The Lumberjack -- October 27, 2023

Northern Arizona University’s student voice since 1914 Vol. 116, Arts Issue | October 27, 2023 — December 8, 2023

FEATURES

The solidarity in spoken word poetry MAKAYLA RICHARDSON

T

he artistry Flagstaff is known for extends to the poets walking the streets downtown and echoes through the words of their spoken performances.

Open mics designed to provide space for local poets to showcase their work in different venues throughout the city occur on a weekly basis.

With events hosted by at least four groups each month, poets have their choice of performance locations, each with its own goals and presenting styles.

In the spring, two open mic-style performances began, giving poets and audiences the opportunity to experience slam poetry. Each event was started to enhance the poetry community and provide a new environment in Flagstaff’s poetry scene.

Margarita Cruz is the host and founder of Poet Brews, which opened in March.

Poet Brews is hosted at Flagstaff Brewing Company every Tuesday at 7 p.m. and is only open to those over the age of 21 or minors with parental supervision.

Cruz said she wanted to start Poet Brews because she missed Juniper House Readings — an open mic that recently closed — and noticed a need for something similar.

“I wanted to see people read their work again,” Cruz said. “I think that there’s so much value in telling stories, sharing your

own stories and experiences and perspectives.”

She became involved in the local literary community in 2017. Since then, Cruz has worked with the Northern Arizona Book Festival (NOAZBF), which highlights local writers. Cruz said it was at NOAZBF she fully understood the importance of having public places to share work.

Starting Poet Brews is how Cruz feels she contributes to supporting local writers, she said. However, running this event comes with roadblocks.

Many people are still hesitant about attending gatherings in-person and the age limit for the venue minimizes how many NAU students can attend.

To Cruz, Poet Brews is about more than drawing a large crowd. She said she believes poetry is lifesaving because it saved her own.

In March 2020, Cruz underwent an unexpected heart surgery. While in the hospital processing the shock of a major surgery, her friends would visit and read poetry to her. She said this inspired her to write one poem every day.

Today, Cruz continues to write poems that cover the topics of grief and medical humanities to help her process the surgery.

“The more I read it out loud, the more I’m able to connect to people who are also feeling these things, which makes me feel a lot less alone,” Cruz said. “I hope it

makes other people feel like they can say these things too.”

Poets can attend various performances downtown to read their work in different environments and spread word of additional events in the area, Cruz said. One of the events Cruz has read her work at is the open mic at Awa Kava Bar. The Awa Kava Bar poetry night is an indoor event that begins between 7 and 8 p.m. every Monday.

Lily MacNab, the organizer of the event, first hosted this open mic in April. She begins each event by reading one of her poems from behind the bar and then offers the microphone to anyone in attendance. MacNab said the energy at her event is very laidback.

“It’s chill,” MacNab said.

“It’s not scored or judged. If you want to come try your poetry or song lyrics, just come hang out.”

What contributes to the laidback energy is how the open mic is conducted.

After MacNab speaks, whoever raises their hand the fastest gets to perform next. This continues until each poet has read the work they prepared for the night. Performers can take a turn more than once, and there are no requirements for the type of work performed.

MacNab said she wanted her reading to be one with low stakes to provide a different experience than more formal Junior Amy Beeler reads a poem sent to her by a friend at Awa Kava Bar’s events.

Open Poetry night in downtown Flagstaff, Oct. 2.

See SOLIDARITY on PAGE 17 Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

CULTURE

Unraveling the story behind Crochet louie BRISA KAROW DAISY JOHNSTON

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Top: Junior Carly Ray, the crocheter behind Louie the Lumberjack’s new wardrobe, stands in front of the bronze statue outside University Union, Sept. 28.

Ray’s creations have appeared on Louie since December 2022, earning the statue the nickname “Crochet Louie.” Bottom: Carly Ray climbs up on the pedestal the Louie the Lumberjack statue stands on to fix his crocheted sweater vest, Sept. 28. Louie wore the piece for months, and it has stretched out since Ray first dressed him in it in August. Brisa Karow | The Lumberjack

epresentation of the NAU mascot has undergone a plethora of transformations since becoming Louie the Lumberjack in 1988.

