Celebramos! We Won the New Arizona Water Public Art Challenge

We Won!

Water is the most important resource we have in the Sonoran desert. What’s amazing is that people have been harnessing the power of water here in Phoenix for over a thousand years. The New Arizona Prize, awarded by the Arizona Community Foundation looks for innovative art installations that creatively educate the public about the ancient Sonoran people who were able to turn the Valley into bountiful fields of farmland. 

Last year, Cultural Coalition partnered with the Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix to create just such a project.

We are thrilled to announce that this partnership was one of the winners of the New Arizona Public Art Challenge.

The New Arizona Water Public Art Challenge

The Water Public Art Challenge awards $50,000 to the top five collaborative teams proposing temporary public art highlighting the ingenuity of people who brought water to the Phoenix Valley. 

The winning project, designed by Zarco Guerrero, is entitled Portal to the Past and it will serve many purposes. First ,the design motif holds significance to the local Native tribes of the area. These tribes are descendants of the ancient Sonoran people. Second, the portal will welcome bicyclists and pedestrians to the Pueblo Grande Museum via the Grand Canalscape project being developed by the City of Phoenix. The project also includes a multimedia component. Along the Grand Canalscape near the Portal, several stone structures, each depicting a different native animal, will be erected. Each stone will have a QR code, which when scanned by a smartphone will play an original song performed by a contemporary Native singer. 

Out of 14 finalists, Cultural Coalition was one of five of the final winners of the competition. We were competing with much larger organizations, but the beauty and functionality of the design set our submission apart from the others. Several local art experts and members of local Native American groups served as participants in the review process.

Time to Celebrate!

Please join Cultural Coalition, Inc. and the Pueblo Grande Museum at the inaugural Portal to the Past Celebration. This event will feature music by the Collins Brothers, Randy Kemp and others. We will also host traditional Keli Akimel basket dancers as well as local poets and storytellers. All families are welcome! There will be a kids’ craft area and cultural arts demonstrations.

Please mark your calendars for this special and free event. The festival will begin October 20th at 2pm with programming continuing until 5pm. Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park is located at 4619 East Washington Street in Phoenix.