Projects, Initiatives, Partnerships that are for a time, but not forever
For Tucson and Southern Arizona Our Mission is to advance artistic expression, civic participation, and equitable economic growth of our diverse community by supporting, promoting, and advocating for arts and culture in our region.
TASTE BUD MEMORIES, a film by Özlem Ayse Özgür | 2018 The social act of eating is part of how we become human. If learning to eat is learning to become a human being, perhaps learning to eat together is learning to become a community. “Taste Bud Memories” is a documentary film focusing on local … Read more
Confianza en la Frontera: A Cultural Glimpse at the Nogales Produce Industry, Nicholas Hartmann (January 2019) The study looks at the produce industry in Nogales, Arizona, where generations of families have passed on knowledge and practices about transporting, storing, and marketing Mexican-grown vegetables in the United States. An occupational folklore, the study uses interviews with … Read more
By embellishing the ordinary, “How We Belong” offers audio bite-sizes stories (only 3-4 minutes!) of folklife through its various genres (work, play, food, ritual, conversation, adornment, and more) to highlight culture and heritage from the US-Mexico borderlands. How We Belong is a collaboration with KXCI.
We offer a periodic series of classes & workshops called “This Is Folklife.”
Our multi-day Ethnographic Field Schools are specifically geared for non-academic adult learners, and offer a combination of cultural immersion and training in the basic skills of cultural analysis and documentation.
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Folk & Traditional Artists in Arizona
A Survey of Support (2021-2022)
Arizona Creative Communities Initiative (2019-2020)
University of Arizona Office of Student Engagement
(2019-2020)
Nogales, Arizona: A rapid assessment of community needs/assets/desires (2017-2018)
This pilot fellowship program (spring 2021) supported five documentarians and artist-researchers in documenting folklife, culture, and heritage in the Greater Southwest and Northwest Mexico. The program takes its name from folklorist Mary Hufford’s notion that the study of folklife reveals beauty “hidden in plain view” and aims to elevate and illuminate a slice of folklife, … Read more
(2022-2023) In Spring 2022 the City of Tucson’s Mayor and City Council adopted the Thrive in the ’05 Transformation Plan, the culmination of a three-year effort to engage a 2.3-square mile subregion of the 85705 zip code in a place-based, community centered collaboration of businesses, community organizations, and residents. SFA was one of many partners … Read more
(2020-2023)A three-year effort initiated by the Ford Foundation in partnership with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, Borealis Philanthropy, and the Center for Cultural Power, this Initiative is supporting storytelling efforts along the US-Mexico border into to penetrate attentions and expand perceptions about the border region and migration, … Read more
Nomad Design Studio, provides high-quality architectural services that exceed clients’ expectations. We create innovative designs that are both functional and beautiful.