Writer Sue Kern-Fleischer Photography Antoine Gedroyc [dropcap]N[/dropcap]ick Lowery was having lunch at the Westin Kansas City Crown Center a year ago when a middle-aged man approached him. “You don’t remember me, but you and Kevin Ross spent time with me in 1993 when my mother was in prison, and I never forgot it,” the man…
Writer Amanda Christmann Photography by Bryan Black [dropcap]M[/dropcap]att Josef may not look like a typical artist. In fact, with his cowboy hat and youthful smile, he looks like he’d be more than comfortable driving a pickup truck to a cattle lot in his native Oklahoma. Yet more days than not, Josef can be found in…
Writer Amanda Christmann Photography by Inge Johnsson [dropcap]T[/dropcap]o fall in love with the desert is to walk a ledge between danger and beauty. Our desert is Nature’s study of contrasts. Glorious purple mountains that appear with each sunrise turn bristled and brown as the day wears on. Merciless skies offer the parched earth no reprieve…
Writer Amanda Christmann Photography by Brandon Tigrett [dropcap]E[/dropcap]ddie Jones is a giant, not only because he’s a bear of a man with flowing hair and a larger-than-life personality. As one of the most respected, talented and well-known architects in Arizona, Jones has been making an impact on architectural design—and doing it his way—since 1979. Earlier…
Writer Shoshana Leon Photography Courtesy of Scott Foust, Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Sanctuary Resort and Spa and Talking Stick Resort [dropcap]P[/dropcap]at Duncan’s passion for farming began at a very young age. “I began working on our family farm, hoeing weeds in the cotton fields the summer after second grade,” said Duncan, owner of Duncan’s Trading Company…
Writer Amanda Christmann Photography Courtesy of Sedona Visual Artists’ Coalition [dropcap]A[/dropcap]s spring begins to blossom among the orange-red cliffs of Sedona, it’s impossible to ignore the natural beauty. It is no wonder that Sedona has long attracted lovers, dreamers and artists from around the globe. This month offers a unique opportunity to witness the synergy…
Writer Joseph J. AirdoPhotography Courtesy of Azy Scotten Photography [dropcap]M[/dropcap]ove over Alexander Hamilton. There’s a new historical figure who is making the leap out of high school social studies textbooks and onto the stage. Naturalist John Muir, one of the early founders of the National Parks System, gets the star treatment in “Mountain Days”—a musical…
Writer Shoshana Leon Photography Courtesy of Getty Images and John Medina/WireImage [dropcap]C[/dropcap]elebrity Fight Night brings Hollywood’s brightest stars to the Valley, but the spotlight is on the cause. Since the event began 25 years ago, more than $86 million has been given to the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Disorders Program at…
Writer Amanda ChristmannPhotograph Courtesy of Phoenix Youth Ballet Theatre [dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the art of ballet, it is not the lithe bodies, the graceful form or even the fluid, athletic concert of movement that are most important to master. Though all are part of the final performance, before a dancer can begin to master choreography, he or…
Writer Amanda ChristmannPhotography Courtesy of David Cottle [dropcap]O[/dropcap]n a matte black stage lit by purple wash lights, a vocalist works a microphone while a drummer and a bass guitarist pour rhythm and harmony into hazy air. Laser lights flash and strobe, and giant speakers send notes and beats to a crowd of hundreds. This is…