Arizona: AZ ArtWorker

Scene from Mas, by Milta Ortiz, directed by Marc David Pinate. Photo courtesy of Borderlands Theater

With three consecutive years of funding from the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, AZ ArtWorker, an initiative of the Arizona Commission on the Arts (ACA) and Arizona State University (ASU), has created dozens of opportunities for artists in remote and historically underserved communities to connect with and learn from their local, national and international peers. Based on a model of artist-to-artist professional development, the program enables artists to participate in meaningful learning experiences where they live and work and to connect with their communities in new and compelling ways. To this end, AZ ArtWorker leverages partnerships with high-profile artists, artist service organizations, community arts nonprofits and major arts institutions to offer entrepreneurial trainings, public conversations, studio visits, performances, and practical exercises focused on creative practices and socially engaged methodologies. The demonstrated benefits of the program—seen, for example, in a cultural business workshop for Native American artists coorganized with the First Peoples Fund and ASU’s Pave Program for Arts Entrepreneurship—have made it a replicable template for generating responsive and culturally relevant services for artists in underserved communities. ACA Communications Director Steve Wilcox can share more about the program.