Blog

Learning the Fire of Things

By Elyanna Montalvo I started working with Cultural Coalition in October of last year, when I received the Phoenix Office of Arts & Culture student worker grant. The fall is a very busy time for them as they host the valley’s largest Mikiztli: Día de los Muertos festival. As I began onboarding, I realized the…

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Cuentos de Carmen: Travels of a Piper Fellow Part 2

Exterior view of American Visionary Art Museum brick building with painted mural on the side of a multicolored open palm hand

Back in May, Cultural Coalition Executive Director Carmen Guerrero attended the American Alliance of Museum’s Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD. While there she also explored many museums and cultural centers in the area that focused on art, Indigenous culture, and community storytelling. During her updates to Cultural Coalition staff and board about this trip, there…

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Mask Making Workshop

Back in April, Zarco and Cultural Coalition had some very cool visitors in the studio and at Rancho del Arte – a group of high school students and teachers from Silverton Public School in Colorado! This amazing group of students come from an EL or Expeditionary Learning academic model school. They were working on research…

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Eulogy to Diane Hunt Vanek

Two dancers. Mark in a fur mask in a squat position jumping in the air above Diane, sitting on the ground holding up a mask with fur

By Zarco Guerrero Carmen and I first met Mark and Di in the early 80s at Tuba City High School on the Navajo Reservation where we were both Artists in Residence. I remember the first time I saw Dancing Di dance, she fluttered around like a butterfly and could sting like a bee. She was…

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Festivals – More than just one day!

image of Elitza, young woman with brown hair wearing a white long sleeve shirt with flowers

This past spring, Cultural Coalition had its first Events Management Intern as part of our Guerrero Family Legacy Apprenticeship Projects. Elitsa Southern joined our team in January and worked with us helping to coordinate our Mask Alive and El Puente Festivals. It was such a great experience for us to have her assistance on all…

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