Writer Sue Kern-Fleischer Photography Courtesy of Cave Creek Rodeo Days [dropcap]I[/dropcap]n some ways, Mandi Holland has been waiting for this moment her whole life. She is a full-time mother, business owner, veterinarian and a former rodeo queen who has won many prizes competing in amateur and collegiate rodeos as well as local jackpots. But, thanks…
Writer: Shannon Severson Photography by Loralei Lazurek [dropcap]G[/dropcap]rowing up in New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from the bright lights and glamour of New York City, Andrea Markowitz recalls her mother Florence’s exquisite fashion sense that included a love affair with hats. “Getting dressed, for her, was an expression of her artistic nature,” says…
Writer Shannon Severson Photography Courtesy of Grace Renee Gallery [dropcap]A[/dropcap]rtists are known for pushing boundaries. They test and stretch concepts, materials and audience perception. Ceramicist Brandon Reese takes his medium to the absolute edge of what is possible for such a fragile substance. “My work pushes the boundaries not just because it’s large, but because…
Writer Joseph J. Airdo Photography Courtesy of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art [dropcap]S[/dropcap]cottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art’s latest exhibition is comprised of objects made out of materials that may surprise you. Through May 17, museum visitors can stroll through a collection of building materials, home furnishings and fashion accessories that have been transfigured from waste….
Writer Joseph J. Airdo Photography Courtesy of Phoenix Chorale [dropcap]A[/dropcap]s an 8-year-old boy, Christopher Gabbitas listened to his father’s old LPs of choral and classical music recordings from the 60s and 70s. As the record player spun beneath the needle and his world filled with sound, he began to understand the unparalleled power of music….
Writer Amanda Christmann Photography by Miguel Edwards, Suzette Hibble and Lonnie McKenzie [dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the 1930s, President Franklin Roosevelt was faced with some of the most difficult days in American history. The Great Depression, which began four years before his first term in office, had split the country at the seams. Families and communities were economically…
Writer Amanda Christmann // Photography by Loralei Lazurak and Bill Watters/Air Major Media About seven decades ago, two men, KT Palmer and Tom Darlington, had a wild idea. They wanted to create an upscale community in the Arizona desert — the next Palm Springs — where the rich and famous could live and play. They…
Writer Lisa Van Loo Photography Courtesy of Thunderbird Artists [dropcap]R[/dropcap]andy O’Brien’s tools may seem familiar: the doughy balls of clay, the spinning wheel, the sponges and the spray. They all fit in a potter’s studio. But O’Brien—the featured artist at Thunderbird Artists Spring Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival—is regularly taking a left turn where…
Writer Joseph J. Airdo [dropcap]E[/dropcap]mmy Award-winning filmmaker Kirstin Atwell Ford has been making movies for more than 25 years. However, the Arizona native believes that working on her latest project—a documentary about the unprecedented collaboration between three American masters—has been the most transformative experience of her career. “Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of…
Writer Joseph J. Airdo Photography Courtesy of Arizona Musicfest and Samuel Xu [dropcap]P[/dropcap]ianist Samuel Xu believes that music is more than just a combination of sounds that have rhythm, melody or harmony. “Music is a language that is meant to be shared with others,” he says. “It is a very powerful force. Just look at…