescott Fine Arts Association,
Mesa Youtheatre, Xicanindio Artes, Scottsdale Community College, University of
Arizona, Department of Drama, Childsplay and the Herberger Theater Center.
Workshop leaders at every conference have been drawn from the Arizona theatre
community.
The conferences are about excellence and inspiration in theatre. And the
many, well-known and respected guest directors and playwrights have brought
their excellence to the conferences and inspired the theatre professionals who
attended, and who have returned year after year knowing they would find this
excellence and accordingly be inspired. Some of those playwrights and directors
who shared their talents with Arizona theatre people are: Dudley Cocke, artistic
and managing director of the Roadside Theater from Appalachia; Ruben Sierra,
founding artistic director of the Group Theatre Company in Seattle; theatre
critic Sylvie Drake; playwright Sam Smiley, chairman of the Department of Drama
at University of Arizona; playwright Gus Edwards, the foremost playwright for
New York's Negro Ensemble Company and the person responsible for the development
of the multi-ethnic theatre program at Arizona State University; director Jose
Cruz Gonzalez, literary associate at South Coast Repertory Theatre; actor Percy
Granger; playwright Carlos Morion; Robert Alpaugh, former managing director of
Arizona Theatre Company; Ben Cameron, acting director of the National
Endowment for the Arts Theatre Program; playwright Edit Villarreal; Shanny Mow,
artistic director of Fail-mount Theatre of the Deaf in Cleveland; playwright
Estela Portillo Trambley; director Lee Breuer; and Linda Hartzell, artistic
director of Seattle Children's Theatre.
Each conference presented different aspects of theatre for the actors,
actresses, directors, playwrights, designers and other theatre professionals who
attended. This year the conference worked on Horton Foote's play, a departure
from previous years when plays of Arizona playwrights have been chosen to be
developed during the conference by selected director/designer teams. Any
conference participant could audition for a staged reading of a play.
And each conference is remembered for a special happenstance: Reuben Sierra's
one-man performance of I Am Celso at the 1987 conference in Scottsdale; the
special costume fashion show exhibiting some of the finest costumes from
Arizona's past theatre season at the 1993 conference in Prescott; or Tucson Art
Theatre's rendition of Spring Dance this year which brought tears to the eyes of
its playwright, Horton Foote.
Theatre is magic. The Arizona Commission on the Arts is proud to have been a
part of bringing the theatre community together at these conferences and to
provide support for theatres throughout Arizona.
1996 - SOUTHWEST
INDIAN BASKETWEAVERS GATHERING
The Southwest Indian Basketweavers Gathering was held May 18-19, 1996, in Red
Rock State Park in Sedona. This marked the first gathering in Arizona of Native
American basketweavers to come together and celebrate basketweaving traditions.
Under open-sided pavilions, 109 basketweavers from Arizona and seven other
states gathered with their families and their weaving materials for a unique
weekend. Sponsored by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Atlatl (a national
native arts service organization) and the Southwest Intertribal Museums'
Coalition, it provided an opportunity for both expert and emerging basketweavers
from II tribal communities to discuss and share their work. Guests included
Arizona tribal performers and basketweavers/speakers from Oregon, Maine and
California.
Basketweaving traditions are at risk of being lost in tribal communities.
Factors include: 1) diminishing time and interest on the part of younger
individuals to work with a teacher – usually a grandmother or aunt – to master
the traditional techniques; 2) communicating the inherent value of
basketweaving; 3) access to materials on public and private land; 4) pesticides'
effects on native plants; and 5) the growth of farming and metropolitan
communities.The initial spark for this project occurred when several Arizona
basketweavers attended the California Indian Basketweavers Association annual
Gathering, assisted by professional development grants from the Arizona
Commission on the Arts. The weavers participated in a formal planning meeting in
November, 1995 and established three goals for an Arizona event: to encourage
participation by basketweavers and tribal communities; to promote the integrity
of basketweavers; and to provide a comfortable environment in which
basketweavers could work. The Red Rock State Park was selected because of the
flexibility it offered participants to listen to panel discussions, continue to
weave and share information, and attract the outside public.
A welcoming ceremony and blessing opened the Gathering on Saturday morning,
followed by individual introductions by the basketweavers. Each shared their
reasons for attending and the challenges they faced working in their own
community. Open weaving sessions allowed for informal discussions among
basketweavers as they compared materials and described gathering methods.
Baskets in every stage of weaving — from raw materials to completed baskets —
attracted the attention of observers and other weavers. Questions about
materials and techniques were welcomed by the weavers as they examined each
others' hand-collected material, ranging from white, green and yellow bush, red
color-smoked Mormon tea, black sunflower, and willow to devil's claw, bear
grass, and cottonwood strips, stalks and fibers. Some materials were soaked in
water while others were split and sorted. Tools were examined and compared — the
heft of an awl and the relative merits of various blades were the core of
lengthy comparisons.Throughout Saturday's open weaving session, demonstrations
and roundtable discussions were offered. Artists from the Hopi, San Carlos
Apache, Havasupai and Pima tribes shared design and technique demonstrations
with the other weavers. Roundtable discussions, held at the Miller Visitor
Center and facilitated by guest speakers included "Marketing for Basketweavers,"
"Land Stewardship and Basketweaving," "Access to Materials" and "Native Basket
Design: Ethics and Cultural Property." The day ended with an evening of food and
celebration sponsored by the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe.
Sunday's activities opened with a panel presentation "Gathering Together:
Basketweavers Organizing Across Indian Country." Examples of basketweavers'
associations and cooperatives in other states were modeled, resulting in a
commitment to begin organizing an Arizona basketweaver's association. Through
this organization, Arizona Indian basketweavers will be able to focus on
resource sharing, and perpetuation of their traditions.
Following lunch, the Jones Benally Family of Flagstaff performed the Navajo
Basket Dance for the artists as well growing number of the pub who were
gathering for the public market. Hands-on activities for children in the Visitor
Center included making a Plaited Basket, Coiled Basket and Folded Container.
Dozens participated in this fun and educational activity — adults well as
children. Several elders took part, noting afterward that this was their first
foray into basketweaving. A humanities lecture "Arizona Basketweaving: An
Overview" gave other non-weavers a view into the broad spectrum of history,
design and tradition represented in the state.By the end of the weekend, over
550 weavers, tribal community members, residents and tourists had been a part of
the Southwest Indian Basketweavers Gathering, most already asking, "When will
the next Gathering happen?"
1997 -
ARIZONA ARTSHARE: Funding the Arts for the Future
On July 1, 1997, the Arizona Commission on the Arts officially became a
partner in a unique and visionary program. Arizona ArtShare, the state's new
arts endowment fund, became active on that date.
