Happy Birthday Arizona!
Yes, the state is another year older, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy last February’s 100-page Centennial Issue. Score your copy of this special collector’s edition of Arizona Highways magazine, which includes 100 years of Arizona in pictures, the Official 1912 Arizona State Map, a Centennial Timeline, 100 Years of History by state historian Marshall Trimble, and reflections on Arizona by Hugh Downs and Sandra Day O’Connor.
Filed under Centennial, History
Photo courtesy of Tubac Center of the Arts
What do the state of Arizona and Trudi Fletcher have in common? They are both celebrating their centennial year in 2012.
During the month of May, Tubac Center of the Arts is privileged to feature the wonderful paintings of Trudi Fletcher. Trudi has been a well-known artist, gallery owner and resident of Tubac for over 40 years.
Trudi Fletcher first visited Tubac in 1949 when Dale Nichol’s art school was running. Trudi never forgot Tubac and eventually, she and her husband Albert settled in Tubac in 1967 where she opened the Dos Hermanas Gallery with her sister, Kay Davis. Dos Hermanos Gallery, which Trudi operated until age 87, was a fixture in the village of Tubac where her distinctive style of watercolors, oils, silk-screens and batiks were shown.
“At 99 years of age, the year 2011, a strong creative excitement came over me. I didn’t want to paint landscapes or still life’s, so I was painting shapes and colors. I began to see people, animals and exotic birds emerging from my paintings,” says Trudi Fletcher.
Three generations of Trudi’s family members will be at TCA for a very special party on Saturday, May 5th, for an opening reception from 3-5pm. The exhibition will feature over a dozen of Trudi’s 2011 series of paintings known as “The 98’s”, her age during the year she painted them. Now, you can celebrate the Centennial and meet an amazing artist who has shown that the creative spirit flourishes throughout a lifetime of study, practice and accomplishments.
Also in the gallery at TCA, our annual Hi-Art exhibit runs May 4th through May 17th, with an opening reception on Friday, May 4th from 5-7pm presenting the exceptional creative talents of local high school students from Sahuarita, Rio Rico and Nogales High Schools.
Tubac Center of the Arts is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the celebration and promotion of the arts through education, exhibitions, performances, and the collection and presentation of art that honors the artistic and historic heritage of Tubac and the Santa Cruz Valley. We are located at 9 Plaza Road, Tubac, AZ 85646. http://www.tubacarts.org
Filed under Centennial, History, Loco for Local
Yes, Arizona’s Centennial took place last February, but that doesn’t mean the celebrations have come to an end. We’ve listed a few Official Centennial Events taking place later this month:
77th Annual Tamale Dinner, April 20; Phoenix; The annual Friendly House Tamale Dinner is a cultural tradition that began 77 years ago in 1935 when the organization’s staff and community volunteers made and sold tamales to raise money for the important services which Friendly House provided to Arizona’s new immigrant communities and families. That is still the purpose today, but on a much larger scale. This longstanding tradition has evolved into an enchanting evening filled with traditional Mexican music and song, folkloric dancers, pageantry and history – something the whole family can enjoy. It is one of the oldest fundraising events held in Arizona and benefits Friendly House, one of Arizona’s pioneer social services organizations.
Arizona Centennial Storytimes, April 18; Tempe; Come listen to fun stories all about Arizona and the wonderous things our state has to offer. Parents and children will delight in the joys of songs, rhymes, movement activities and finger plays that not only encourage early learning but also provide a strong appreciation for Arizona. Together parents and children can “Mark the Map,” placing stars on all the different places they have been within our state. Each preschool storytime will feature an Arizona themed craft activity
100th Arizona Town Hall, April 22-25; Tucson; The 100th Arizona Town Hall will be a gathering of 135 civic, community, business and public leaders from across Arizona to spend three and a half days discussing the topic of civic engagement in Arizona. Attendees will be provided a research report in advance that will be prepared by one of Arizona’s universities and will contain both history and perspective on the subject. The actual convening of the town hall in April will involve breaking the body in 5 panels, each charged with reaching consensus in response to a series of questions and drawing conclusions and making recommendations on how to build, enhance and expand civic engagement. At the end of the session, a consensus report of all panels will be developed in plenary session. The recommendations and research will be published and available to all Arizonans and there will be community outreach sessions presented across the state. Copies of the report will also be provided to elected and public officials, community leaders and educational institutions.
Centennial Grande Fiesta Celebration, April 28; Clarkdale; A celebration of Clarkdale’s Centennial and the Hispanic culture that was very important in Clarkdale’s history. This gigantic fiesta will include entertainment by Ballet Folklorica De Los Ninos, singers from Clarkdale-Jerome School, and other local Hispanic talent. There will be food booths offering Mexican and American food and Indian Fry bread. Other booths will include local arts and crafts artisans. There will also be piñatas for 5-7 year olds and 8-11 year olds.
El Dia De Los Ninos, April 29; Phoenix; This award winning festival celebrates not only children but our rich diversity in Arizona’s history. The festival includes a celebration of literacy, cultural awareness and community engagement.
Filed under Centennial, Things to Do
©2011 USPS
If you haven’t heard of Ed Mell, you’ve probably seen his work. If you haven’t seen his work, you’ve probably sent a letter out using the “Forever” stamp he designed in honor of Arizona’s Centennial — you can see his beautiful work above.
So why are we talking about Ed Mell? Well, Mr. Mell was recently awarded the Governor’s Arts Award Artist of the Year and we wanted to say congratulations on this well-deserved award.
You can view his collection of work here.
Filed under Centennial, Loco for Local
Our friends at ADOT put together a day-in-the-life video taken on February 14 in honor of our Arizona’s Centennial … the video has been posted to ADOTs blog and I thought I’d share … click here to catch a day’s worth of ADOT action and keep reading to learn more about the video:
When Arizona turned 100 last month, we celebrated by documenting everything ADOT does across the state in a single day.
And, oh what a day it was!
Our team was up early – out on the road, covering everything from construction projects and maintenance work to planning meetings and the MVD.
If you followed along with us back on February 14, you saw our photos, kept up through social media and probably recall that we promised a mini-documentary detailing the day.
Well, that video is ready and we’re very proud to announce its premiere!
The video speaks for itself … so, we won’t say much more, except that we hope you’ll sit back, relax and enjoy what our team has put together!
Filed under Centennial, Inside Scoop
Susie checking out our Centennial issue.
Arizona Highways would like to wish Susie Yazzie a very happy birthday … This “grandmother of Monument Valley” is turning 100 and we thought we’d share a profile of Susie that appeared in the February 2011 issue of the magazine below.
Susie has lived a traditional Navajo life — raising sheep, carding wool and weaving rugs. She has also worked as an extra in several John Ford movies, appeared in books, documentaries and magazines. To this day, this remarkable woman continues to welcome visitors to her hogan in Monument Valley … a worthwhile stop should the opportunity present itself.
Happy Birthday Susie! We wish you all the very best.
Your friends at Arizona Highways.
Filed under Centennial, History
Arizona Highways 