What happens when artists are invited to contribute to community improvement efforts? This question is at the heart of a podcast series called AZ Creative Voices.
The series, which launched in February, is a chronicle of work supported by the Arizona Creative Communities Institute (AZ CCI). In the spring of 2017, the Arizona Commission on the Arts and Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts — with guidance from Southwest Folklife Alliance and support from the Surdna Foundation and the Arizona Community Foundation — issued a call for small teams representing Arizona cities, towns and neighborhoods to participate in the inaugural Arizona Creative Communities Institute.
Twenty-two teams applied; nine were selected, from Barrio Anita in Tucson, Casa Grande, Douglas, Eastlake, Flagstaff, Globe, Phoenix, Tempe and Yuma. The teams, each composed of diverse members of the represented community, received intensive training, one-on-one mentorship and funding support as they explored the myriad ways creativity can be put to work for positive community impact. Team members were part of an active learning network, with opportunities to learn from and with local and national experts, as well as peers from other Arizona cities and neighborhoods.
