Got humanity?

 

During a week filled with heated discussions about everything from “gun control” to “the fiscal cliff,” I was especially pleased to hear from the Arizona Humanities Council, which “builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.”

They’re looking for folks to honor during next year’s “Sharing Words, Changing Worlds” event. Nominations for the 2013 Humanities Awards are being accepted through Friday, Feb. 15 but there’s no reason you can’t get a jump on making your nomination now. The Arizona Humanities Council is accepting nominations for three awards as follows:

The Dan Shilling Public Humanities Scholar Award — which recognizes a humanities scholar who has distinguished him/herself by enhancing public understanding of the role that the humanities play in transforming lives and strengthening communities.

The Juliana Yoder Friend of the Humanities Award — which recognizes individuals, organizations or businesses that have made lasting contributions to the cultural life of their communities through their active support of and involvement in promoting the humanities.

The Humanities Rising Star Award — which recognizes a young professional, student or volunteer with outstanding and creative approaches to engaging the public with humanities topics. Consideration for this award will focus on scholarship in the humanities, service to the humanities and other humanities-related endeavors.

The Arizona Humanities Council has been plenty busy this year, taking their “Speakers Bureau Road Scholars” program to more than 200 communities, sharing expertise on music, history, archaeology, language and more.

In November, they gathered 1,500 friends at Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix for their second annual Arizona Humanities Festival.

And their literacy program, called “Prime Time Family Reading Time,” helped children, parents and grandparents foster a love of reading together through nursery rhymes, folk tales, poems and stories.

In 2013, the Arizona Humanities Council will mark their 40th anniversary — and their history of awarding nearly $11 million in support humanities programs in libraries, museums, schools and non-profits.

They’ll also launch the “Common Grounds” program, holding community conversations across the state about “what matters to you here and around the world.”

During the summer, they’ll kick off the Smithsonian’s touring exhibition of “Journey Stories,” a traveling exhibition focused on immigration, migration, innovations and freedom that features diverse tales of how we can our ancestors came to America.

Click here to learn more about Arizona Humanities Council programs, events and awards — and here to explore the National Endowment for the Humanities.

— Lynn

Note: The Arizona Humanities Council is accepting entries to its “Student Voices Video Contest” through Jan. 31, 2013, and is currently taking registrations for a free forum called “Politics & Religion” happening Feb. 19, 2013 at Burton Barr Central Library.

Coming up: My pet mural, Do the Caribbean, Fun with Phoenix icons

Once upon a banner

Proof that hauling art supplies from house to house comes in handy sometimes

I’m writing this between coats. Come Saturday morning, I’ll be schlepping my first shot at the Stage Mom Musings road show down to Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix, ready for a day filled with all sorts of Arizona Humanities Festival excitement. For now, I’m cobbling together signage, hoping I can whip up something that’s less than ten on the tacky-o-meter.

Turns out a blank canvas is more terrifying than a blank page

I carefully considered all my options after learning the festival is a B.Y.O.S. affair, and enlisted my son Christopher in an early morning research session. Plenty of places will turn around a nifty banner in a day or so, but I’m on a Stage Mom budget — so homemade in a hurry is my best shot at this point. I popped for a $10 vinyl banner at the local party goods store, but things got dicey when I tried to decide what to slap on the baby — and how to do it.

By now I’m getting punchy and going into word play mode

Use too little adhesive and I’ll start dropping letters here and there — only to discover come the end of festival-day that all those grins were from folks puzzled by my “Age Mom Musings” sign. Use too much and I’ll be flighty from the fumes. The delicate balance artists strike each day is beginning to dawn on me, and I’m starting to wish I had all those amazing Calle 16 muralists on speed dial.

I loved to paint as a little girl, and my mother — though single and stretched thin in the financial department — made sure I always had supplies. At one point, our garage was a shared art space we used to paint, throw pottery, make rugs and craft jewelry together. But the joy of process is replaced too quickly by worry over product as we get older, and I’m feeling gripped by fear at the prospect of someone actually seeing my work.