Envisioned by the business community; created by the Governor and Arizona
State Legislature; administered by the State Treasurer and Arizona Commission on
the Arts; partnered with the Arizona Community Foundation and its affiliates and
the Tucson Community Foundation; overseen by a public committee with statewide
arts, culture and business representation; promoted by a cadre of volunteer
communications professionals; and funded by Arizona's citizens, Arizona ArtShare
fills a unique gap in the ecology of Arizona's arts.
In the last several years, Arizona's arts organizations and, by extension,
the communities they serve, have been faced with a new set of challenges. Most
of the state's large institutions have successfully participated in National
Arts Stabilization, a rigorous and extensive process to stabilize financially,
strategically plan and build cash reserves. Mid-size and small arts
organizations are faced with the need to serve fast-growing audiences and
communities and to expand and improve their artistic and educational offerings.
As part of overall reform and improvement, Arizona schools are incorporating new
Standards to measure student achievement, including Arts Standards.
For all arts organizations and educational institutions, public access to the
arts is made possible, in part, through matching grants from the Arizona
Commission on the Arts. These grants support Project and annual General
Operating costs and are reflected in this report.
Added to this picture are Arizona's unique demographic: - an exploding
population that is partially transient and almost totally transplanted, that
does not bring to the state the established family endowments that support
cultural institutions in many eastern U.S. communities, and that has not
developed a habit of contributing to the arts.
Arts, business and elected leaders, taking stock of this situation in 1995
and 1996, decided a different approach was necessary. The approach should not
replace existing contributions and earned revenue to arts organizations, nor
provide a short-term infusion of capital. It should bring together business, the
public sector and individuals to build both a vision and a fund that reflect and
promote long-term planning and fundraising. The approach would not be in
response to a crisis or shortfall, but would be focused on a thoughtful,
long-term vision.
A bill to create the Arizona Arts Endowment Fund — now named Arizona ArtShare
– was introduced in the Arizona State Legislature in early 1996 with a record 62
sponsors. Signed into law on April 15,1996, and becoming effective July 1, 1997,
Arizona ArtShare sets up a special account in the State Treasurer's office to
deposit up to $2 million a year from the existing Commercial Amusement Tax. This
Tax is collected on purchases of tickets to sports and commercial entertainment
events. These revenues go into the fund for 10 years. Private dollars will be
sought to match the public dollars. The partners in this effort are guiding this
private fundraising in three areas. The business community is being asked to
provide corporate contributions; the Community Foundation partners are working
in the areas of planned giving and bequests; and a grassroots campaign to raise
awareness of the arts and raise funds from individual citizens has been
launched. Additionally, individual arts organizations can identify when and if
the time is right for them to begin their own endowment for the long-term
security or growth of their organization and seek private contributions.
Contributions to the fund remain in perpetuity, while the interest generated
will be distributed annually beginning in 1999-2000. Through the Commission's
existing public panel process, the fund's uses will be to:
-
Develop cash reserves to train and stabilize mid-size
arts organizations
-
Maintain working capital reserves for large arts
organizations
-
Train schools to implement and assess Arizona
Department of Education arts standards
-
Increase educational outreach programs
On July 1, 1997, 300 arts, business and community leaders and press
representatives from throughout Arizona launched Arizona ArtShare at an event at
Phoenix Theatre.
On November 7, 1997, over 250 high school students and community members
gathered at Trevor G. Browne High School in west Phoenix. Michael Greene,
President of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, spoke about
the importance of music education and arts education, and the vital role played
by nonprofit arts in supporting the commercial entertainment industry, one of
the country's largest industries.
Attendees at both events were provided with information and materials to
communicate about Arizona ArtShare in their own organizations and communities.
An introductory video presentation, public service print advertisements and live
presentations are also available at no cost to arts organizations, educational
institutions, chambers of commerce or other business or community groups. The
Oversight Committee continues to guide the development of policy and procedures
for Arizona ArtShare. The Strategic Communications Committee meets monthly to
continue to provide research and communications tools to the effort, and to
provide a link to the arts and education communities, ensuring that ideas and
suggestions from the field are folded into the ongoing strategic planning of the
project. A Development Committee plans the corporate fundraising component.
Arizona ArtShare is poised to succeed as a partner in the future of the arts
in Arizona.
1998 - ARIZONA ARTSPLACE
Over the last few years the Commission has been hearing from constituents
about the importance of technology. At Southwest Arts Conferences in 1997 and
1998, the Commission offered well attended workshop sessions on personal
computers and the internet. Clearly, there was a high level of interest in
technology among arts organizations statewide, but because of a lack of
resources, these organizations were behind the curve in relation to technology
as opposed to commercial small businesses throughout the state.
In 1998, the Commission joined forces with the Western States Arts Federation
to survey arts organizations on their current hardware, software and online
capabilities. The results of this survey prompted conversations with Arizona
State University, the Tucson-Pima Arts Council, the Phoenix Arts Commission, and
Business Volunteers for the Arts. Arizona ArtsPlace was born out of the
realization that by joining forces, we could combine our resources to offer an
efficient, statewide program of services that would help move arts organizations
further along the technological curve.
Arizona ArtsPlace is a collaborative program providing Arizona non-profit
arts organizations with multiple ways to develop and/ maximize their online
capabilities. Founding partners are the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Arizona
State University College of Fine Arts, Business Volunteers for the Arts Phoenix
Arts Commission, Tucson/Pima Arts Council and Western States Arts Federation
(WESTAF).
Current opportunities available to Arizona's non-profit arts organizations
include: grants, website design training sessions free server space for
websites; the ArtsComputerCM, and online calendars.
In the first year of this program, Commission funding supported 21 grants to
organizations from metro areas outside of the City of Phoenix, as well as from
rural organizations throughout Arizona. Phoenix Arts Commission funding
supported grant requests from organizations within Phoenix.
The organizations who benefited from Commission funding during the first year
of Arizona ArtsPlace included: Arizona Theatre Company (Tucson), Arts for All,
Inc. (Tucson), Bloodhut Productions (Tucson), Central Arts Collective Gallery
(Tucson), Cross-Cultural Dance Resources (Flagstaff), Flagstaff Festival of the
Arts (Flagstaff), Grand Canyon Music Festival (Grand Canyon), Juneteenth
Festival (Tucson), Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) (Tucson), Orts Theatre of
Dance (Tucson), Sedona Arts Festival (Sedona), Sharlot Hall Museum (Prescott),
Theatrikos Theatre Company (Flagstaff), Tubac Center for the Arts (Tubac),
Tucson Jazz Society, Arizona Alliance for Arts Education (Tempe), Arizona Art
Education Association (Gilbert), Jazz in Arizona, Inc. (Scottsdale) Tempe Arts
Center (Tempe), Theater Works (Peoria), and the West Valley Fine Arts Council
(Litchfield Park).
