Bryan Castle, Capoeirista. Tucson, AZ | 2020 Bryan Castle has been a practitioner of the Brazilian martial artform of capoeira for 22 years, studying throughout North America and Brazil with teachers such as the late Contramestre Dondi “Enxu” in Tucson. Castle now teaches capoeira at Movement Culture, Casa de Cultural, working to preserve the traditional … Read more
Velma Kee Craig, Diné Weaver. Mesa, AZ | 2020 Though both of her grandmothers were weavers, Velma Kee Craig came to the artform later in life after they had passed. She was introduced to Barbara Teller Ornelas (2019 SFA Master-Apprentice Artist Awardee) through Barbara’s children and began studying with Barbara and her sister, Lynda Teller … Read more
Jesus Garcia, Horsehair and Agave Fiber Rope Making. Tucson, AZ | 2020 Born and raised in Sonora, Mexico, with ranching and farming parents, Jesus Garcia learned horsehair and agave fiber rope “reata” from his father. He also sought out elders in rural Sonora who still practice the form, buying their work, learning from them, and … Read more
David Gill, Mariachi Folk Violinist. Tucson, AZ | 2020 David Gill grew up in the barrios of Tucson where his mother always encouraged singing and music. He discovered mariachi while playing violin in a church group and went on to study it in school and through the Tucson International Mariachi Conference. He has performed with … Read more
Ansel Joseph, Steel Pan Maker/Performer. Goodyear, AZ | 2020 & 2023 Ancliff “Ansel” Joseph was born in Couva in Trinidad and Tobago in 1942, where from a young age he observed the islands’ earliest steel bands. When his older brother started a steel band, Joseph imitated him by making his own pans out of milk … Read more
Josefina P. Lizarraga, Paper Flower Maker. Tucson, AZ | 2020 Raised in Nayarit, Mexico, amidst rich vegetation and colorful flowers, Josefina Lizarraga learned about local flora and fauna from her mother, grandmothers, and elders. As a child she learned to make paper flowers from an artist in the pueblo of Ruiz and later from a … Read more
Rick Manuel, O’odham Silversmith. Tucson, AZ | 2020 Rick Manuel was raised by O’odham basketweavers and farmers and has over 48 years of experience as a silversmith, an artform he learned from teachers and his own experimentation, applying skills he learned in other trades, particularly carpentry. Early on, he studied and imitated Diné (Navajo) jewelers’ … Read more
Maria del Carmen Parra, Ancestral Foodways. Phoenix, AZ | 2020 Maria del Carmen Parra is a Xicana Indigena with lineages in Texcoco, Mexico, Raramuri from Chihuahua and Izkalotekatl from the Calpoalli Nahuacalco. She “grew up” in the kitchen with her mother, a traditional womb worker and healer, and later attended culinary school looking for a … Read more
Paul Anders Stout, Glass Blower. Tucson, AZ | 2019 Paul Anders Stout started glass blowing at 19, when he went to assist the renowned glassblower, Tom Philabaum in his Tucson studio. He later traveled worldwide to study, eventually working for Hyaline Studios in Perth Australia, Hunting Studios in Wisconsin, and Salvadore Studios in Murano, Italy. … Read more
Ted Warmbrand, Folk Musician. Tucson, AZ | 2020 Ted Warmbrand is a folk musician who embodies the spirit of Pete Seeger, using songs to build community, protest injustice, and bring joy to those around him. Warmbrand grew up in an Ashkenazi Jewish family in New York City, where he learned to sing old country songs … Read more