The 2026 SaludArte Artist Team presents “Humans Being Well Community Engagements: Reframing Stigma, Renaming Substance, Reclaiming Resilience.” The workshops are of limited capacity & at no cost to participants.
ChezSpirit (Chezale Rodriguez & Wade Antonio Colwell), in collaboration with Nicci Radhe, invites community members to connect through diverse, thoughtful and transformative engagements. Facilitated by each artist team member, we face together the harmful impacts of substance misuse and stigma through an artful experience of Hope, Heart & Healing, offering the possibility for positive personal and social change.
The 2026 SaludArte project is a public art and public health initiative by the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona and the Pima County Health Department. The program commissions artists to co-create community-driven artwork that challenges substance-misuse stigma, fosters dialogue, and promotes healing throughout Pima County.
HOPE: Reframing Stigma (Horticulture)
- Facilitator: Nicci Radhe
- Description: Sowing seeds in the soil and tending to our plant relatives with care offers us a chance to draw parallels to how we thrive mentally, physically and emotionally for ourselves and with one another. Horticultural therapy is a blossoming field. This hands-on experience in community creates a rich opportunity for reflection and consideration of the intersections of the dynamics of social stigma and function of the floral “stigma” (the flower’s receptive point of fertilization). This engagement will support the grounding of our “humans being well” journeys in hope.
- Location: Tucson Botanical Gardens (2150 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ, 85712)
- Two sessions (Limit 15 participants per session, participants select only one of the two dates)
- Wednesday, July 29, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Saturday, August 1, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
HEART: Renaming Substance (Connecting in Creativity)
- Facilitator: Wade Antonio Colwell
- Description: Growing up from the roots, the stem of the sunflower is at the heart of providing the strength to grow with stability and purpose. Following this idea, participants will explore the authentic substance of their unique and shared beauty, power, and creativity through poetry, talking circles and interactive multimedia to spark ideas and social connection. Renaming Substance as an experience aims to shift focus from what disempowers us to what rekindles our spirit.
- Location: Donna Liggins Recreation Center (2160 N 6th Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85705, Room: 163)
- One session (Limit 30 participants)
- Saturday, August 8, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
HEALING: Reclaiming Resilience (Movement)
- Facilitator: Chezale Rodriguez
- Description: This Diverse Dance Arts experience will explore and examine what it means to reconnect with ourselves through mindfulness, to reclaim our innate resilience and to draw connections between our thoughts and our movement patterns. Participants will also build community by learning of the sunflower’s crown, which represents the third ChezSpirit pillar of Healing. We will engage with creative movement and reflective dialogue, complemented by thoughtfully curated music & sound.
- Location: Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine (1502 E Mabel St, Tucson, AZ, 85719, Cantor Bldg.)
- One session (Limit 30 participants)
- Saturday, August 15, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
If you would like to get involved and learn more, please register at: www.humansbeingwell.com