The mind of a writer works in mysterious ways

So far I’ve got a two by four foot canvas covered in white acrylic paint left over from one of my daughter’s birthday parties. It’s sitting atop a pair of black trash bags in front of my refrigerator, near a spot the cat normally races through about this time of night in search of food and litter box. If all else fails, I suppose I can turn little paw prints into a funky sign theme — Meow if you love music.

I’ll have a lovely booth at Saturday’s Arizona Humanities Festival, which has an “American Jukebox” theme. It’s a fun way to get out and meet folks who’ve got fabulous stories to share, and to enjoy time with fellow artists. The 10am-4pm festival features live music and other sorts of performance art, and has a children’s area where kids can make crafts, get their faces painted and such.

This “O” is surely going to keep me up all night

Having just wrapped part two of the painting project, I’m quite certain no one will let me within ten feet of anyone’s face while there’s paint of any sort in my hand. Obsessed with an errant “O” in the middle of “MOM,” I sat wondering how to make the fix as my husband kept insisting, “Stop looking at it already.” Too much white space, I started thinking. Then I went all Jackson Pollock on him.

I hate wasting all that unused paint on my brush, so I figured — Hey, why not just flick some of that stuff across the blank spots? By now I’m actually learning a thing or two about technique. Bad technique, mind you. But you gotta start somewhere. Eventually I manage to get one part paint on the canvas for every two parts that nails my face. Somehow my denim shorts and grey tank top manage to stay clean.

My right elbow is another story. When you get to the festival on Saturday, just look for the woman with a speckled white forearm — and a few flecks of green in her graying hair. Bring your kids by my booth and I’ll have some supplies they can use for crafting bookmarks. No paint, of course. Because most of that’ll be on my fridge by then. Seems there’s a reason I’m a writer, not a painter.

— Lynn

Note: Click here for details on Saturday’s Arizona Humanities Festival — where I’ll also have copies of the latest issue of Raising Arizona Kids, which includes a feature on fun family volunteering.

Coming up: Movie musings, Tips for introducing kids to music

The fine art of civility

Recently I spent a lovely evening with dozens of fellow citizens gathered to discuss several of the ballot measures Arizonans will have the opportunity to vote on during the general election this November. The “Mapping Arizona’s Future” event, one of several held simultaneously at different sites around the state, was part of something called Project Civil Discourse.

Project Civil Discoure is a statewide initiative of the Arizona Humanities Council. The project was created in 2008 to “create respectful dialogue and discourse on public issues.” It’s funded through the We the People initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Thursday night’s gathering at Scottsdale Community College was moderated by Alberto Olivas, director of the Maricopa Community College Center for Civic Participation, whose comments on increasing voter turnout were especially compelling. “Lecturing people doesn’t make a lick of difference,” he said. The key, according to Olivas, is information.

Seems most people who fail to vote do so because they don’t have enough information, which is one reason talking with fellow citizens is so important. Olivas admitted that he once hesitated to discuss political topics with others, thinking it was more respectful to just stay quiet. But the man who left opera studies to become an anthropologist sings a different tune today.

“Let it be known that you have opinions,” urges Olivas. “Be courageous about sharing them.” The beauty of attending Thursday’s event was witnessing a room filled with people doing just that — in calm, respectful and engaging ways. Some who attended the SCC gathering changed their opinions after talking with peers, and I suspect all left recommitted to improving their own civic engagement while encouraging others to get more involved.

Olivas brought the evening to a close by sharing the words of Cesar Chavez. “We don’t need perfect political systems,” said Chavez. “We need perfect participation.”

— Lynn

Note: Register by Oct. 9 to vote in the Nov. 6 election. Learn more at www.azsos.gov, www.lwvaz.org, www.fec.gov or www.vote411.org. Read the October 2012 issue of Raising Arizona Kids to find tips for increasing civic engagement in a feature titled “Trickle-down civics.”

Coming up: Artist imagines a world without color

Lightning strikes

National Poetry Month strikes again in Arizona

Poet Eduardo C. Corral, a native of Casa Grande who holds degrees from Arizona State University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, will read from his recently released collection “Slow Lightning,” Tues, April 10 at the Piper Writers House on the ASU Tempe campus.