This multi-level program of support is designed to respond to the wide range
of needs within the arts community: from basic equipment acquisition and website
development and upgrades, to sophisticated database development. Through the
first year of Arizona ArtsPlace, several of the organizations were able to
acquire or upgrade basic equipment, develop internal and external e-mail
systems, hire website consultants, participate in staff website training, and
take the initial steps toward establishing an online presence. These websites
are being used market services and provide information to organization members,
to share information and research among like organizations, to enhance target
marketing to increase touring and residency opportunities, and to link staff
internally with satellite offices.
While many of the services helped organizations establish an initial online
presence through e-mail and developing a website, some of the organizations were
able to begin to realize more sophisticated objectives through the program. "The
Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson was able to begin a project that will have
long-term benefit for artists in southern Arizona. Specifically, they were able
to purchase equipment to scan and digitize artists' work, and to begin to create
an online slide bank of southern Arizona's contemporary artists. As the slide
bank is being developed, they are redesigning their web page to include the
necessary web interface and incorporate the image database. This project will
greatly enhance the visibility of these artists, while providing an important
archive of work for the Museum.
Another project with wide-reaching benefit was designed and implemented by
Cross-Cultural Dance Resources in Flagstaff. Their mission is to research and
preserve ethnic dance traditions from around the world. The assistance they
received from Arizona ArtsPlace helped them create a searchable database of
their current library of dance materials, to upgrade the graphics on their
website, and to create their own domain.
Tubac Center for the Arts, in southern Arizona is in a small, rural town, and
found itself hampered in developing new exhibitions by its geographic isolation.
Through this program, they were able to purchase a new computer, contract with
an internet provider, develop their own multi-page, comprehensive website, and
upload their site on to the Arizona State University ArtsPlace server. They
designed and implemented the site themselves and, as a result, discovered that
"an organization like ours can, in fact, manage technology better than we
thought we could and reap its benefits without having to hire consultants,"
according to Project Director, Janet Hart. "This knowledge had a positive effect
on our organization's capacities, and will effect our future planning process by
enabling us to move ahead with greater confidence." The development of their
online capabilities will allow them to conduct cost effective online research to
find higher quality exhibitions for this isolated rural community.
The Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott was able to link the museum computers in
an intranet, and to upgrade and provide maintenance for their website. These
developments have acted as a technical catalyst for the community to build a
local arts council.
The Arizona Alliance for Arts Education was able to vastly upgrade and expand
their website, which networks an extensive audience of people interested in arts
education. The site is heavily used for information on arts education research,
Arizona Arts Standards, and provides national links for the arts education
community.
Several organizations were able to enhance their marketing activities through
improving their online capabilities. The Tucson Jazz Society created an e-mail
mailing list to more efficiently promote their jazz series to their members. The
Grand Canyon Music Festival created an electronic newsletter and mailing list,
and purchased banner advertising to direct internet users to their website.
Arizona ArtsPlace is a unique collaborative effort among several
organizations statewide that has proved highly successful in helping Arizona
non-profit arts organizations begin to reach technological parity with the
state's commercial small businesses.
The Commission is committed to participating in this successful collaboration
in the future, to ensure an on-going multi-leveled program of support. Arizona
ArtsPlace will enable these organizations to continue to maximize their online
capabilities for cost effective marketing of their programs and services,
efficient and timely communication with their constituents and expanded research
capabilities.
1999 - SCHOOL TO WORK
School to Work is a federally funded program designed to bring businesses and
schools together to create meaningful work experiences for students. The program
is designed to be comprehensive -involving all businesses and careers and
reaching all students at all age levels. Throughout the country, school to work
programs are designed at the state-wide level. In Arizona, 10 partnerships are
set up at the regional level, representing geographic areas of the state.
In 1998, the Arizona Department of Commerce designed a new partnership
concept for Maricopa County based around the GSPED (Governor's Strategic Plan
for Economic Development) Industry Clusters and Foundations. Eight proposals
were accepted, including the Arts and Humanities Partnership.
During the 1998-99 school year, the Arts and Humanities School to Work
(STW)Partnership was designed around 7 school districts in Maricopa County and
arts and humanities businesses. The program introduced students to careers
available in the arts, ranging from arts management to fundraising, set design
to video production. The Arizona Commission on the Arts, the state's arts
agency, acted as the fiscal agent for the partnership.
A printed menu and website listing of activities was offered by the
participating arts organizations and made available to each of the 25
participating schools. Each school site was invited to choose activities from
the menu that best fit the needs of their students. Activities Highlighted
Program included work-site based activities, school based activities, and
connecting activities. In some cases, the school and arts partners developed
additional activities.
The school partners included 25 schools located in the districts of Cave
Creek USD, Glendale Unified High School District, Laveen Elementary SD, Mesa
USD, Murphy Elementary SD, Peoria USD and Tempo Unified High School District, as
well as Victory Charter School.
Arts partners in this program included members of the Arts and Sciences
Education Network (ASEN): Arizona Museum for Youth, Arizona Theatre Company, ASU
Art Museum, ASU Public Events, Ballet Arizona, Childsplay, Great Arizona Puppet
Theater, Phoenix Arts Commission, Phoenix Boys Choir, Phoenix Museum of History,
Phoenix Theatre's Cookie Co., Playwright's Theatre, Scottsdale Center for the
Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary An, Tempe Historical Museum, The Phoenix
Symphony, West Valley Art Museum and the West Valley Fine Arts Council.
The Arts and Humanities STW Partnership originally proposed working with 15
business partners throughout this first contract year, however ultimately 100
business, union, higher education and government partners participated in
activities, exceeding the roll-out plan by 560%.
Additional Arts Partners were added throughout the year, including commercial
arts businesses such as graphic designers and recording companies.
Through the Arts and Humanities School to Work Partnership, up to $3500 per
school was available for partnership programs, and separate funds were available
for transportation and substitute teachers. The Arts and Humanities STW
Partnership provided experiences for students in 25 schools, reaching a total of
10,471 non-duplicated students: 172 classrooms participated in career-related
field trips; 578 classrooms had arts and humanities professionals visit; and 147
classrooms participated in hands-on STW experiences.
The Partnership Governance structure provided several avenues for feedback
and input from all program partners on an on-going basis.
Some examples of specific Arts and Humanities STW projects in career
awareness include the Highland Elementary School (Mesa School District) mural
project, in which all 6th grade students participated in creating a permanent
mural focused on ancient Egypt. Participating arts partners included the Arizona
Museum for Youth, the Phoenix Art Museum and Brenda and William Lunsford, mural
artists. In a culminating event, the 6th graders opened up their mural and
"museum" to the community and students at their school, sharing their artwork
and teaching the younger students about ancient Egypt. The quality of the
artwork was very high, with every single 6th grader creating some part of the
finished mural. This included Students with learning disabilities who experience
challenges with basic skills, but who were able to create beautiful artwork on
this mural. Every student kept track of his or her own work schedule for an
entire month and not one student missed their assignment time. This project was
an outstanding example of curriculum integration, STW opportunities for all
students, including the learning disabled, and students learning about all
aspects of the industry. It was accepted as a 5-Star Outstanding Practice for
the Arts and Humanities Partnership. One 6'h-grader involved in the project was
quoted as saying, "Now I know how hard an artist's job is."
