Changes Coming to Grand Avenue, Local NEA Grants, and More Metro Phoenix Culture News

Here's a quick roundup of arts and culture news to help you keep up with the city's creative side.

Architecture Awards

Burton Barr Central Library recently received the 2021 Twenty-Five Year Award from the American Institute of Architects, which recognized the 1995 building designed by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects for the ways it reflects the desert landscape and incorporates sustainability. The organization also recognized the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Justice Center in Scottsdale, which was designed by Gould Evans, and the ASU Hayden Library in Tempe, which was designed by Ayers Saint Gross, with 2021 awards.

Civil Rights Memorial

The city of Phoenix is seeking input for the final timeline panel for the civil rights memorial located in Eastlake Park at 16th and Jefferson streets, which will cover the time period from 2000 to 2020. The memorial, which was completed in 1997, highlights key historical figures and events that have had an impact on the civil rights movement during the last 100 years. Community members can make suggestions online or via email through May 31, or attend a virtual task force meeting happening at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 25.

Grand Avenue Changes

Changes could be coming to a Phoenix-owned property at 723 West Polk located near a section of Grand Avenue known for arts and historic preservation. The city is in negotiations with a developer that plans to purchase the property, then build new housing (with a preference for veterans) while preserving some elements of the existing American Legion post. The city is currently making presentations at various meetings, and several small business owners and creatives based on Grand Avenue are hoping to meet with the developer and city to provide additional input about changes on the site and their potential impact for the area.

Guest Juror

Tempe-based curator Julio César Morales will be the guest juror for the next issue of Southwest Contemporary, a New Mexico-based arts publication that’s currently seeking submissions from artists who want their work to be considered for Volume 3: Inhale. Exhale, which will be published in August 2021. Morales is the curator for ASU Art Museum in Tempe, as well as an artist whose work often explores issues related to migration.

Research Grants

Arizona Commission on the Arts recently awarded research and development grants to 24 Arizona-based artists working in diverse fields including dance, film, puppetry, visual arts, and more. Recipients working in metro Phoenix include Dexter L. Booth, Stacey Gordon, Ryan Greene, Dominique Holley, Mary Lucking, MEGHANDIEGO, Karen Odden, Nicole L Olson, Deswood Tillman, and Kristian Williams. The deadline for the next round of research and development grant applications is July 1.

Art of Recycling

Artist Kris Manzanares is repurposing discarded clothing to create a new work of temporary public art that will be installed at Tempe Town Lake this fall. Community members can participate by contributing unwanted green clothing or textiles, which are being collected by Tempe Public Art at bins located inside Tempe Public Library and Tempe Center for the Arts (near the gallery).

Piper Fellow Applications

The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust has opened applications for its next class of Piper Fellows, who will participate in a leadership development program focused on the nonprofit sector, including arts and culture, education, health, human services, and religion. Current fellows include Tiffany Fairall, chief curator for Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum. Applications are due on September 1.

2021/22 Performing Arts Seasons

Several performing arts centers recently announced their 2021/22 seasons, which include concerts, dance, films, theater, speakers, and more. Chandler Center for the Art offerings include La Santa Cecilia, Mostly Kosher, and Boz Scaggs. Mesa Arts Center highlights include Alton Brown, Kristin Chenoweth, David Foster, Neil Gaiman, John Leguizamo, and Wynton Marsalis. The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts lineup includes Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Fran Lebowitz, Keb’ Mo’, and Lea Salonga.

NEA Grants

The National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded grants totaling more than $1.5 million to 20 Arizona arts organizations, including Arizona Commission on the Arts, which received $942,732. Other grantees include Arizona Opera ($23,500), Arizona Theatre Company ($10,000), Ballet Arizona ($25,000), City of Mesa on behalf of Mesa Arts Center ($25,000), Cultural Coalition ($15,000), Scottsdale Cultural Council ($35,000), and West Valley Arts Council ($20,000). ASU received a $100,000 grant, as well as a $40,000 grant on behalf of ASU Gammage.

Grand Avenue Events

Preliminary plans are underway for two fall events on Grand Avenue, including an event designed to activate the creative hub on Friday and Saturday, November 5 and 6, as well as a Dia de los Muertos celebration on Sunday, October 31. Organizers are currently meeting with local business owners and community members to get their input and ideas. Learn more by following Grand Avenue Members Association and Grand Avenue Arts and Preservation on social media.

New Exhibits

Hannah Makkonen’s compelling “Materia Prima” exhibition featuring sculptural works that explore symbiotic relationships with a speculative future lens continues through Saturday, May 15, at ASU Step Gallery inside Grant Street Studios. Vision Gallery and The Gallery at Chandler Center for the Arts will be showing paintings, prints, and photographs inspired by outdoor experiences in a new exhibit titled “Take a Hike,” which runs from May 15 to August 14.

Call for Art

Artist James B. Hunt, who uses the moniker NXOEED, is working with several creatives to organize a sticker drop for October, which will give people a chance to pick up a diverse array of stickers reflecting the many styles of art created in metro Phoenix. They’ve got an open call for sticker designs by local artists, who can contact the organizers via Facebook.