“Slow Lightning,” Corral’s first collection of poems, was selected as winner of the 2011 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition — making Corral the first Latino to receive this honor. Next week’s reading, sponsored by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, is free and open to the public.

There’s plenty of poetry around these parts nowadays because April is National Poetry Month. Tempe Center for the Arts, for example, is presenting four “Tempe Poetry in April” events this month — featuring Josh Rathkamp (April 4), Jeannine Savard (April 11), Margaret Holley (April 18) and Sherwin Bitsui (April 25). These TCA events are free, so you’ve really no good reason not to give poetry a whirl.

Center Dance Ensemble presents two performances of “American Voices,” featuring new choreography coupled with words by great American poets, Sun, April 15 at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix. And PVCC Dance at Paradise Valley Community College presents “Kinetic Poetry” — a “collection of dances reflecting the inner voice of the artist” that features “the voices and movement of PVCC dance students and guest artists” — April 27 & 28.

Art Intersection in Gilbert presents “Haibun: The Poetry of Walking” with instructor Mark Haunschild April 7 & 14 — noting that haibun is a classical Japanese form of travel writing combining prose and poetry, first popularized by Matsuo Basho during the 17th century.

The Tucson Poetry Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with participating poets that include Eduardo C. Corral, Karyna McGlynn, Ander Monson and Patricia Smith. All are offering free writing workshops, and taking part in a two-hour panel, Sat, April 7 at the University of Arizona Poetry Center in Tucson.

The Poetry Center presents “Poetry Off the Page” April 9-May 31 — which they describe as a gathering of poets “for whom the stage and all of its demands, such as voice, projection, sound effects, lighting, body movement, acting, props and image, all help create a new syntactic breadth for the poetic voice.”

Seems participating poets will be “pressing into new territories in theatre and song and film, performing, in many cases, original never-seen-before work for the Poetry Center.” The center is also offering exhibits featuring poets working in the visual arts. Think Cecilia Vicuna, Danielle Vogel and Jeff Clark. While you’re there, check out “Artistexts,” curated by Johanna Drucker, too.

The Arizona Humanities Council presents “Sharing Words, Changing Worlds” Thurs, April 12 at Tempe Mission Palms. The keynote speaker for the free 6:30pm-8:30pm event is Pulitzer Prize Winner and Poet Laureate Rita Dove — who’ll share poems from her recent book “Sonata Mulattica,” about a young mulatto violinist’s encounters with Beethooven.

Event organizers note that Dove will “reveal how she came to be uniquely suited to the task of rescuing the mixed race violinist George Augustus Polgreen from the shadows of history, and how history comes alive through art.” Dove, who taught creative writing at ASU from 1981 to 1989, and has been honored by both President Clinton (National Humanities Medal) and President Obama (National Medal of Arts). She served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993 to 1995.

Things are looking good at this point for a bill moving through the Arizona state legislature to create an Arizona Poet Laureate, according to Rusty Foley, executive director for Arizona Citizens Action for the Arts. Nothing’s a sure thing, of course, until the ink dries on a bill. But I like our chances, and there’s already good news to celebrate with the passage of a bill reauthorizing funding for the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

To find additonal poetry-related events in your area, check the calendars for your local libraries, museums and bookstores — plus performing arts venues and college/universities. Also the websites for organizations like the Arizona State Poetry Society and Arizona Authors Association.

Wanna trip out your kids? Just tell ’em you’re heading out with friends to play with words for a while. Then buy them a journal, watch for kid-friendly poetry programs in your community and inch them along towards the day they’ll be the ones making lightning.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to find family-friendly events any day of the year from Raising Arizona Kids magazine. If your April poetry event in Arizona isn’t listed above, you can comment below to let our readers know.