At M.C. Cash Elementary School (Laveen School District) students in grades
K-8 experienced multiple arts events with participating arts and humanities
partners, including Ballet Arizona, Great Arizona Puppet Theatre, Phoenix
Theatre's Cookie Company and Childsplay. Events ranged from question and answer
with Ballet Arizona's dancers, a visit to the Boys Choir's rehearsal hall for a
workshop on costume and prop production for an opera, to Cookie Company's visit
for young students focused on make-up art and costume design. M. C. Cash also
reached out to its partner high school district to attend a performance at South
Mountain High School's Center for the Performing Arts. This connection — across
grades, schools and districts — was the first step in creating a comprehensive
STW system, K-12, for Laveen students.A variety of STW programs and activities
focused on career exploration took place with students in grades 7 and 8. 7th
and 8th grade students from Jack L. Ruban elementary School (Murphy Elementary
School District) attended a field trip to Movemiento Artisticadel Rio Salado
(MARS) Art Space and the Alisa Gallery — art galleries in downtown Phoenix
dealing mainly with Latino/a art. The students were given tours of the gallery
spaces and learned about all aspects of how a gallery is managed, including
business and artistic aspects.Thirty-one students from Brimhall Junior High
School (Mesa Unified School District) participated in a day long visit to the
newly opened Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. They toured the facility and
met members of the museum staff in career orientation sessions where they
learned about curating, marketing, development and fundraising, graphic design
and education.
Other STW projects focused on career preparation and workplace skills. A few
examples include Cactus Shadows High School (Cave Creek Unified School District)
students who worked for two months with Chris McNair of Cam-El Editing learning
about jobs in video production and Thunderbird High School (Glendale UHSD)
students who visited Channel 3's television and radio stations in Phoenix to
learn about that industry. In one such project, fourteen 11-12 graders
participated in a day-long workshop at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
and two of those students went through more extensive training to become junior
docents.
In addition to the many different kinds of programs with the students,
professional development activities were offered to artists, school site
coordinators and arts business partners. Training included orientation to the
STW program, website training and evaluation training for business partners.
Students and teachers throughout the seven participating Maricopa County
school districts felt the success of the School to Work Program. In the future
the Arts and Humanities STW Partnership will focus on increased teacher
professional development in the Arizona Arts Standards and strengthening ties
between academic standards, workplace skills and School to Work activities. The
Arizona Commission on the Arts views the Arts and Humanities STW Partnership in
Maricopa County as a first step towards spreading the STW concept via arts
education statewide.
2000 - ARTIST/TEACHER INSTITUTES
"The Artist/Teacher Institute was one of the most unique and well received
workshops our teachers have ever experienced.... Although many of our art and
music teachers had a reasonable understanding of the arts standards, these
concepts became clear and applicable to our classroom teacher as a result of
this institute, meeting one of our primary goals. " - Linda Ryan, the Curriculum
and Testing Coordinator for the Prescott Unified School District regarding the
Summer 2000 Prescott Artist/Teacher Institute
The Artist Teacher Institutes began as a pilot program in the summer of 1999
to answer the concerns from rural Arizona schools about their lack of resources
and information to implement the Arizona arts standards. Funded and sponsored by
the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Institutes provide rural schools and
districts with intensive on-site participatory workshops in theatre, dance and
visual arts, and ways to use the arts to enhance their teaching in all subjects.
According to Shelley Cohn, Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the
Arts, "The real strength of the Institutes is that they take place in local
communities, where a group of teachers and administrators learn together and can
support each other in integrating what they've learned into their classrooms
after the Institutes are over."
Through a series of community meetings focused on developing its strategic
plan, the Commission discovered the importance of reaching out to rural
communities by supporting convenings such as the Artist Teacher Institutes in
local areas, rather than asking people in rural areas to travel to metropolitan
Phoenix or Tucson. Being site-based allows the Institutes to reach a critical
mass of teachers. In learning and sharing the skills together, they help
reinforce each other's understanding of what they've learned, thus strengthening
their ability to pass these skills on to others.
Arts Learning Director, the Arizona Commission on the Arts Education Director and
the other teaching artists designed a program in which a rural school or
district invites a core group of teaching artists to travel to that community to
work with a group of teachers and administrators over a two-day or three-day
period. The teaching artists were chosen based on their experience working with
teachers and students, their understanding of the Arizona arts standards and
their ability to communicate their art form. Most Institutes have between 28-40
participants. This collective experience is reinforced when the Institute
artists return for a one day follow-up workshop during the school year. These
sessions are designed to reinforce and extend the skills teachers gained during
the initial Institute, and to focus on the specific goals of that community.
Participants are able to share what they've been doing in their classroom, and
to better understand how integrating these arts activities into their classrooms
is helping them implement the Arizona arts standards.
The central metaphor for the Institutes is that of a "through line" -a
central question, image or concept that orients and catalyzes engagement with
any extended learning project. The through line question for the Artist Teacher
Institutes is: "How can teaching with and about the arts help me to reflect upon
and revise my teaching practice to better promote student understanding?" A
typical Artist Teacher Institute involves three levels of participation over a
two to three-day period: experiential (in which everyone learns dance, theatre
and visual arts exercises); reflective (in which all participants assess the
skills that they've learned and reflect on how these skills can be incorporated
into their classrooms, as well as how they implement the arts standards); and
performances of understanding (in which participants use the skills they've
learned to join in small groups to create improvisational scenes, tableaux and
dances, that illustrate what they've learned). This structure—experience,
reflection and creation—models the through line by giving teachers living
examples through their own learning experience of how the arts promote
understanding. The experiential aspect of the Institutes connects teachers
directly to understanding and valuing the arts in learning. Day One begins with
experiential introductions to the different arts disciplines. Teachers are asked
to get up and move: the artists may have them slinking along the floor in a low
liquid crouch, rising up with extended limbs to fill the space, waiting,
stopping, starting, and finding a rhythm. Even the most hesitant soon join in
the fun. Teachers find themselves loosening up, laughing and communicating
together in new ways. "I tend to be very inhibited and I was able to open up a
lot in this group, which will help me in my teaching." (Patagonia Elementary
School teacher)
"The Institutes are hard work, but like all hard
work, the benefits are there in moments of 'ah' and 'wow,' when the material and
method all come together and participants are saying, I can't wait to try this."