His style has ranged from cartoonish, lean, mean and hipster.

Now, the bronze version of Louie outside the University Union wears a new hat.

Or was it a bikini?

The well-trafficked Louie the Lumberjack statue has sported a collection of outfits since December 2022.

However, they were not part of an NAU-sanctioned fashion collection to spice up Louie’s style.

Endeavors of an anonymous crafter on campus ushered in Crochet Louie, a new persona for the decades-old statue.

The crocheted pieces were handmade by an exercise physiology student at NAU looking for a way to express her creative side.

What started as dressing Louie on a whim has become a yarn bombing effort going on three semesters.

While yarn bombing can be a show of activism, junior Carly Ray’s intentions were merely for enjoyment — her anonymity part of the ruse.

With a busy schedule, Ray

ended up installing the first Louie look late at night at the only convenient time for her.

The timing and method were not intended to become the norm, sneaking up to the statue at night to dress him.

“It accidentally became this nighttime vigilante makeover,” Ray said.

The next morning, people first saw Louie donning a chunky scarf.

The look lasted a few weeks before someone took it down, and Ray never saw it again.

Ray has been crocheting for around three years, but she began the Louie line when her brother’s girlfriend gifted her chunky yarn typically used for blanket making.

Ray turned to a scarf, using a hook that was about the size of her hand to craft it. She said when it was finished, it was comically large — large enough, perhaps, for a statue.

“I didn’t mean for it to become a recurring thing,” Ray said. “I thought it was just going to be a one-time thing, and it was so fun, so I kept doing it.”

The proportions of the scarf fit Louie quite well, she said, although she had not taken any measurements.

Even now, Ray eyeballs her projects, working off the dimensions of past projects — which fit each time, save some of Louie’s hats. A measurement of his head might be called for,

she said.

The yarn she sources, much of it from thrift stores, and the patterns she uses allow for the projects to stretch to Louie’s crafted physique — one that garnered more attention when Ray displayed her next project.

In April, Louie’s half-naked figure was covered with a bright pink bikini.

A more revealing piece, the bikini was taken down within the day.

Ray fashioned another bikini of even smaller proportions from the yarn she had left. The latter lasted even less time than the first.

A labor of love She said with each project she hoped to go bigger, taking on larger patterns each time.

Ray’s closest circle became part of the installments, her taller friends helping to place pieces over the 8-foot-tall statue.

For sweaters, she connects two granny square panels by straps, leaving the sides unconnected.

On location, she gives Louie a proper tailoring and sews him into the pieces.

Other projects, like hats or Yoda ears for May the 4th, require less work.

See CROCHET LOUIE on PAGE 9

FROM THE EDITOR

I

JESSIE MCCANN DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT

t’s the instantaneous switch from blue skies to hailing monsoons. It’s the changing of the Aspen leaves. It’s the unexpected passing by of a number of different people I love every day. It’s the brightly lit stars of the night sky on my walk home. It’s the quiet of the family neighborhood street I live on.

It’s the Christmas lights and colorful paintings in my living room. It’s the tireless hours spent writing and editing in the Media Innovation Center.

It’s my roommates making me laugh so hard I cry. It’s the late-night cravings to walk to the gas station. It’s the coffee shop run by a hairdresser named Val on a Sunday afternoon. It’s the increasingly higher snowfall seasons and plowing my driveway like a madman. It’s the plethora of local vendors and small businesses that frequent campus and Wheeler Park.

All of these uniquely make up my college experience that I am so desperately trying to soak in. Yet, the craziness of my day-to-day schedule tends to overtake that desire.

I’m 21 years old now. I’m living in a constant and confusing dichotomy between feeling like a teenager and feeling my age. My daily routine binds me to the 21-year-old feeling, but not in the stereotypical, getting- wasted- on- a- Monday type of way.

I wake up at 8 a.m. almost every morning. I pack a lunch to bring to school. I have back-to-back meetings and classes. I have office hours for my two jobs on alternating days of the week. I have my indoor cycling class, forcing me to get exercise. I walk to the bus stop, go home and do my assignments.

