There are many community gardens in the Phoenix area. They are all used to grow food but they each one is unique. Some provide recreational space for a specific population, while some are used to grow as much food as possible to help those who do not have to eat. The physical garden spaces vary […]
I remember the summers of early childhood with my mother. The sounds of the Cure and Prince still bring back memories of seeing her get ready for an evening out. I watched her put on makeup, color her hair, and paint her nails with the eyes of a loving and curious daughter who came too […]
Traveling north on Route 87 the views of Tonto National Forest appear pristine and beautiful. Towering saguaros pepper a land that seems to go on endlessly. It wasn’t until I ventured off of the highway onto one of the many dirt roads intersecting Tonto that the pristine landscape revealed a different truth. Gunshots can be […]
Agriculture at the Phoenix Indian School site has had a long history, from the ancient Hohokam canal running through the site, to farming programs at the Phoenix Indian School, and to the most recent incarnation at the PHX Renews site. Examining the history and land use of this one site over time reveals interesting tensions […]
Unwelcome is a short documentary film that focuses on the discrimination faced by individuals experiencing homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona. Title: Unwelcome – A Short Documentary on Homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona Description: Through the exploration of the downtown area of the city, the testimonies of Gary and Diane serve as an indictment on the city […]
You may find a few local newspaper articles about Allenville if you search the archives, you’ll find very little anywhere else. The papers will tell you about the flood of ’79 and the evacuation of Allenville. You can read about the displacement of residents and the efforts to relocate them, which results in the founding […]
I first met Sally at a yogurt shop. Inside, she divulged to me some of the most personal and painful periods of her life. I listened to her recall memories of poverty, a drug infested culture, years of neglect and maltreatment, multiple “father figures,” and repeated physical assaults against her. She told me about the […]
The Heat(e)scape project emerged when Sean Deckert, an artist interested in the urban heat island effect, met with Karina Benessaiah, a geographer interested in how people perceive and adapt to changing social and ecological systems. Through the combination of infrared & normal video camera systems with interviews and music, this project seeks to articulate a […]
Tuesday night, and every motel in this isolated desert place was fully booked. I drove down the strip, to La Siesta, the Copper Sands, and the ambitiously named Marine, 200 miles from the nearest sight of water, in Rocky Point, Mexico. All were flashing No Vacancy. At the Copper Sands, Ken felt sorry for me. […]
When I moved to Arizona to attend the MFA program I was aware that I could be considered a “non-traditional “ student or just an old student. Yet I did not feel old, that is until we moved into a retirement trailer park. My husband found our trailer, which appeared to have everything we could […]