The Rise of the Arts District (at last!)

New energies in the Tucson Arts District. We expect lots of changes this Spring with lots of new artists and incubating spaces being born.

http://www.azpm.org/arts-and-life/story/2011/2/14/1830-arts-and-culture-come-together/

Arizona Arts Congress

I went to Phoenix yesterday for the Arizona Arts Congress. Every year, we go to talk to our state legislators in an effort to sustain or enhance the state art budget. The Arizona Commission on the Arts spearheads this mission statewide and relies on state funding to a great deal.

How many in elected state government positions do you think are extremely interested in the value of the arts in schools, and are interested in supporting Arizona arts nonprofits?

To what extent do you think that will be reflected in the next state budget?

In the photo above is a group of us who visited District 27's State Senator Olivia Cajero Bedford (center).

Senator Cajero Bedford is a pistol, and, a big supporter of the arts in a state legislature with a high learning curve. Her district covers the Tucson Arts District and most of downtown where artists live and have their studios.

Latino Perspectives Magazine chose Senator Cajero Bedford to receive an Arizona Latina Trailblazer Award next month at the Phoenix Museum of Art. Congratulations to her, and many thanks for her support of the arts in Tucson.

The state budget will be the subject of heated debate this Spring. I hope that the budget from the legislature and the governor reflect the high value that the arts bring to our cultural and business communities across the state.


David Aguirre
Director
Dinnerware Artspace

Also in the photo representing Tucson: Susan Classsen, David Hoyt Johnson, Gayle Fitzhugh, Karen Christensen, and Krista Niles.