This sort of ingrained, organized schedule is something I have never really known. Unmedicated ADHD purely prohibits that. It’s certainly a good thing to have structure. My high school self would be impressed and probably astonished. Yet, it has a strange way of making me feel old and as if I’m not doing the year “21” right.

Continue reading on JackCentral.org

S

BRISA KAROW COPY EDITOR

ometimes, it can feel like the world is more than expansive, overwhelming even to the most confident people. Even so, we paint famous people in our eyes as above those feelings, holding them in a different light, far removed from our lives. However, when I see live artists perform their music, I’m reminded of how daunting a task it can be for them to lay their talent and creative expression out on the stage.

If they can project themselves onto a stage in front of an infatuated crowd, why couldn’t I pursue dreams of a similar caliber? As a creative, every interaction is an open door to the next project; who knows where it could take you.

When a band takes to the stage and the crowd swells, they create a reciprocal relationship, gifting one another a share of their time, if even for a brief set. There’s nothing like the awe of seeing your favorite artist lingering in the wings of the stage, waiting for their long-anticipated entrance.

It’s in these moments that I feel the world shrink.

The performers and audience members walk the same line, experiencing life for the first time and figuring it out as they go. The artists pour their hearts out on stage and share vulnerable moments from their lives and the audience resonates. The crowd can often feel a personal connection to the performers, whether they are front row reaching out to the lead singer or sitting further back, taking it all in.

I can get tunnel vision when I’m in the first few rows, focused only on what is in front of me. The hundreds or thousands of people behind me fade away, and the scene is just me and the artist.

It reminds me how small the world is and how ample opportunities are. My life can collide with a famous artist’s for a night, a feat that seemed impossible growing up.

Where else could my life take me?

Continue reading on JackCentral.org ometimes my hands are shields, protecting me from the world unknown. Sometimes my hands are bullets: Defensive, ready, locked and loaded. But most importantly, my hands are paint brushes and pens.

Writing what can’t be said, quieting the world from what are usually screams of reality. The silence in writing is a hush and a simmer Letting my mind purge, reflect, complicate or unwind. Opinion, news and pages: Another form of silence through The Lumberjack.

Silence in its loudest form. My name is a story, my writing is a life, so the best story to share is how my writing kept me alive.

Throughout my childhood, I would run to my journal and hide in my mind. It is where I felt safe and cared for all of the time.

Later on, I watched my writing bloom, changing from not only a safe space but to a whole community too.

Writing is what I always find my self turning too: The breath in my lungs and the words that hang in the air.

I turned to my journal again and again, the words burned to my skin and stained on my sheets, everyday my writing kept me alive.

Words on these pages, music on my fingertips, books in my hand, the newsroom in sight and melodies rolling off my tongue.

The supportive community I know I will always have to guide me.

My writing used to be the only thing keeping me alvive, now it is what make me feel alive.

The name Tess means late summer, the time of year when the trees are shades of orange, The smell of fall looms over and the best season for words.

As my hands turn to paint brushes and late summer comes in waves, I write and write for my soul and for The Lumberjack, To let the silence ring in my ears. A melody of words so clear. I ask you, this one-time to breathe with me, hear the silence through my words.

S TESS BANDSTRA DIRECTOR OF PRINT DESIGN & ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

Thank you for reading!

Taylor McCormick | The Lumberjack

SOCIAL MEDIA

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD...

T

his issue marks one year of printing quarterly special issues of The Lumberjack.

Twice a semester, our editors, writers, photographers and illustrators labor out of love for student media to bring you engaging content related to a particular theme.

In the history of our student-run publication, special issue themes have covered autumn, travel, sustainability and graduation.

We have featured women’s and Indigenous issues.

This first issue of fall 2023 is a love letter to what makes Flagstaff ’s tight-knit, diverse community vibrant and unique — the arts. You’ll find a profile on a local jewelry maker, a story on how female tatto artists are changing the industry and an update on Flagstaff ’s recent beautification projects.

Thank you for reading.

