She came to Phoenix meaning to paint, but Beatrice Moore, long considered the godmother of the downtown Phoenix arts community, instead wound up in charge. When she discovered there wasn't a local artists coalition, she formed one. That group, known as ArtLink, went on to create and host Art Detour, an annual tour of artist studios and galleries that's been growing by leaps and bounds over the past 20 years. In the early '90s, Moore added to that growth herself by starting a movement to rescue a dozen or so doomed historic buildings. Like everything else she undertakes, the rescue mission had an arty purpose: Moore and partner Tony Zahn have restored the buildings, most of them on dilapidated Grand Avenue, then turned them over to artists to use as galleries and live-work spaces. (Some not without controversy, but that's a story for another day.) Moore's Stop and Look Gallery is among the best known; she's also responsible for saving the historic Bragg's Pie Factory, a place where desserts were once turned out but that today hosts a mess of art and a passel of artists. Moore's latest ventures may be her most exciting yet. She's launching the first Grand Avenue Street Festival this month. And her Kooky Krafts Shop, which just opened, offers for sale her artwork — the project she intended to do when she arrived here almost 25 years ago. Wait 'til you see what she does with vintage bump chenille.

Best of Phoenix 2009 In Photos