- Patrick Elkins Zeglarksi, teaching artist with Summer 2000 Artist/Teacher
Institutes
The participants come to understand the elements of dance: body, space, time,
force, the concept of movement, and the concept of form. They learn to make
sharp and smooth movements, work at different levels, to move in different
directions and to put the elements together and create patterns. They
participate in theatre games involving physical and verbal creativity,
coordination, listening, waiting and cooperation. They remember the joy of
pretending and the excitement of play. They improvise, use props, create
tableaux, and learn by doing that drama is literature acted out. By physically
participating in these exercises, the teachers experience for themselves how
using dance and theatre as a kinesthetic way of understanding patterns can help
children understand concepts in science, mathematics, history, reading, etc.
"This was one of the very best workshops I have ever attended! This experience
has given me a totally different perspective on what I teach. It involves more
student integration on both a physical, experiential level and a kinetic level.
It takes art beyond just making a picture, to having the students utilize their
whole bodies." (Mike La Pira, middle school art teacher, Ganado Middle School)
The day concludes with teachers and artists together making the connection
between the work the participants have been doing and the arts standards.
Teachers work together in small groups to identify the specific standards that
were addressed and at what level. The artists found that using the
experientially based exercises allowed them a very effective way to make the
standards real for teachers. Teachers were excited at making the connection
between what they'd been doing, how it would work in their classrooms, and how
it implemented the arts standards. "It was particularly useful for us to
participate in the different exercises and discuss our experience as a group."
(Elgin elementary school teacher)
Day Two begins with brief warm ups to get everyone back remembering the work
they did the previous day. Using the basic skills they learned previously,
participants build more sophisticated skills and begin to put the various
elements together. The artists then work with participants to further connect
the work they've done with their everyday curriculum and the standards. Examples
are given in how to connect the arts to teaching math, literature, history,
science, etc.
"It was very useful to hear the teaching artists '
comments about what students will experience and how they will react, how to put
them at ease, and how to make the space truly safe. " (Patagonia Elementary
School teacher)
"By actually having me DO, I learned how I could
USE. " (Elgin Elementary School teacher)
The day concludes with small groups of teachers working together to create
performances of understanding, incorporating what they've learned over the two
three day workshop. Each group has a chance to create and present their
performance and then discuss it with the larger group, making the connections to
the arts standards and to the myriad ways the arts connect to the broadest range
of subject matter. "I've never thought about using movement and dance before.
The teaching artists had useful ideas and creative ways of thinking. Now I can
see dance in math, literature, science, etc." (Duncan Unified School District
teacher) "I will be able to use the concepts and techniques taught immediately
in almost every aspect of our curriculum."(Duncan Unified School District
teacher)
Every Institute participant receives a study guide that includes an outline
of the elements of the Institute and detailed descriptions of the dance, theatre
and visual arts exercises presented. In addition, the study guide includes
information on the Arizona arts standards, a bibliography, a list of useful web
sites, and a list of arts education funding resources in Arizona and nationally.
The Commission provides funding for each Institute's teaching artist faculty
and provides the study guides referencing the Institute work. One-day follow up
workshops are available throughout the school year. The Arizona Commission on
the Arts Education Director and representatives from the hosting school
collaborate to design the Institutes in collaboration with the participating
schools and districts.
Arts Education is a central part of the Arizona Commission on the Arts
strategic plan, and basic to our mission to enhance the artistic development of
all Arizona communities, arts organizations and artists through innovative
partnerships and stewardship of public funds. Dance, music, theatre, literature
and visual arts are everywhere in our lives, adding depth and dimension to the
environment we live in and shaping our experiences, often so deeply or subtly
that we are unaware of their presence. In any civilization, the arts are
inseparable from the very meaning of the term "education." To be truly educated,
one must have knowledge and skills in creating art, art in context, and art as
inquiry—the basis of the Arizona arts standards. In addition to specialized
instruction in the arts, general knowledge and skills will be further enhanced
by integration of the arts across the other curricular areas. As students
continue to use a wide range of subject matter, symbols, images and expressions,
they grow more sophisticated in their knowledge and use of the arts to
investigate, communicate, reason and evaluate the merits of their work. As a
result of developing these capabilities, students arrive at their own knowledge,
beliefs and means for making personal and artistic decisions and are better
prepared to live and work in a constantly changing, expanding society. The
Artist Teacher Institutes give teachers and administrators tools to help bring
these skills to the center of learning. During the initial pilot phase of the
program in the summer of 1999, four summer Artist Teacher Institutes were held
in Humboldt, Holbrook, Nogales and Laveen. Nine artists served as presenters and
132 teachers, arts specialists and administrators participated. During the
summer of 2000, two day Artist Teacher Institutes were held in Prescott, Oak
Creek, Elgin, Ganado, and Duncan with eight artists and 164 teachers, arts
specialists and administrators participating.
Artist Teacher Institute Teacher Artist Faculty
1999 - Lorenzo Aragon: Theatre — Arizona Artist Roster Artist Gregory Gurley:
Theatre — Arizona Artist Roster Artist Kathy Lindholm Lane: Dance — University
Educator Arts Learning Director: Dance/Arts Standards — University Educator, ACA Staff
Alan Prewitt: Theatre — Arizona Artist Roster Artist Amy Sweeney McBroom: Visual
Arts —Certified Arts Educator Sam: Arts Standards —Certified Arts Educator,
Arizona Artist Roster Artist
2000 - Gregory Gurley: Theatre — Arizona Artist Roster Artist Kathy Lindholm
Lane: Dance — University Educator Karen Husted: Theatre — University Educator
Arts Learning Director: Dance/Arts Standards — University Educator, ACA Staff Alan
Prewitt: Theatre — Arizona Artist Roster Artist Susan Southard: Theatre —
Arizona Artist Roster Artist Patrick Elkins Zeglarski — University, Artist in
Residence
2001 - ARTABILITY -
Accessing Arizona's Arts
In 1998, Arizona's arts organizations were struggling in their attempts to
involve audience members and artists with disabilities. American Sign
Language-interpreted and audio-described programs were occasionally offered but
attracted only small numbers of deaf or blind audience members; information on
the needs of audience members with disabilities was not consistent throughout
arts organizations; and members of the public with disabilities had no
consistent way of learning about accessible arts events.
A key leader in accessible programming was Arizona Theatre Company, which had
made connecting to people with disabilities a priority by focusing on
introducing audio description to Arizona. They received a National Endowment for
the Arts grant to initiate these services, and to share the describers and
equipment with other arts organizations. Arts for All/Third St. Kids partnered
on this outreach. Quickly realizing the statewide value of a coordinated
program, ATC, the Arizona Commission on the Arts and other arts organizations
which had provided leadership in accessible programming convened community
meetings in Tucson and Phoenix. These conversations overwhelmingly affirmed the
need for a quality-driven community-wide program to focus on making arts events
accessible and enriching experiences for all members of the community,
regardless of disability. With estimates of 289,000 Arizonans with disabilities,
and 640 arts organizations, the need was obvious.