FILM FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Top left: El Templo de San Juan Bautista in the town of Chamula, Chiapas in Mexico, Jan. 14. Within the church, the Tzotzil people, a Mayan community with their own language, practice a mix of pre-Hispanic Tzotzil customs and traditional Catholic procedures. Bottom left: The gardens at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France, July 20. Madison Easton | The Lumberjack

Top right: People look out at a tourism boat in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco in Mexico, April 4. Bottom right: Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, France, July 18. Madison Easton | The Lumberjack

VOL. 116 ARTS ISSUE

EDITORIAL STAFF

EXECUTIVE BOARD Marley Green, Editor-in-Chief Daisy Johnston, Managing Editor Jessie McCann, Director of Digital Content Brisa Karow, Copy Editor Tess Bandstra, Director of Print Design Lian Muneno, Director of Marketing

Phone: (928) 523-4921 Fax: (928) 523-9313 Lumberjack@nau.edu P.O. Box 6000 Flagstaff, AZ 86011

Ava Hiniker, News Editor Emma Weaver, Assistant News Editor Rose Baillie, Opinion Editor Tess Bandstra, Assistant Opinion Editor Zachary Markewicz, Features Editor Lily Combs, Assistant Features Editor Aidan Schonbrun, Culture Editor Chloe Legay, Assistant Culture Editor Noah Butler, Sports Editor Nathan Ecker, Assistant Sports Editor

VISUALS Madison Easton, Director of Photography Taylor McCormick, Assistant Director of Photography John Chaides, Senior Photographer Alexis Beaman, Director of Illustration Jonah Graham, Director of Multimedia Sara Williams, Director of Social Media

FACULTY ADVISERS Bree Burkitt, Faculty Adviser Katherine Locke, Reporter Adviser Rory Faust, Sports Adviser

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

The Lumberjack is committed to factual correctness and accuracy. If you find an error in our publication, please email Marley Green at mkg249@nau.edu.

Northern Arizona University sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, on homelands sacred to Native Americans throughout the region. We honor their past, present and future generations, who have lived here for millennia and will forever call this place home.

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG

3

NEWS

Flagstaff continues beautified The City of Flagstaff initiated its third year of beautification projects to promote the work of local artists.

O

PAIGE FILIPEK

ver summer, the City of Flagstaff installed new art wraps on traffic signal cabinets, the control panels near traffic lights. Artists were encouraged to create digital art that translates cleanly onto vinyl wrap and fits around select cabinets.

The Beautification and Public Art Commission (BPAC) opened entries for traffic cabinet beautification in January. The call was featured in the Arizona Daily Sun, generating an increase in outreach and number of applications from previous years.

The Traffic Signal Cabinet Initiative completed its third year of traffic signal cabinet wraps in June, with the fourth phase planned for early 2024. The majority of the project’s funding came from the Bed, Board and Beverage (BBB) Tax, as tourism generates the most revenue for the initiative.

Traffic cabinet wrap locations are determined based on visibility, safety and city ownership. Arizona Public Service (APS) permitted the City of Flagstaff to beautify select APS traffic cabinets, which are potential wrap locations for the fourth phase.

The year’s wraps are located across South Beulah Boulevard, East Dortha Avenue and the intersection between South Foxglenn Street and Butler Avenue.

A panel of community members residing near each location votes on which artist to

select based on artistic merit and site location. The committee recommends the selected artist, though the official selection is approved by the Flagstaff City Council. This round, BPAC followed all of the panelist recommendations.

Applications opened for artists across the country in January, though priority was given to those living in northern Arizona. Out of 73 applications, five were selected this round.

The art of Jury Judge, a former cartoonist for The Noise, wraps three traffic cabinets on the corner of South Beulah Boulevard and West McConnell Drive. The now-defunct magazine was a free forum publication for artists and poets around Flagstaff. It originally emerged in 1993 to protest budget cuts to high school arts and journalism programs.

Judge’s artwork uses vibrant colors to create scenes of insects interacting with plants.

Images of Arizona’s state butterfly — the two-tailed swallowtail — and other local wildlife decorate the cabinet.

