Posts Categorized: NextAZ

Engaging residents across Yuma County as valued neighbors and fellow artists, Yuma’s “DIY Mural Project” attracted broad participation in truly innovative ways—including “golden ticket/arts summons” invitations sent randomly via mail to hundreds of county residents—and culminated in resident-painted murals and celebratory community events in Yuma, Somerton, and San Luis, Arizona.

Engaging residents across Yuma County as valued neighbors and fellow artists, Yuma’s “DIY Mural Project” attracted broad participation in truly innovative ways—including “golden ticket/arts summons” invitations sent randomly via mail to hundreds of county residents—and culminated in resident-painted murals and celebratory community events in Yuma, Somerton, and San Luis, Arizona.

Celebrating the creative talents of Tempe residents, “Tempe Playlist: Saturn Sessions” is a locally-inspired audio project, highlighting the diverse sounds of Tempe’s musicians, poets, spoken word artists, emcees, singers, and storytellers, and connecting them to broader audiences. Selected contributors were commissioned for live performances, and recordings were compiled into digital playlists, available online and marketed in partnership with Tempe’s Orbit/Saturn city buses.

Building on resident engagement with the previously established “Globe Rocks” project, Team Globe facilitated an expansive storytelling project, led by young people, meant to increase understanding and help bridge social, racial, and generational divides in the community. Young Globe residents used high-quality video equipment, learned video editing methods, and practiced ethical interview techniques as they captured local stories and shared them at creative community events.

A creative engagement process—uniting Coconino County Adult Probation staff and clients, artists, local business owners, and many other community stakeholders—culminating in a process built on dialogue, and putting artistic practice to work in a mural project that aimed to explore the qualities of healthy relationships, strengthen occupational skills, and foster a greater sense of community belonging.

Sustainable brand creation in and of the historically rich Eastlake area by utilizing various art forms (walking/biking tour, community engagement jazz series, asset mapping and interactive website) to attract residents, Eastlake visitors and new audiences into the Eastlake areas to experience its cultural and historical assets, elevate positive perceptions and contribute to an inclusive and reimagined Eastlake.

Following deep community listening focusing on the history, promise, and lived experiences of the people living and working in the historic border city of Douglas, Arizona, “Reframing Douglas” was born—a series of events and interactions resulting in the installation of interactive sculptural viewfinders as a way to remember and animate places where residents gather, celebrate, and strive.

A community engagement process culminating in a festival of creative experiences in Casa Grande’s downtown Arts and Culture District, reflecting the vision and talents of residents, and a secondary project applying learning from the Mosaic Festival to an artistic revitalization of a century-old vehicle/pedestrian train underpass in the community.

A multidisciplinary community celebration of the history and heritage of Tucson’s historic Barrio Anita neighborhood, meant to preserve and reflect the vital stories of the people who call Barrio Anita home—and giving rise to new creative ventures, strengthened neighborhood bonds, and galvanized community leadership.