ARTability was created as this statewide program in 1999. The Commission
provided a general operating support of $6,000, and more than 25 other arts and
disability organizations joined as partners, committing funding and/or in-kind
services. Founding partners committed to participate for an initial three-year
period, recognizing that the building of relationships between the arts
organizations and disability community was a long-term effort. A full-time
coordinator was hired. With a background in theatre and business administration,
Cindy Brown brought a unique combination of skills including a theatre
background and business/administrative experience, as well as her personal
experience as an artist who developed a disability after establishing her
career. A Steering Committee representing the arts and disability communities
was formed.
ARTability and its coordinator jumped into action immediately, providing such
a wide range of services and information. Initial activities included developing
a quarterly newsletter with ARTability information and calendars of accessible
arts events in Phoenix and Tucson; providing training to "front of house"
individuals (box office representatives, docents and ushers who interact with
patrons) on disability issues and sensitivity; attracting new consortium members
and identifying additional funding sources; and speaking at a wide variety of
community events.
ARTability's reputation quickly grew, and in its second year of operation its
coordinator became a regular guest on KXCI Radio and Sun Sounds Radio as well as
making guest appearances on KTAR Radio; was requested as a guest speaker,
committee member and grants panelist both in- and out-of-state; and increased
the amount and type of technical assistance available. Brown has advised
facilities on issues of accessible design, including the Herberger Theater
Center, Orpheum Theatre, and the in-design-phase Mesa Arts Center and Tempe
Performing Arts Center. More than 1,000 ushers, docents, volunteers and staff
receive training each year, and ARTability Summits now take place twice a year,
providing panel presentations and workshops on issues such as use of TTY
machines for deaf and speech-impaired callers, box office and facility seating
issues for patrons with limited mobility or who use wheelchairs or guide
animals, and ARTability became known as a connection for artists with
disabilities, who often feel isolated from each other. The Arizona Commission on
the Arts received the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies' 2000 National
Innovation Award on behalf of ARTability, and ARTability was awarded a very
competitive National Endowment for the Arts grant for expanding its services and
programs.
ARTability is the only statewide program of its kind in the country. Since
its inception, ARTability has built its consortium to more than 40 partners, all
of whom provide cash or substantial in-kind support; has attracted a pool of
committed and talented volunteers; has grown its mailing list from 0 to more
than 2,500; has developed a website with calendars of accessible events and
consortium-member links; has garnered media coverage in, among others, the
Arizona Republic, The Business Journal, New Times, Phoenix Magazine, The Tribune
Newspapers, BackStage, Channel 15 (Phoenix) and KTAR (Phoenix). Outreach has
expanded beyond its initial service areas of Tucson and Phoenix to Prescott,
Wickenburg and Flagstaff.
Arts organizations adding accommodations with ARTability's technical
assistance and promotion include Prescott Fine Arts Association, Arizona Arts
Chorale, Sharlot Hall Museum, East Valley Children's Theater, Arizona Jewish
Theatre, Phoenix Theatre and Cookie Company, Valley Youth Theatre, Theatre Works
and UApresents. The Herberger Theater Center "Ambassador Usher" program, a cadre
of ushers participating in ongoing disability training, is now expanding to
serve other downtown Phoenix venues.
Nearing completion of its third year of existence, ARTability is preparing to
enter its next phase, re-assessing its program priorities through dialogue with
both the arts and disability communities. The potential for increasing access to
all Arizonans is just beginning to be tapped. ARTability serves as an example of
the power of combined resources and action to make a difference in the
community.
What is ARTability?
ARTability acts as a bridge between arts organizations and the disability
community by:
-
Acting as a resource to arts and cultural organizations
-
Promoting accessible arts events to the disability
community
-
Promoting arts-related accessibility services
-
Furthering a sense of community
-
Making a variety of arts experiences available and
accessible to all
-
What kinds of arts events has ARTability helped to
organize, enhance or promote?
-
Artists Without Bounds: A self-guided tour of artwork
throughout the Valley created by artists with disabilities
-
Theatre and opera events which are audio-described for
audience members who are blind or have low vision
-
American Sign Language-interpreted performing arts
events for audience members who are deaf
-
Tactile tours of museum exhibits and theatre events for
people who are blind or have low-vision
-
Art and dance workshops for adults with physical
disabilities
-
Radio theatre productions broadcast by Sun Sounds
Radio, an information access service for the blind and visually impaired
-
Trainings to improve the quality of audio description
and American Sign Language-interpretation services for arts events
-
An original theatre production based on the
autobiography of an adult with cerebral palsy
-
"Low Dough" shows - theatre, music, visual arts and
crafts events and poetry readings which cost $5 and under to attend
-
A photography exhibit which has as its subject breast
cancer survivors and a painting exhibit of portraits of young people with
disabilities
-
An arts festival featuring musical, dance and drama
performances and visual artwork by U.S. veterans
-
National exhibition and writing competitions for
artists with disabilities
ARTability Consortium Members (as of 12/31/01)
-
Actors Theatre of Phoenix
-
Arizona Bridge to Independent Living
-
Arizona Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired
-
Arizona Commission on the Arts
-
Arizona Council for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing
-
Arizona Office for Americans with Disabilities
-
Arizona Opera
-
ASU College of Fine Arts
-
ASU Public Events
-
Arizona Jewish Theatre
-
Arizona Theatre Company
-
Area Agency on Aging
-
Arts for All, Inc.
-
Borderlands Theatre
-
Childsplay, Inc.
-
DIRECT
-
East Valley Children’s TheatreEssential Theatre
-
Great Arizona Puppet Theatre
-
Governor’s Council on DDHeard Museum
-
Herberger Theater Center
-
Invisible Theatre
-
Marathon Marketing
-
Mesa Arts Center
-
Orpheum Theatre
-
Phoenix Art Museum
-
Phoenix Arts Commission
-
Phoenix Boys Choir
-
Phoenix Museum of History
-
Phoenix Symphony
-
Phoenix Theatre/Cookie Co.
-
Prescott Fine Arts Association
-
Pueblo Grande Museum
-
Scottsdale Cultural Council
-
Sharlot Hall Museum
-
Southwest Shakespeare Company
-
Sun Sounds
-
Tempe Cultural Services
-
Tucson Pima Arts Council
-
UA Presents
-
Valley Center of the Deaf
-
Valley Youth Theatre
-
VSA Arts
-
West Valley Art Museum
-
West Valley Fine Arts Council
-
Yavapai Blind Center
The list above includes consortium partners who have provided financial or
in-kind support as of 12/20/01
Additional funding provided by the Arizona Community Foundation, the ELA
Foundation, BP Amoco p.I.c, the Pacific Disability and Business Technical
Center, the Marshall Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts
The Arizona Commission on the Arts (ACA) has an extensive, twenty-six year
history of facilitating and supporting international arts projects that provide
engaging cultural experiences for artists and communities of Arizona and Mexico.