Coming up: Musings on “Dance Moms Miami,” Movie review: “Bully”

Arizona Humanities Festival

Ballet Folklorico Esperanza performs at the Arizona Humanities Festival in Phoenix

I headed to Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix Saturday for an event called the “Arizona Humanities Festival: Stories of Us,” presented by the Arizona Humanities Council — and sponsored by APS and the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

The all-day festival was designed as “a celebration of the cultures that surround us, the stories that define us, and the histories that connect us.”

A family activity area featured storytelling, face painting, Chinese calligraphy, Day of the Dead mask-making and much more. Characters like Maya & Miguel strolled through the crowd, posing with children for pictures. And various performers, including those pictured below, took to the stage. 

Face painting at the festival’s Dias de los Muertos Activity Center

Miguel and Maya with two girls attending the Arizona Humanities Festival

A pair of works (L) from the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center activity area

Traditional Chinese Lion Dancers preparing for a second performance

One of several groups that performed works with multicultural flair

Scenes from You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown by ASU’s Lyric Opera Theatre

The first of several dances performed by Ballet Forklorico Esperanza

A high-energy performance by Fushicho Daiko/Phoenix Taiko Drummers

Various speakers gave presentations in ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism building — on topics ranging from Anne Frank to pioneering women artists in Arizona. Nearby, attendees learned about things like hip hop and Arizona’s identity in Western movies.

Plenty of humanities-related organizations had booths at the festival — including the Central Arizona Museum Association, the Braille and Talking Book Library, the Arizona Authors Association and many more.

One of several exhibitors at Saturday's Arizona Humanities Festival in Phoenix

Folks who missed Saturday’s festival can enjoy other events presented by the Arizona Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities founded in 1973. Visit them online at www.azhumanities.org to learn more.

— Lynn

Note: According to the Arizona Humanities Council, the humanities include history, literature, languages, linguistics, philosophy, law, archeology, comparative religion, anthropology, ethics, art history and more.

Coming up: More fun with festivals

Photo credit: Lynn Trimble

Film finds

!Women Art Revolution is one of several current offerings at FilmBar in Phoenix

You can find much more than film fare at plenty of movie theaters these days. Even Shakespeare in Cinema works that seem to transport you straight to the Globe Theatre in London.

And film offerings seem to be finding their way to lots of places other than traditional cinemas. Think bookstores, museums, performing arts venues and more. Even stores like Hoodlums Music and Movies and Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, which presents “In Transition” during their next community movie night, scheduled for Fri, Aug 26.

When you have a hankering for films or movie venues that are just a bit out of the ordinary, consider making an afternoon or evening of it with one of these Valley options…

Finding film at a joint called FilmBar Phoenix is hardly a shocker, but their offerings are certainly out of the ordinary. In August alone featured works deal with martial arts, the culture of war, feminist art and changes wrought on nature by increasing industrialization.

The 2011-12 Talk Cinema series at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts opens in October. You can enjoy the surprise of not knowing what to expect or check the center’s website the day before each screening to explore the month’s offering. Each “Talk Cinema” screening is introduced and followed by “moderated conversations hosted by distinguished guest speakers.”

Performing arts venues like Tempe Center for the Arts and Mesa Arts Center sometimes present special movie screenings, so film buffs should watch the calendars of these venues to see what pops up throughout the season.

Several community colleges offer film series or festivals with diverse themes. Scottsdale Community College has partnered for many years with the Anti-Defamation League to present a film series with an anti-hate theme.

Paradise Valley Community College is focusing on “women in film” this season. The first film of the season is “Amelie” — a French film they’ll present on Wed, Sept 7. Other fall films in the series hail from Spain, China and the U.S. Offerings next year include films from Germany, Lebanon, India and Columbia.

Several Valley museums, including the Heard Museum in Phoenix and the Phoenix Art Museum, present intriguing film works — including some it’s hard to find anywhere else.

Several films being shown this month and next at the Phoenix Art Museum are Spanish-language films with English subtitles — including works about circus life, women matadors, immigration and more. My favorite is a one-hour film called “Biblioburro” about a one-of-a-kind library and librarian in a violence-ridden region of Colombia.