“The reason I chose this particular location is because there are three traffic signal cabinets, instead of other locations, that only had one or two cabinets,” Judge said. “My choice created additional challenges, but it was well worth it.”

Judge is an internationally recognized artist, with more than 140 pieces published in magazines. More of her work can be found locally in The Lowell Observer, the quarterly newsletter of Lowell Observatory.

Top: A faded mural is painted on the side of a building in downtown Flagstaff, Oct. 7. Bottom: A bright mural depicting Flagstaff is painted on the side of a building downtown.

Caitlyn Anderson | The Lumberjack

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

traffic signal cabinets initiative She said she draws inspiration from northern Arizona’s natural beauty and wildflowers.

Part of her goal is to enhance the commute of residents and Flagstaff visitors.

“My aim is to add a fun, playful splash of imagination to the area and spark conversations among viewers and to create a shared experience,” Judge said. “I want this art installation to be a joyful punctuation mark in our city’s vibrant narrative.”

Public art creates residential commonality in many cities, honing in on the distinct local culture. According to The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, the main benefit of public art is placemaking. This refers to the design of public areas for communal benefit.

Jana Weldon is the staff liaison for BPAC and program manager for Beautification, Arts and Sciences. She works to enhance Flagstaff’s cultural heritage with art.

“This project had the goal of creating canvases out of utility cabinets for public art and giving more opportunity to local 2D artists,” Weldon said. “It encourages communication, promotes neighborhood identity and creates urban exclamation points for visitors and residents alike.”

Weldon said the intention of public art is to inspire future generations and allow people to experience the beauty of Flagstaff for free. The aesthetic enhancement of Flagstaff enlivens the city and creates a historic presence.

The first BBB-funded public art project, “Frontier Adventure,” a multi-piece sculpture display in front of Flagstaff City Hall, was commissioned in 1987. Now, more than 40 pieces of public art adorn the city.

Another program funded by the BBB tax is Beautification in Action (BIA). This program focuses on smaller infrastructure projects, like utility cabinets, murals, pollinator gardens and landscaping improvements. The opportunity to apply for grants up to $4,500 for landscaping projects opens twice a year.

BIA allocates funding for beautification projects that are not BPAC staff-run. Businesses and non-profit organizations can apply and select artists after receiving their funding approval. This citizen-led effort helps common targets of graffiti obtain professional artwork and stop vandalization.

The homeowners association for the condominiums near West Dale Avenue and North Beaver Street applied for the BIA grant to stop vandalism on a nearby electrical cabinet. The HOA picked the artist and received grant approval from the BPAC. Traffic signal wraps installed in this phase will be removed in three years or earlier, depending on weathering conditions. Available locations will open to new proposals in 2026, and applications for new cabinets will be available in 2024.

“Whether a sculpture, mural, mosaic or photo collage, each artwork tells a story, some inspiring, some meditative, many with whimsical surprises, while others are expressly intended to leave a legacy for future generations,” Weldon said.

The application for new traffic signal cabinet wrap locations can be found on the City of Flagstaff website.

Left: A colorful mural of the sun and sunflowers painted on the side of a building in downtown Flagstaff, Oct. 7. Top right: A brightly colored mural of butterflies and feet painted on a building downtown. Bottom right: A mural features a quote from Winona LaDuke, author of “All Our Relations,” on the side of a building downtown. Caitlyn Anderson | The Lumberjack

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG

5

NEWS

NAU female musicians fracture music’s glass ceiling German Import, an all-female student band, joins professors to respond to misogyny in the music industry

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JAZMYN MUHAMMAD

emale musicians are making strides in a historically male-dominated music industry. Recently, women artists have been exploring experimental genres and gaining more recognition for their work.

In 2020, 20% of the musicians on Billboard’s “Hot 100 Year-End Chart” were women, with 2% of hit songs being produced by a female producer. In contrast, 30% of the musicians on Billboard’s 2023 chart were women.

An all-female band of NAU students, German Import, formed in April to experiment with different subgenres of rock.