The range of projects includes performing arts cultural exchanges with Mexico,
collaborations between artists and creators on both sides of the border and ACA
Staff contributions at international cultural policy forums such as the
Arizona–Mexico Commission Arts & Culture Committee.
In 2003, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, through its constituent
organizations, supported the representation of Arizona artists, from a variety
of disciplines, at major international festivals and exhibitions and exposed
residents in Arizona communities to international artists visiting the state.
These successful events contributed to the quality of life, as well as provided
significant economic impact to, a variety of communities on both sides of the
border. Listed below are several recent international projects supported by the
Arizona Commission on the Arts in cooperation with other public and private
partners and sponsors of the United States and Mexico.
Several artistic exchanges involving performing artists from Arizona and
Mexico were coordinated between Arizona and the Mexican states of Sonora and
Sinaloa:
Arizona Commission on the Arts and the U.S. regional arts service
organization, Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) jointly supported The Salt
River Pima–Maricopa Basket Dancers–a co-ed group of native youth from the Salt
River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community–to perform at Culiacan and Los Mochis,
Sinaloa as part of El Quinto Encuentro Yoreme Sinaloa (May 27–June 2).
The Basket Dancers performed ancient tribal dances honoring seasonal rites of
passage and were accompanied on their trip by traditional healers of the Tohono
O’odham and Pascua Yaqui tribes. The fifth annual celebration of indigenous
culture was sponsored by Direccion de Investigacion Y Fomento de Cultura
Regional (DIFOCUR)–Sinaloa, Sonora’s state arts agency, and El Consejo Nacional
para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA), Mexico’s national council for arts and
culture and funder of the arts.
Arizona Commission on the Arts and El Instituto Cultural de Tucson supported
Yoremem Compania Indigena (YCI), a group of native performers from Los Mochis,
Sinaloa, to participate in the Pasqua Yaqui 25 th Annual Recognition Day
Celebration commemorating the Tribe’s 25 th year as a federally recognized
Native American Tribe. The festival also celebrated the common cultural history
shared by Arizona Yaquis and their Yoremem (Mayo) brethren in the Republic of
Mexico. While in Tucson, supported Yoremem Compania Indigena also performed at
the Mexican Independence Day Celebration and at a bi-national environmental
education conference of the University of Arizona.
Musica Dolce at XIX Festival Cultural Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado (January
24–February 1)
The early music ensemble, Musica Dolce (Phoenix), received joint support
Arizona Commission on the Arts and El Instituto Sonorense de Cultura to
participate in the XIX Festival Cultural Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado (January
24–February 1) in Alamos, Sonora sponsored by: the State of Sonora; CONACULTA;
The City of Alamos, and others. Their audience pleasing performance featured
music of the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods. Musica Dolce has
previously performed in Mexico at the Cervantino Festival in Guanajuato, GTO.
Several musical groups from northern Mexico performed at the 17 th Annual
Norteño Music Festival (Aug 22–23) organized by the Pio Decimo Center, located
in the Barrio Santa Rosa near downtown Tucson. The Norteño Music Festival
provided free performances by over 200 musicians from rural areas, Native
American reservations, and Sonora to a daily audience of 15,000 people.
Arizona Commission on the Arts supported El Instituto Cultural Mexicano de
Tucson Dia de los Muertos Festival at the Tucson Children’s Museum that featured
workshops by artists, Rosa Maria Ceballos, of Hermosillo, Sonora and others from
Museo Cultural Populares. More than 1,000 Arizona children participated in the
free artists workshops.
Visual artist and University of Arizona professor of art, Alfred Quiroz
(Tucson), collaborated with Yonke Public Art Workshop, a team of artists from
Nogales, Sonora to create 16 large-scale, cutout aluminum figures using
pre-Columbian codex imagery mixed with international symbols and "milagros." The
polychrome sculptures will be temporarily installed on the Mexican side of the
border at Nogales and San Luis, R.C. as a visual description of the flow of
immigration between Mexico and the United States. Quiroz credits the Arizona
Commission on the Arts for supporting his professional development as an artist
which helped him win a 2003 Fulbright–Garcia Robles Border Arts Fellowship to
create a separate collaborative mural project on the campus of La Universidad
Technologia de Nogales.
Mexican Consulate Partners with Cultural Council of Yuma for Hispanic
Heritage Month
Arizona Commission on the Arts supported the Cultural Council of Yuma with
The Mexican Consulate to present a photographic exhibition of the work of Manuel
Alvarez Bravo, the father of modern art photography in Mexico, shown at the
Arizona Western College campus in Yuma, AZ in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Consulate also provided an entry for the Yuma Dia de los Muertos Celebration
Altar Contest that included participation of schools from San Luis, R.C., Mexico
and attracted more than 10,000 people from Yuma and neighboring towns. In 2003,
The Cultural Council of Yuma continued its long history of cross-border cultural
activity with the neighboring community of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.
Through grant support from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, Beyond
Borders, Inc. (www.beyondbordersbinationalart.org) fosters the creation of
contemporary art that challenges viewers’ perceptions of border issues. They
commissioned Nogales, Sonora artists Alberto Morackis and Guadalupe Serrano, of
the Yonke Public Art Workshop (www.muralesfrontera.org), to craft four 14-ft.
human, metal sculptures that were installed along the border wall in Nogales,
Sonora and dedicated on January 19, 2003 by Mayor Abraham Zaied. Other
supporters of the project included The Arizona–Mexico Commission, Instituto
Sonorense de Cultura, and Nogales, AZ Mayor Marco Lopez.
Promoting Cultural Tourism through the Arts: Tri-national Exhibition Honors
Father Kino
The Arizona Commission on the Arts International Program co-sponsored the
tri-national visual arts exhibition, Homage to Father Kino: A Cultural
Exchange Among the United States, Mexico, and Italy in cooperation with the
Tucson Mexico Sister Cities Committee (Cd. Obregon, Sonora), the Secretaría de
Fomento al Turismo Sonorense, and La Associazione Culturale P. Eusebio F. Chini
of Segno, Italy the birthplace of Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino, the 17 th
Century Jesuit missionary whose remains are enshrined in Magdalena, Sonora. The
exhibition featured artwork honoring Father Kino created by artists of all three
countries and traveled to the states of Arizona, Sonora and Trento, Italy in
2002-03.