Cultural Centers like the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center in downtown Phoenix sometimes offer screenings of independent works, as do other cultural resources like libraries.

The Arizona Humanities Council website offers event listings by region so its always easy to find film and other offerings in your area. Film screenings and discussions of “Johnny Guitar” take place later this month in Florence and Glendale — and they’ve got several “Borderlands” films listed for the coming months.

Films don’t need to include talking animals or non-stop explosions to be fun. You’ll even learn to love them without salty popcorn or sugary drinks. Leave the kids behind once and a while to expore a world where films foster adult conversations on fascinating topics other than organic baby food and homework wars.

— Lynn

Coming up: Film festivals in the Valley — and beyond, Lynn & Liz review “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie”

The fine art of civil discourse

In the aftermath of the tragic Tucson shooting that recently took the lives of six people and injured many more, there’s been a lot of debate about the role of rhetoric in fueling violence.

I haven’t any way of calculating the relative role of various factors in the shooting, but I began wondering that day about how we might begin to reclaim the fine art of civil discourse.

I started by exploring something called “Project Civil Discourse” — a “special initiative” of the Arizona Humanities Council.  The program is “a statewide effort to create respectful dialogue and discourse on public issues.”

There’s a dedicated “Project Civil Discourse” website that features information on speakers, readings and resources related to the topic of civil discourse.

I got to thinking about the role of arts and humanities in fostering civil dialogue the other day when I heard someone propose that schools pay math and science teachers more than teachers in other subjects.

The speaker detailed the relative scarcity of qualified teachers in these areas, and noted the importance of these fields in both national and international affairs. 

I can’t disagree with either point, but I have to wonder whether he’s heard the startling statistics about how poorly even college graduates fare these days in the reading and writing department.

I’m inclined to believe that arts and humanities form the foundation of civil society — and that they should never be valued (or funded) less than other fields of study or enterprise.

So I was especially pleased to learn that Arizona State University is readying to launch “Project Humanities” next month.

It’s “a yearlong celebration filled with public events, programs and activities that highlight faculty and student scholarship, research and creative activity” in the humanities.

The university-wide initiative includes all four campuses — and will focus on “Humanities at the Crossroads: Perspective on Place” during its inaugural year.

Fervent arts supporters have likely noticed recent upticks in calls to downsize or eliminate organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts and National Public Radio.

It’s compelling evidence that many value the right to bear arms over the right to free speech.

Appreciating art is no longer enough. Those who create and love it must also advocate for it. Hence the importance of organizations like Arizona Citizens Action for the Arts and the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

Seek out community resources offering education and training in the fine art of civil discourse — including colleges, libraries, museums, non-profits and cultural organizations.

And check out “iCivics” — an online tool founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to help improve the depth and breadth of civics education for American youth.

If you agree that the arts and humanities are at the very core of our democracy, you have plenty of opportunities to become a more engaged citizen working to assure their role in fostering and sustaining civil discourse is never neglected or forgotten.

— Lynn

Note: If you know of another organization or program specializing in civil discourse, please share it below to let our readers know

Coming up: A pair of posts featuring perspectives on bullying, Performance resume tips for child and teen actors

Photo: Wikipedia

It takes a village

Sometimes it take a village of 19 youth actors from around the Valley

Sometimes it takes a village — which is just what you’ll enjoy this weekend if you attend a performance by Curtain Call Youtheatre, the educational division of the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company.

They’ll present “A Village of Idiots” — Sat, Dec 11 at 7pm, and Sun, Dec 12 at 2pm — at the John Paul Theatre at Phoenix College. The cast includes 19 young actors from around the Valley in a comedy based on “the tales of Chelm.”

But you needn’t wait until the weekend to enjoy Arizona arts and culture. The Arizona Humanities Council holds an “Authors’ Night/Fundraiser” Wed, Dec 8, at the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center in Phoenix.

The event features nationally renowned authors Matthew Whitaker and Cynthia Hogue, as well as photographer Rebecca Ross, exploring “the journey of Hurrican Katrina evacuee’s grief and hope through stories, poems and photographs.”

