The FreshGrass Foundation and THE OFFICE performing arts + film have announced the artists selected for their Artists At Work (AAW) initiative’s 2025-26 cohort. Working in Albuquerque, Dearborn, Indianapolis, Los Angeles County, New Orleans, and Tucson, these 24 artists will receive salaried employment, benefits, and wrap-around support for 18 months. They began their term on June 1, 2025.
The Southwest Folklife Alliance will serve as the anchor cultural institution for the four selected Tucson artists: Harrison Preston, Shane Beeshligaii, Katrina Kerstetter, and Porfirio “Pilo” Mora through our Loom Market program, which connects heritage-based artists committed to strengthening their communities through traditional art. Preston will be working with a local Tohono O’Odham Pottery Collective, Kerstetter with Iskashitaa Refugee Network on their ongoing Refugee Garden Art Program (RGAP), Mora with the Regeneración (currently helping create a Center for Cultural Organizing)in Southern Tucson, and Beeshligaii with the living agricultural museum Mission Garden.
Artists At Work is a national workforce resilience program, in the spirit of the Works Progress Administration, that supports artists and their communities through artistic civic engagement. AAW leverages the creativity of artists to address pressing issues in their local communities—from substance abuse to youth welfare to public health, among others—and fosters new economic models of support for artists. AAW provides artists with W2 employment, health benefits, and access to retirement benefits; and supports local cultural and community organizations to host and work with those artists as key contributors to the well-being of their local communities.
AAW collaborates with lead partners in each location, including local government, anchor cultural institutions, and hybrid cultural organizations/service providers. 2024-26 partners include, in Albuquerque, City of Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture; in Dearborn, The Arab American National Museum; in Indianapolis, Herbert Simon Family Foundation; Los Angeles County: Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture; in New Orleans, Ashé Cultural Arts Center; and in Tucson, Southwest Folklife Alliance.
Since its inception in 2020, Artists At Work has provided artists and culture workers across 11 states with a salary and health benefits, in partnership with over 80 cultural and community organizations throughout the nation. After piloting the initiative in Western Massachusetts, AAW expanded nationally in 2021 with $3 million from the Mellon Foundation.
About the Tucson participants:
Shane Beeshligaii is a silversmith, who learned the artform from his father, beginning when he was around seven years old. His designs range from traditional Navajo jewelry to a form of micro-inlay taught to him by his father. His family have been silversmiths since the Spanish first arrived in the Southwest. (His great-great-grandfather was named Atsidi iilneeh Beeshligaii, which means the maker of silver.) Growing up, most of Beeshligaii’s interactions with people from his tribe occurred during visits to Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, CA, where his mother still teaches pottery and traditional beadwork. When Beeshligaii was 17, he moved to Tucson and lived with his father, whose voice he still hears in his mind, critiquing his work—whether or not it’s polished enough, whether all the scratches are out, whether all the stones are set correctly. A primary focus has been learning the micro-inlay technique to create the checkerboard pattern that was a signature of his father’s own work. Beeshligaii makes jewelry as the main way to keep in contact with, understand, and embrace his cultural heritage.
Harrison Preston. Wa:k O’odham artist Harrison Preston is a potter and basket weaver who creates both traditional and contemporary work, all the while trying to preserve and respect the traditions therein. He was raised and currently lives on the San Xavier Indian Reservation (Wa:k), a district of the Tohono O’odham Nation, south of Tucson, Arizona. While attending high school, Preston began learning traditional Tohono O’odham basketry from the noted Tohono O’odham artist and activist, Terrol Dew Johnson. Under Johnson’s tutelage, Preston would go on to win several awards at Native American art markets at the Heard Museum and the Arizona State Museum. After high school, Preston attended the prestigious Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM. Preston also attended Pima Community College in Tucson, where he studied metalsmithing and sculpture. In 2017, Harrison began learning Traditional Tohono O’odham pottery from Kathleen Vance of Sells, AZ, and has collaborated with her and others to reinvigorate O’odham pottery traditions. Harrison can be found demonstrating and displaying his work at regional markets and events across southern Arizona.
Porfirio “Pilo” Mora is one of the leading artisans in the celebrated pottery tradition of Mata Ortiz, a small village nestled in the northern state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Known for his exceptional craftsmanship and intricate designs, Mora has earned a reputation as a master potter, helping to preserve and innovate the ancient art form of Mata Ortiz pottery. Born and raised in Mata Ortiz, Mora was deeply influenced by the revival of pottery in the region during the 1970s, a movement initiated by the legendary Juan Quezada. Inspired by the ancient techniques of the Paquime (Casas Grandes) culture, Mora began to develop his own style, blending traditional methods with his unique artistic vision. Each of Mora’s pieces is hand-crafted using traditional coiling techniques, without the aid of a potter’s wheel. His pottery is celebrated for its intricate geometric patterns, delicate brushwork, and the use of natural pigments. Mora’s designs often draw from the rich cultural heritage of the region, incorporating symbols and motifs that reflect the history and spirit of Mata Ortiz. Today, Mora continues to work the Mata Ortiz art in Tucson, AZ, where he remains committed to his craft. Through his art, he honors the legacy of his ancestors while pushing the boundaries of what Mata Ortiz pottery can achieve.
Katrina Kerstetter was born in Louisiana and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She later spent 20 years teaching in South Korea, teaching English through mindful-learning skills and exposure to cultures and art from around the world. Kerstetter is a mixed-media artist who worked with refugees in Korea, helping them adjust to a new culture and environment, while encouraging and preserving their own culture through the arts. When Kerstetter returned to Tucson, she began a nonprofit library, Koru Multicultural and Diverse Library, with the same focus. At the same time, she began volunteering at Iskashitaa Refugee Network, which combines artistic expression, education, and community building to encourage refugees and asylum-seekers to maintain their heritable pride and courage while adapting to new environments, challenges, and cultures. Kerstetter enjoys bringing people together to share stories and experiences, giving voice to their communities through artwork. This has developed into becoming a resident artisan with Iskashitaa’s Refugee Garden Art Program (RGAP).
Funding for the program comes from AAW was recently able to grow thanks to $2 million in new funding this year from the Mellon Foundation to work with 20 artists in five urban centers, and a partnership with Herbert Simon Family Foundation to support four additional artists in Indianapolis. Artists At Work is also funded by the Hearthland Foundation, Fresh Sound Foundation, and the WLS Spencer Foundation.
Learn more about the other selected artists and participating communities HERE.
About FreshGrass Foundation
FreshGrass Foundation, a 501(c)(3), is an award-winning, nonprofit organization focused on sustainable solutions for the artistic community. They support artists by cultivating their creativity and sharing their creations with the world and partner with world-class institutions to bring innovative performing arts experiences to life. More information is available at freshgrassfoundation.org.
About THE OFFICE performing arts + film
THE OFFICE performing arts + film is an independent performing arts and film curator and production company based in New York and London that works in ongoing partnerships with festivals, venues, and institutions to create cultural programming that is unique and mission specific. They produce events locally, nationally, and internationally, and consult on programming with organizations ranging from museums to universities to libraries to performing arts centers to philanthropies. THE OFFICE works in both the non profit and commercial arts worlds, and has a special focus on making art happen that has a positive impact on society. More information is available at theofficearts.org.