History-Making Collaboration with Arizona Artist and Mexican Business
Benefits Charity
After a successful tour throughout Mexico, The Arizona Commission on the Arts
circulated La Loteria: An Exploration of Mexico, an installation of
contemporary paintings created by Arizona artist, Teresa Villegas, based on
imagery from the popular Mexican, bingo-like game of chance. The exhibition’s
purpose was to inspire interest, understanding and dialog between the people of
the United States and Mexico. Additional support was provided by the National
Endowment for the Arts and Don Clemente Gallo Pasatiempos S.A. de C.V., the
Mexican producers of the Loteria game. Don Clemente Gallo printed a
history-making special edition Loteria game using Villegas’s artwork (The
original Loteria images have remained unchanged for over 100 years) with
proceeds from the sales benefiting Fundacion Ayuda Infantil–Mexico (Save the
Children–Mexico). To view La Loteria please visit
(www.teresavillegas.com).
The Arizona Commission on the Arts in conjunction with The Northern Arizona
University Center for Excellence in Education held an Artists Teacher Institute
in Nogales, AZ attended by approximately 70 present and future educators from
Nogales, AZ and Sonora. The two-day Artists Teachers Institute offered
professional development training that provided strategies and tools for
teaching with and about the arts and helped the classroom teachers, arts
specialists, and administrators value the arts and link their classroom
curriculum to the state arts standards.
Arizona Commission on the Arts Staff Produces Play with Children of Mata
Ortiz, Chihuahua
In July 2003, Arizona Commission on the Arts Arts Education Program Director,
Arts Learning Director conducted a 10-day children’s theater workshop with kids in Mata
Ortiz, Chihuahua that resulted in a play called, La Capatina Roja (Little Red
Riding Hood) featuring Pancho Villa as the Big Bad Wolf. A community audience of
more than 300 people saw the play free of charge. Arizona Commission on the Arts
coordinated with the Patagonia Creative Arts Association (AZ) to organize and
produce this community theater project.
Arizona Commission on the Arts Staff continued to serve as Co-Chair of the
Arts & Cultural Committee with representatives from El Instituto Sonorense de
Cultura.
The State Governments of Arizona and Sonora through the Arts & Culture
Committee of the Arizona–Mexico Commission (AMC) and the Comision
Sonora–Arizona, respectively, enacted the Arizona–Sonora Cultural Exchange
Accord, a declaration of cooperation to enhance cultural, artistic and
historical partnerships throughout the Arizona–Sonora region. Governor
Napolitano of Arizona and Governor López Nogales of Sonora signed the Accord on
June 7, 2003 during the AMC Summer Plenary Session.
In June 2003, Arizona Commission on the Arts staff traveled to Mexico City to
represent Arizona at the Second Binational Congress of U.S./Mexico Arts
Organizations that brought together regional delegates from arts and
cultural organizations from the U.S.–Mexican border region to promote the
development of binational partnerships. The first bi-national regional arts
congress occurred in Chicago in 2002. Both annual convenings were organized by:
The Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) and Arts Midwest, regional arts
service organizations based in Denver, CO and Minneapolis, MN respectively;
Contacto Cultural: Fideicomiso para la Cultura México–EUA (Cultural Contact:
U.S. Fund for Culture); Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (FONCA); The
National Endowment for the Arts; and the U.S. Embassy–Mexico.
Partners of the Americas (www.Partners.net) is a network of citizens from
Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States, who volunteer to work
together to improve the lives of people across the region, through nonpolitical,
community-based activities. In 2003, Arizona Commission on the Arts staff
continued to serve on the Arizona–Mexico Chapter of Partners for the Americas
with members from the Mexican states of Durango and Oaxaca.
A group of seventh graders are sitting at a table with a group of World War
II veterans in Tucson. The young people patiently ask question after question of
their elders. They are methodically collecting the personal stories and historic
photographs from Tucsonians who experienced World War II. One man quietly speaks
about baking bread for the troops at night and working an anti-aircraft gun
during the day. Another man talks about being on the USS Nevada during the Pearl
Harbor attack. A woman explains how she became a pilot in the WASPSs and flew
airplanes. Each story keeps the students spellbound as they listen.
The project is the brainchild of the arts group called Voices: Community
Stories Past & Present. Not only are these students learning research and
writing skills, they also are connecting with the wisdom of their elders,
learning social skills, teamwork and cooperation. The end result will be a small
booklet that collects these oral histories, creating an important archive for
future generations. A teacher writes, “I have watched young people transformed
into mature young adults as they listen and document stories of veterans,
Holocaust survivors and people on the home front.”
Look closer at the program and you’ll see that the state helps sponsor this
event through the Arizona Commission on the Arts. The World War II
Intergenerational Project is just one of hundreds of projects funded by the
state’s Arts Commission. The Arizona Commission on the Arts awarded statewide
grants to arts organizations and schools and through these programs, Arizonans
will have opportunities to participate in community festivals; education
programs in schools and after school; performances, exhibitions, readings,
lectures and workshops in the performing, visual, literary and folk arts.
If you look where the grants go, you’ll see projects taking place in every
country of the state, all in partnership with schools and arts organizations of
all sizes and arts disciplines. You’ll also be surprised at the broad range of
projects funded, programs that include artists in the classroom in Bullhead
City, a Drug Elimination Family Awareness Program using folklorico dance in
Glendale, a poetry project with students in Tuba City and Tempe’s Childsplay
takes its imaginative theater to more than 300 schools each year. These projects
touch rural Arizona in powerful ways, providing experiences that might never
happen without some sort of seed monies from the state.
How were these projects selected for funding? More than 100 citizens from
around Arizona gathered to review proposals. These panelists brought not only
arts and education expertise but also the values and knowledge of the needs of
their own local communities, making the selection process thoughtful and
well-considered. In the coming year, each of these projects is subjected to
rigorous scrutiny before any funds are issued and each group must be accountable
for how the funds are used.
We are learning that the arts are a kind of glue that holds communities
together. President George W. Bush explains the study and appreciation of the
arts and humanities serve as both a unifying force in society and as a vehicle
for individual expression. We use the arts to communicate with each other.
We also know that the arts play an essential role in education in Arizona and
that’s why 41 percent of the projects involve schools and after-school programs,
giving young people opportunities to create and to learn about other cultures as
well as their own.
As we seek to attract new business to the state, we have learned that these
industries are looking for environments that provide quality education and
quality arts experiences.
The arts also play a key role in the state's tourism strategies. Last year,
more than 8 million people participated in events supported by the Arizona
Commission on the Arts.
In the difficult months after September 11, 2001, people turned time and time
again to the arts for ways to express the inexpressible-and even the unbearable.
The arts provided solace in many ways. The song God Bless America became for a
time a kind of national anthem, sung at almost every public gathering. And while
the arts give us voice in expressing the difficult moments of our lives, they
also bring us joy. Arizona's investment in the arts is repaid many times over.
The arts change people's lives, they improve the quality of our lives and they
make Arizona a better place.
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