See Joel Sartore at the MAC

“America’s Great Wildlife Migrations” featuring Joel Santore, “National Geographic” photographer, also takes place Wed, Dec 8 — at the Mesa Arts Center.

For the “12 to 21” set, the Phoenix Art Museum presents “Speak & Slam 2.0” Wed, Dec 8, at 6:30pm. It’s their second installation of “original poetry and recitation” — held in partnership with the national “Poetry Out Loud” recitation contest. Young poets can practice performing for a live audience or come to support the readings of other youth.

Take time this season to support aspiring performers

Chandler-Gilbert Community College invites community members to attend a free “Student Actors’ Showcase” Fri, Dec 10 at 7pm in room Agave 155. 

They’re also offering a free event Mon, Dec 13 at their Arnette Scott Ward Performing Arts Center — a “Winter Sampler” featuring various vocal and musical ensembles. (Reservations at 480-732-7343 are required.)

The Phoenix Art Museum presents “PhxArtKid Day” Sun, Dec 12, for children ages 5-12 and their adult companions — which is free with museum admission. This “Gifts of the Season” event features exploration of art and the opportunity to create original art with a holday theme.

Adults and kids can attend the Phoenix Art Museum’s “Holiday Festival” Sun, Dec 12, from noon to 8pm — which features the 12:12pm unveiling of a new work of art. Other activities taking place at various times include a scavenger hunt, balloon dancing and more. Think strolling musicians. Adorable critters. And an ice igloo.

Make holiday cards at the Children's Museum of Phoenix

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix presents “Holiday Cards” Dec 7-12 in their art studio. It’s for children and adults who’d like to spend some time making artwork together — and it’s just one of many family-friendly activities and events they offer on a regular basis.

Exciting art projects can also be found at the Arizona Museum for Youth in Mesa, which routinely offers times for children to create art while they’re at the museum to enjoy its many kid-friendly exhibits.

Young Arts of Arizona opened a new exhibit last Friday at their “Purple Space Gallery” in Phoenix. It features artwork by students at Phoenix Country Day School, who were inspired by an “Interpretations of Nature” theme.

If architecture is your thing, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art invites you to attend a free event on Sat, Dec 11. It’s the 11am-2pm “official public dedication” of the Soleri Bridge and Plaza. Related events (some with limited seating and/or an admission charge) are also scheduled — including a “VIP Tour of Cosanti,” a lecture/panel discussion and more.

"HAIR" has a tribe rather than village vibe

Broadway lovers can enjoy the touring production of  “HAIR” this week at ASU Gammage. If you like a bit of brunch with your Broadway, you can enjoy brunch on campus at the University Club before the Sun, Dec 12, matinee performance.

Dance aficionados have several options this week, including the “Breaking Ground 2010” dance and film festival presented by CONDER/dance Fri, Dec 10, at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

Enjoy dance at Chandler-Gilbert Community College

Chandler-Gilbert Community College presents a “Student Dance Showcase” at 8pm Fri, Dec 10, and Sat, Dec 11, at their Arnette Scott Ward Performing Arts Center in Chandler.

And those who donate cans of non-perishable food items to United Food Bank through a food drive at Kriti Dance in Chandler this weekend can enjoy a free trial class in Bollywood style dance Sun, Jan 9, 2011.

Finally, there’s the fine art of civic engagement — which you can practice this week at the State Capitol. Thurs, Dec 9, at 9am, the Arizona Capitol Museum will “celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Arizona Constitution with the opening of a new exhibit.”

It’s titled “We the People of Arizona….” At 2pm Governor Brewer and Secretary of State Ken Bennett will join others in commemorating the centennial of Arizona’s Constitutional Convention.

It really does take a village…

— Lynn

Note: Comprehensive daily listings of family-friendly events in the Valley of the Sun are always available online from Raising Arizona Kids magazine. Always call ahead to confirm event details — day/time, location, cost, age-appropriateness and such.

Coming up: A true Broadway baby

Photo credit: “HAIR” photo by Joan Marcus