The band consists of sophomore Sydney Stanley, a vocalist, junior Annika Hurst on the drums and junior Madalyn Wnenta, who plays bass guitar.

Both Stanley and Hurst said some have tried to categorize their band under the girlpunk genre or undermined their talent.

“Women in the rock music industry are immediately getting pushed to one genre, and that tends to be girl punk,” Hurst said.

“We don’t want to be girl punk. We just want to experiment freely, be cool and grungy, yet we are being roped into one genre.”

Stanley said they have plans for their band’s development, but it can be difficult not feeling supported.

“We want to experiment with electronic rock, metal and be a multi-genre band,” Stanley said. “I used to play a brass instrument. I’d love to incorporate brass into our rock music. I want to do a lot of interesting things that people may not accept.”

Many female musicians are forced to make their performances memorable to keep their name out there, Hurst said.

She said Rihanna is a great example of a prominent artist who dealt with unrealistic expectations from listeners demanding new music. When it was announced Rihanna would perform at the Super Bowl, fans waited in anticipation because she had not released an album in years.

Junior Madalyn Wnenta, junior Annika Hurst and sophomore Sydney Stanley pose for a photo outside the Communication Building, Oct 12. Sarah Marshall | The Lumberjack “After her performance, people still criticized her,” Hurst said. “She obviously wants to focus on her family, not on music, but people are still criticizing her for it.”

Stanley said one of the female artists she looks up to is Kim Gordon for her influence in the rock genre. Gordon is the co-founder of Sonic Youth, an alternative rock band, acting as vocalist and guitarist.

“Kim Gordan was very outspoken about feminist issues and introduced a lot to the alternative rock world,” Stanley said.

“Women like Gordon pioneered the type of music that exists today in rock.”

The University of Southern California Annenberg Inclusion Initiative publishes researched studies exploring trends of diversity in the entertainment business.

In January, the initiative released its sixth annual report “Inclusion in the Recording Studio?” including data collected from 2012-22.

The report stated that of the 2,139 artists polled in the study, the ratio of men to women was 3.5 men to every one woman.

Additionally, the ratio of male to female producers across 800 popular songs was 34.1 to 1. The disparity in female inclusion, along with other underrepresented groups, indicates a lack of representation in the music industry.

Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner was recently removed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation after he made disrespectful comments about female musicians and musicians of color in an interview with The New York Times.

Wenner was promoting his new novel, “The Masters,” which featured interviews with influential, highly regarded rock stars and icons. He faced scrutiny after he explained why the novel only featured white men.

Abby Fisher, an assistant professor of percussion and director of percussion studies at NAU, read the article out of curiosity. She said she believed Wenner’s first problem was categorizing all women musicians into one category and calling them inarticulate.

“There are more and more full-time

professors that are women at large universities running incredible music programs,” Fisher said. “It’s nowhere near having equality, but I see students wanting to explore positions that they never thought they could.”

Fisher said she did not experience overt sexism during college.

However, when she was an undergrad, there were times she was unable to figure out where the criticism came from — the need to improve as a musician or that she was a female performer.

“I graduated with my undergraduate degree in 2011, and during that time, I don’t believe there was as much of an emphasis on gender and inclusivity,” Fisher said. “I’m excited that our program is implementing more diverse music styles like Ewe, which originates from Ghana and Brazilian samba music. This is a great way to expand and practice inclusion in the percussion world.”

German Import will be guest performing at their first show later this month. The NAU Percussion Ensemble will hold a concert Nov. 2 at Kitt Recital Hall.

Two Flagites appointed to ACA Governing Commission

F

HAVA HERZOG

or the first time in five years, two Flagites were selected to serve on the Governing Commission for the Arizona Commission on the Arts (ACA).

In August, Gov. Katie Hobbs appointed Kyung-Lim Turrell and Pats Shriver to represent northern Arizona.

The ACA allocates funding to support arts and art education programs across the state.

The governor chooses members of the governing commission for their ability, judgment and experience in artrelated fields. Commissioners are responsible for awarding grants and formulating policies.

ACA Director of Communications Steve Wilcox said the group’s work supports artists and art organizations across rural and remote communities.

