Arizona Arts & Culture News: Great Arizona Puppet Theater; Amazon Literary Partnership; Arts Advocate Membership

July 21, 2023

By Jessica Vaile

Blood-sicles and misters: Zookeepers look to keep animals cool in oppressive heat / NBC News

Many zoos are coping with how to adapt to a much hotter future, as global warming continues to affect the frequency and duration of heat waves. Zookeepers at the Phoenix Zoo share the measures in place to keep the animals cool this summer.


Dying Native languages get new life in northern Arizona / AZFamily

A nonprofit in Camp Verde is helping keep old languages alive for the Yavapai-Apache Nation by creating Arizona’s first Yavapai and Apache language dictionaries.


Family legacy, Phoenix history and handmade puppets: Great Arizona Puppet Theater turns 40 years old / 12 News

When Ken Bonar and Nancy Smith started the Great Arizona Puppet Theater in 1983, they kicked off a legacy that would span the country and last a lifetime. Together, they grew a 40-year legacy of one of the most successful puppet ventures in America.


Amazon Literary Partnership announces 2023 grant recipients / Yahoo Finance

The Amazon Literary Partnership awarded nearly $1 million in grant and sponsorship funding to 93 literary nonprofits nationwide this year, including two Arizona organizations: Hayden’s Ferry Review and the University of Arizona Poetry Center.


Lawyer-brothers embark on filmmaking journey / Mesa Tribune

Attorneys and brothers Jaric and Michael Erike of Mesa, graduates of Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law, have embarked on an ambitious project far from the courthouse. “CUT” is a 30-minute “pseudo biopic” film based on the life of a character based on Jaric Erike and his journey to becoming a filmmaker.


Border painting project empowers kids in Naco, Sonora, to redefine the wall / Fronteras

The wall at the U.S.-Mexico border has long been a source of controversy. But for a group of children in a small Sonoran town, it’s also become a canvas. Every Tuesday afternoon, some 80 children in this small town gather for art classes and on Saturdays, they paint the border wall.


Q&A: The scientist leading Desert Botanical Garden / Daily Independent

Kim McCue has a rather unique job title: chief science officer for the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix where she successfully displays her passion for nature and plants.


Local cartoonist transitions to horror novel / Scottsdale Progress

For more than three decades, Doug Pike made a living as a syndicated member of the National Cartoonists Society, seeing his cartoons published in the Wall Street Journal and Forbes. He recently decided to dip back into writing with the debut of his novel, “The Terror Below.”


Phoenix Art Museum launches Arts Advocate Membership for Arizona-based artists, educators / City Sun Times

Phoenix Art Museum has launched a new Arts Advocate Membership that provides a discounted membership for Arizona educators and artists registered with Artlink, a Phoenix-based nonprofit that supports Arizona artists and connective events, programs and initiatives.


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