Culture ClubGrudge Match
Robrt L. PelaSeptember 4, 2026
Nine Grudges: The Spiteful Origins of the Happiest Dyke on Earth, is scheduled to be published by Red Hen Press on September 8
ArtsStudio Session with Ceramicist Andrew Smith
Robrt L. PelaSeptember 4, 2026
Smith’s love of ceramics came early. Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia – what he calls “the epicenter of pre- and post-Civil War ceramic production” – Smith began throwing pots as a kid. His work caught on with local collectors, and he started selling his pieces at local art markets.
ArtsStudio Session: Lori McMinn
Robrt L. PelaJuly 1, 2026
When clay artist Lori McMinn decided to make ceramic bowls from local cactus, the first thing she did was to phone the Arizona Department of Agriculture.
Blaise Lantana and I were trying to do a radio interview about how she’s retiring from her nighttime hosting job at KJZZ, the local National Public Radio affiliate. People kept interrupting.
“Writing’s a lonely business,” the poet Cindi Reiss confided the other day. “It’s helpful not to feel like you’re the only one doing it.”
“Wigs is a science I’m still learning,” says Chris Zizzo, who has been Arizona Broadway Theatre’s wig master for the past five years. “It can be stressful, but I find joy in telling a story by creating a wig. I’m delving deep into the characters themselves and trying to convey something about them to an audience based on how they do their hair.”
Culture ClubFilm Flam Man
Robrt L. PelaMarch 1, 2026
Steve Weiss wanted to be clear: The Arizona Architectural Film Showcase isn’t a film festival.
Ask Ariana Enriquez about creating an outdoor mural rendered in oil paint, and she’ll burst out laughing.
Collections Dept.Phoenix Files: Arizona, Be Mine
Robrt L. PelaDecember 29, 2025
Arizona-themed vintage valentines are more than kitschy keepsakes, according to cultural historian and longtime ephemera collector Lisa Sutton.
Studio SessionStudio Session with Artist K. Nari
Robrt L. PelaDecember 26, 2025
“I’ve been drawing and painting since before I could speak, really,” artist K. Nari says. “Back then, a set of crayons for Christmas was a really good thing.”
Culture ClubTaggart, You’re It
Robrt L. PelaDecember 24, 2025
Julia Taggart sort of stumbled into her gig as a historian.
Culture ClubAll That Glitters
Robrt L. PelaNovember 6, 2025
“I eat, breathe and sleep Christmas lights,” Simon Kreisberger says when I ask about his job. “I wake up every morning thinking about the happiest time of the year. Christmas isn’t seasonal for me.”
Studio SessionStudio Session: Suzanne M. Campbell
Robrt L. PelaNovember 6, 2025
The Wisconsin native, whose oil paintings and jewelry will be exhibited in the Sonoran Arts League’s 29th annual Hidden in the Hills Artist Studio Tour this November, figures she’s been making art – and other things – her whole life.
Collections Dept.Costume Drama
Robrt L. PelaNovember 3, 2025
Morgan Andersen set out to be a computer programmer. “Then I started doing theater in college,” she says, “and I fell in love with it. I switched my major and got an MFA in costume design instead.”
Culture ClubRead ItMade in the Shade
Robrt L. PelaSeptember 2, 2025
¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade, is a newish public art project about urban heat in Phoenix.