The Arts Open Studio Tours – Connecting the public The 2025 Open Studio Tours (OST) program returned to Tucson on November 14, 15, and 16, 2025. The series of events powerfully reaffirmed the program for uplifting, celebrating, and connecting our local creative community. In 2025, more than 200 artists participated in the program. Of those, 83 … Read more
Today, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, an agency of the State of Arizona, announced the hire of Gabriela Muñoz as Director of Grants. Muñoz will leave her current position with the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona later this month in advance of taking on her new role on April 6, 2026. “We … Read more
Tucson-based ceramicist and educator Paloma Jacqueline (Arts Foundation 2021 CARES Artist grantee) transforms public spaces by bringing forward the hidden and overlooked stories of Tucson’s communities through ceramic art. Her three major public art projects—one completed, one premiering, and one underway—visualize the oral histories of Barrio Nopal and John F. Kennedy Park, and lead the … Read more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Information Kelly Wiehe Cultural Affairs Officer City Manager’s Office Kelly.Wiehe@tucsonaz.gov 520-540-7508 Gia Del Pino Communications Manager Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona gia@artsfoundtucson.org 520-624-0595, ext. 4 Melissa Goodrich Digital Strategy & Marketing Coordinator University of Arizona Poetry Center mgoodrich@arizona.edu City of Tucson Names Logan Phillips as 2026-2029 Tucson Poet Laureate TUCSON, AZ — … Read more
Grants and Programs Coordinator, Tiera Rainey, sat down with local author Caroline Tracey to discuss her new book, Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History, which comes out on March 17, 2026. Caroline, a 2025 ARPA Artist Grant Recipient, reflects on how spending a decade tracking vanishing salt lakes across continents in many ways mirrored her own personal journey. Tiera Rainey (TR): What inspired you to write Salt Lakes: … Read more
The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona awarded $750,000 by the Mellon Foundation’s Frontera Culture Fund Grant The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is honored to announce it has been selected as a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s Frontera Culture Fund Grant, $750,000 over three years, a transformative initiative dedicated to supporting cultural organizations, artists, and scholars working along the nearly 2,000 miles U.S.-Mexico borderlands. “The U.S.-Mexico borderlands are home to an abundance of … Read more
The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona Announces its 2025 stART Grantees. $147,885 are awarded to 52 Grantees across 6 City of Tucson Wards. TUCSON, AZ — The Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona is pleased to announce the 2025 stART Grant recipients, celebrating Southern Arizona creatives who are shaping the region’s cultural landscape. The 2025 stART Grant investment provides $147,885 in support of 52 individual artists, collectives, and 501(c)(3) organizations. The program is … Read more
The Arts Foundation is excited to announce Tiera Rainey as its new Grants and Program Coordinator. Tiera has strong personal and professional ties to Southern Arizona. Raised in the area and having worked in Tucson for many years, she has developed meaningful connections with the local community. Her career has focused on advancing equity and … Read more
Featured Artwork Title: “Grl” Parsons Thesis Capstone Collection Mediums: Digital, fine art, fashion design, photography. “The ultimately powerful essence of being a woman.We have rainbow electric magic running through all of our veins. Wecarry the world in our wombs and we are born with a blood stain on our perfect white dress.” Photographed by: Jacqui … Read more
PROJECT OVERVIEW The Tucson Poet Laureate serves as the City’s official ambassador to the literary arts, advancing public appreciation of poetry while reflecting the unique spirit and identity of Tucson. This honorary position affirms poetry as a vital cultural practice that sparks imagination, dialogue, and belonging across our communities. The Poet Laureate is charged with … Read more