Strengthening Relationships Through Art
SaludArte is a collaborative project between the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona and the Pima County Health Department to find ways in which community engagement, health, and art can intersect to amplify the voices and experiences of our community while also helping to increase health equity, access, literacy and COVID-19 mitigation across Pima County.
The SaludArte effort launched in 2022 by leveraging census data, the Social Vulnerability Index and COVID-19 data to identify some of the communities in Pima County that were both the hardest hit by COVID and under-resourced.
Beginning last year, SaludArte recruited 15 community members from each identified zip code to participate in a series of meetings to share their pandemic experiences and express hopes for a resilient and brighter future. A committee from each district then held a series of four meetings to: 1) orient and educate community members about the public art process and review artist applications, 2) make a final artist selection, 3) capture community members’ experiences to incorporate into the artist’s temporary art installation, and 4) formally approve the final concept design.
The selected artists have built deep roots and community connections within each district and have created meaningful expressions of art that will be unveiled at each “Celebrate SaludArte” event. The artists are Luis Mena for District 1; Barbea Williams, District 2; Jose Sandoval, District 3; Anón (Jhonattan and Samantha Arango), District 4; and Mata Ruda in District 5.
SaludArte Goals
- Reflect community values, strengths, and resilience
- Elevate the voices of diverse cultures, communities, and groups
- Promote community healing and social cohesion
- Raise consciousness about social justice issues
- Engage intergenerationally and across traditional age barriers
- Increase access to equitable health services
- Enhance health communications between the community and health professionals
- Enhance community participation and strengthen community relationships
2023 SaludArte Artists
Explore the Artist Directory profiles of the 2023 SaludArte artists.
Recap of 2023 Celebrate SaludArte Events
The Pima County Health Department and the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona hosted “Celebrate SaludArte,” a series of five free Art and Wellness events this September and October.
These family-friendly events brought together public art and public health and featured community-inspired artwork, live performances, food trucks, raffles prizes, and many health resources. Artists also unveiled their temporary art installations at each celebration, which were held in each of Pima County’s five supervisory districts.
following events:
- District 4 Celebration – Sunday, Sept. 24, from 2 – 6 p.m. at the Green Valley Community Performance & Art Center (CPAC)
- District 1 Celebration – Saturday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Ann Day Community Park
- District 5 Celebration – Sunday, Oct. 8, from 2 – 6 p.m. at Winston Reynolds-Manzanita Park
- District 2 Celebration – Sunday, Oct. 15, from 2 – 6 p.m. at Madge Utterback Middle School
- District 3 Celebration – Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Ajo Plaza
Thank you for our Community Supporters
SaludArte TIMEline
Public Art project timelines follow the schedule of the SaludArte Committee meetings in each district. Dates are subject to change depending on the SaludArte Committee members availability. However, the anticipated timeline for SaludArte Committee meetings that include the finalists and selected artists will occur from December 2022 through March 2023. The selected Artist/Artist Team will be expected to participate in at least 2-3 meetings between this time frame. Dates are subject to change.
- November 23, 2022 – Call to Artist Guidelines Posted
- January 18, 2023 – Application Deadline 11:59 p.m. Arizona Time
- January 25, 2023 – SaludArte Committee scores applicants
- February 8, 2023 – Artist Selection | Finalists Interviews
- February 28, 2023 – Announcement of Recommended Artists/Artist Teams
- March 3, 2023 – Artist/Artist teams collaborate with participants in their designated supervisory district to inform the concept of the art project
- March 15, 2023 –Artist/Artist Teams pitches conceptual design to participants for final approval
- March – September 30, 2023 – Final Design Phase & Production Phase
- September – October 2023 – Installation of artworks at Community Event(s), location and date to be determined
SaludArte – AJO Timeline
- April 7, 2023 – Call to Artist Guidelines Posted
- May 8, 2023 – Application Deadline 11:59 p.m. Arizona Time
- May 13, 2023 – SaludArte Committee scores applicants
- May 27, 2023 – Artist Selection | Finalists Interviews
- June 3, 2023 – Artist/Artist teams collaborate with participants in their designated supervisory district to inform the concept of the art project
- June 24, 2023 –Artist/Artist Teams pitches conceptual design to participants for final approval
- July – September 30, 2023 – Final Design Phase & Production Phase
- October 2023 – Installation of artworks at Community Event(s), location and date to be determined
