Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA)

SAVOR Food and Wine Festival

The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance, Local First Arizona, and the Tucson Botanical Gardens partner to present SAVOR, one of the region’s most revered culinary arts celebrations. Tucson’s culinary prestige and heritage food movement have been growing yearly, and this winter will be the time to SAVOR again! Indulge in the flavors of Southern Arizona’s culinary arts while surrounded by the colorful floral blooms of the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Featuring over 60 of the region’s finest chefs, wineries, breweries, local foods, and restaurants highlighting exceptional menu tastings, this foodie festival will showcase the diversity of heritage foods and ingredients found throughout the Southwest region. Learn more at https://www.saaca.org/savor.html​. Video Footage by BG Boyd.

Oro Valley Transportation Art by Youth Project - 2022

The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance, in partnership with the Town of Oro Valley and Pima Association of Governments (PAG), oversees the Summer Youth Art Project in Oro Valley. Under the direction and mentorship of Teaching Artist Supervisors, local high school and middle school students design and construct a Public Art installation every three years at a transportation related site. New public art installed along transportation improvements not only beautifies the region’s landscape, but it also offers an opportunity for youth artists to showcase their skills and gain valuable work ethic through Pima Association of Governments’ Transportation Art by Youth program.

2022 Project Overview – Eleven teens, under the direction of two teaching artists, Ignacio Garcia and Angela Hitt, are collaborating to create one of the largest integrated public art installations in Oro Valley, AZ. The project is funded by the Pima Association of Governments, which designed the program in 1995, intending to provide youth with an opportunity to gain summer employment while participating in all phases of the design and installation of a public art installation. The project was envisioned and inspired by feedback from the community. It will encompass educational and desert inspirational imagery, mixing mural techniques, and integrated mosaic art. Additional program collaborators include the Town of Oro Valley Parks and the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance. The project allowed for teens to design and produce artwork in a public transportation setting. The students, guided by selected artist administrators, worked for an eight-week period during summer break from school, May – July 2022. The students were challenged to brainstorm ways they could incorporate themes of discovery, multi-generational diversity, connectedness, and nature. After a community outreach and engagement survey, the students and teaching artists landed on a final design incorporating a gradient art theme inspired by the two most commonly mentioned feedback notes of a project that would include nature and inspired environmental imagery in a whimsical approach.

The installation, entitled “Day to Night,” embodies the natural topography found in Oro Valley and is inspired by the animals and colorful skies native to our region. These animals and familiar imagery are found in the bountiful sunlit days and dark starry nights throughout Southern Arizona. The art installation features interactive educational elements, including scannable QR codes with recorded digital content, integrated respite seating for pedestrians, and a signature 53-foot-hand-fired mosaic glass and tile Gila Monster, which mimics the natural animal scales found on this native reptile. The impressive installation is integrated onto two significant parallel retaining walls that measure over 400 feet long, located at 791 W Tangerine Rd, near the future main entrance of Naranja Park. The project is one of the largest integrated public art installations in the Town of Oro Valley’s recent and growing mural collection. Under the direction and mentorship of artists Angela Hitt (primary teaching and mosaic artist) and Ignacio Garcia (muralist), the 11-selected local high school students unveiled and dedicated the project in July 2022.

PROJECT STUDENT INTERN ARTISTS – Kat Trahan Isabel Corona Wadleigh Grace Sun Shelby Fredrickson Josiah Tucker Mackenzie Shniderman Claire Hartigan Ema Aros Micah Carlson Jacob Schoene Christian Jones TEACHING ARTISTS Angie Hitt (Primary Teaching Artist) ​Ignacio Garcia (Muralist). Video Footage by BG Boyd.

Spring Festival of the Arts in Oro Valley, AZ

The Spring Festival of the Arts is a two day celebration in Oro Valley showcasing some of the Southwest’s finest artisans in fashion, food, home goods, painting, and visual arts. Celtic-themed music and dance performances will take place on the main stage and food trucks will be onsite for attendees to enjoy. Our curated arts and crafts market celebrates the ingenuity of independently owned, small businesses and artists who channel their passions into creating one-of-a-kind handcrafted products. ​Shop with the makers themselves – and learn how they make their unique works of art. Support small, local & sustainable! https://www.saaca.org/orovalleyspringfestivalofthearts.html Video Production by BG Boyd