Art N' About
Featuring area arts and events
A New Season is Upon Us
Suze’s Prescott Center for the Arts offers fun-filled performances in two unique theater experiences
In the Open Air
Prescott’s annual Plein Air Festival will feature 11 Arizona artists painting in the open air around Prescott, creating art in the area’s forests and lakes, and downtown, surrounded by the beauty of the historic architecture. Six of this year’s participants are returning from last year’s event, and five are joining it for the first time. Returning artists include Betty Carr, Cindy Carrillo, Cathy Krieger, Gretchen Lopez, Dorothy Ray, and Dawn Sutherland. Artists new to the festival this year include Carol Benally, Priya Drews, Lydia Gatzow, Terry Gay, and Beth Okurowski.
Prescott Arts Journey – Summer Henry
Avatar Tat2 was established in 2001 and Summer came to Avatar for a guest spot in November 2011 and purchased the shop on December 2011. Avatar Tat2 is a fully woman-owned and operated local small business.
Summer says about her artist experience, “I feel like I was just born into it…. I’ve been drawing and painting since I can remember. Before that, juvenile doodles filled up the paper, hotel notepads, and napkins (when mom ran out of paper and couldn’t get to the store), all of which are in a hope chest at the foot of my bed. Proof of the passion I had at such an early age.”
Protecting Families and Children … Through Music
When Lisa and David Mitts first realized the prevalence of sex trafficking—not just in this country, but in their own hometown—they knew they had to do something about it.
“It’s truly a battlefield,” Lisa, an award-winning singer and songwriter, said during a recent interview. “We have to stand up and say this is wrong.”
She added, “Music has always been the avenue by which we spread the message because it was through a music video that we learned of what was actually happening here in the U.S.”
It’s Time to Get Festive
It may be a little early for Christmas, but it’s not too early to sign up for a merrymaking event that benefits one of our local nonprofit heroes during the holidays.
Festival of Trees Prescott is seeking a few more businesses to participate in the 2023 event. The festival features a wide range of sponsorship opportunities, from decorating a tree or wreath to sponsoring a table.
This year, event profits go to Yavapai CASA for Kids Foundation, which plays the important role of working to enrich the lives of current and former foster youth and supporting the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program.
A True Spectacle Filled with Glitz and Glam
In the year 2017, the leadership at the Boys & Girls Clubs partnered with a local dance studio to discover a new and fantastic way to support the Clubs’ efforts in the community. They developed a way to honor our local distinguished citizens for their support and hard work to help the Clubs’ operations; a clever and fun approach to a gala that many had never seen or heard of before.
Now in its seventh season, Dancing for the Stars has grown beyond its organizers’ dreams, and they have no intentions of slowing down. As community support has grown through this event, it has risen to be one of the greatest events in the area and one of the largest fundraisers of its kind in the country.
A New Face for the New Season
Prescott’s Arizona Philharmonic (AZ Phil) announced this spring that after an extensive search, board members have selected Abby Coffey as Co-Executive Director. She took the position in May to help usher in the 2023-24 season, which begins September 10.
Innovation Within Tradition
The Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet and Fine Arts (MFAB) reopens its world headquarters this August in Prescott, having relocated from New York and survived COVID. Sometimes it’s not just a dancer, but an entire Academy, that picks itself up off the mat.
A Metamorphosis for Everyone to Enjoy
The story starts last May, when I was on a hike along the Granite Creek Trail led by Michael Byrd, of Prescott Creeks. We arrived just north of the underpass at Gurley Street, which is home to the massive concrete wall. It was, to say the least, not attractive. Michael mentioned it might be nice if there was something on the wall. As an artist of over 50 years, I immediately thought of a mural.
Juneteenth!
Juneteenth celebrates June 19, 1865, the day this country’s last Confederate slaves were freed in Texas. The Emancipation Proclamation declared that slaves in Confederate states were free on Jan. 1, 1863. The Confederacy surrendered on April 9, 1865. But in practice, unless slaves escaped north, their freedom remained elusive until Union troops arrived to enforce it.
The Artist Lounge: Inviting and Inspiring
The Artist Lounge is just one of the many new additions to Suze’s Prescott Center for the Arts, and its mission aligns with that of the center: to open more doors to the community of Prescott and provide access to art in all mediums.
The walls inside the Artist Lounge feature a rotating selection of artwork, and sometimes, cabinets displaying the work of local artists. Tables provide a space where visitors can create, and a small stage is available for poetry slams, rehearsing lines for auditions, and more. There is also a complimentary coffee station.
A Rockin’ Good Time
Friday, August 4 through Sunday, August 6, folks can find anything their heart desires related to rocks and minerals: finished one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, rough rock, slabs, fossils, mineral specimens, equipment, beads, findings, and so much more. Featuring more than 60 vendors from around the western United States, the show will not disappoint.