The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, in partnership with the Pima County Health Department, is thrilled to announce ChezSpirit & Nicci Radhe as the selected artist team for the 2026 SaludArte project. The team is comprised of Chezale Rodriguez, Wade Antonio Colwell, and Nicci Radhe. Now in its third iteration, SaludArte is a public art and public health collaboration that supports artist-led projects at the intersection of community engagement, equity, and public health practices.
This year’s project invites artists to lead community-driven art projects that reduce stigma around substance misuse and support healing in Pima County. ChezSpirit & Nicci Radhe will work collaboratively with a cohort of individuals with lived experience of substance misuse to co-create meaningful, accessible artwork that inspires conversation, builds connections, and contributes to positive health outcomes.
ChezSpirit, co-founded by life partners Chezale Rodriguez and Wade Antonio Colwell, is an “inspirational concept rooted in survival and a will to thrive.” Together with local documentarian and Founder of Celesteal Photography and Horny Toad Horticulture, Nicci Radhe, the team elevates community with “Hope, Heart, and Healing” (ChezSpirit pillars), offering a spectrum of creative and wellness-based modalities. Their practice centers on shared authorship, accessibility, and public engagement, and is informed by lived experience and a commitment to equity.
“We realize that the pathways to substance use are not linear or simple but exist as part of much larger, complex, and even systematic issues that plague our communities, such as poverty, homelessness, loneliness, pain, mental illness, and trauma,” wrote ChezSpirit. “As a team, each of us either knows someone close to us who has been impacted by substance use or has personal lived experience. Nicci has openly shared her story of sobriety and how discovering horticulture therapy has helped transform not only her life but also in supporting community members recovering from substance use by offering free classes.”
Chezale Rodriguez (Founder of Diverse Dance Arts) brings experience as a performing artist, educator, and arts administrator, including directing public art programming throughout Arizona’s west valley. Reflecting on her journey, Chezale shares: “Through my personal and professional experience as a multidisciplinary performing artist and dance educator, I’ve witnessed the healing power of music and movement as a language to uplift expression, connection, to reflect, and process emotion. Our team is hoping to take a diverse approach to this year’s program that is true to what we individually and collectively bring to the table.”
Wade Antonio Colwell’s background as a music curator, restorative practitioner, and national education consultant gives him expertise in facilitating intergenerational dialogue and uplifting collective spirit. Wade reflects, “I am confident that stigma can be transmuted into a meeting point of human reconnection, and substance reframed as an essence of innate and collective value, guided by language pivots that mirror tangible life shifts.”
Nicci Radhe’s work as a photographer, earth grower, and person in recovery has led her to discover new pathways for healing, including horticultural therapy, storytelling, and movement, while also supporting others through free community classes. Nicci shares, “With this opportunity, I am looking forward to working with many different individuals through storytelling, making art together, and creating a strong sense of community through collaboration towards a shared vision of a better future for all of us. I am looking forward to learning from the cohort and deepening our sense of connection in our community. I want to find ways through our artistic expressions around reducing stigma and harm around the issue of substance misuse and getting to the root cause of these problems.”
As a team, ChezSpirit & Nicci Radhe is dedicated to co-creating artwork alongside community members that reflects diverse voices and lived experiences, prioritizing practices that invite dialogue, reflection, and connection. Their collaborative approach aligns with SaludArte’s goals of encouraging conversations about substance misuse, increasing acceptance of available resources, and promoting equity and representation in the arts.
The project will culminate in summer 2026 with a public event organized by the artist team and cohort, showcasing their collaborative work and inviting broader community engagement with the stories and themes that emerge from the process.
Learn more about ChezSpirit: https://www.chezspirit.com
Learn more about Nicci Radhe: https://www.instagram.com/nicci_radhe?igsh=NWtiODdwOXhuZmpp