“Our board members are appointed by the governor and, so far, our new governor, Hobbs, has really done a great job of diversifying the voices and the regions represented on our board,” Wilcox said. “We are very happy to have Kyung and Pats representing the interests of the north of the state.”

Hobbs appointed Shriver and Turrell with two other new commissioners, Ash Dahlke from Bisbee and Regina Ortega-Leonardi from Globe.

The four new appointees replaced outgoing commissioners from the Valley: Jason Kush, Michael Potter, Megan Schmitz and Ruth Sobranes.

“We’re a 57-year-old institution, and certainly, we’ve had northern Arizona represented on the commission before, but it’s been a little while,” Wilcox said.

The new commissioners join a team of 15 members representing municipalities across Arizona.

“I am committed to ensuring Arizona’s diverse communities and cultures have a voice on the arts commission,” Hobbs said in a press release. “These appointees, who all come from different backgrounds and regions within our state, will each bring with them their own unique perspective.”

Commission members share the same goal of growing local support for the arts during their respective three-year terms. Commissioners’ responsibilities include attending quarterly board meetings, chair review panels, awarding grants and creating policies, all to benefit the arts in the regions they represent and the state of Arizona.

“I want to encourage and support the arts in such a way that the individual artists, as well as the groups, can develop and thrive,” Turrell said. “The arts as a field should be respected and promoted.”

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drawing from the Pratt Institute in 1983, Turrell remained in the New York art scene for 18 years, exhibiting her artwork out of state and abroad.

Turrell moved to Flagstaff in 1996 and has continued

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

creating and showing her work since. In addition to the ACA, Turrell is a board member of the Turrell Art Foundation and the Skystone Foundation, alongside her husband, noted artist James.

Turrell draws and paints abstract geometric shapes, some reflecting astronomical phenomena. As a visual artist, Turrell said northern Arizona needs a venue to exhibit visual and contemporary art.

She said she does not know any local museums or galleries showcasing these artworks and wants to use her expertise to support the visual arts.

While she does not plan to implement a new venue, Turrell said she wants to see growth and development for diverse communities.

“I think that there are many ways and many areas that can come together in an interdisciplinary way, including Hispanic, Mexican, Native American and even East Coast influx that can result in some interesting and unique art in northern Arizona,” Turrell said.

In her career, Shriver worked with Indigenous groups on the Colorado Plateau, including the Hopi Foundation and donors throughout the White Mountains. She said she believes artists in tribal areas and other towns outside Flagstaff do not recieve as much recognition.

“I think we have a very strong arts community in Flagstaff,” Shriver said. “Where I hope I can help is really opening up more of northern Arizona.”

Shriver recently retired from her position as regional manager overseeing the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff and community funds for Page, the Greater Williams area and Tuba City. Before that, Shriver worked at the Museum of Northern Arizona for five years.

Shriver is also a fabric artist who traces her passion for art back to her childhood.

“My parents were very adamant that my sisters and I grew up going to museums, going to plays, going to concerts,” Shriver said.

Awarding grants is central to ACA’s services. Grants go to arts organizations, schools and community groups to provide experiences to Arizonans. These groups use the funding to facilitate projects and public arts programming.

As part of Fiscal Year 2023’s grant initiative, two Flagstaff artists recieved Research and Development grants.

Literary artist Seth Muller and theater artist Matthew Windham were alotted $5,000 in funding support from the ACA in January.

The ACA awarded Muller funding for research informing “Hiking Guide to Nowhere,” a collection of nonfiction essays. Windham received funding for developing an experimental theater production featuring puppets called “The Haunting of Richard III” inspired by the Shakespeare play “Richard III.” In Fiscal Year 2024, Arizona gave the ACA a budget

of $5.4 million to fund grants for art programs. Coconino County received 27 grants with a total of $317,550.

Grants awarded to organizations in Coconino County include the Creative Capacity Grant, Festival Grant and Artist Opportunity Grant.

A complete list of the grantees and their awards is available on the ACA website.

Grantees of the next cycle of Fiscal Year 2024 will be notified of their award in December.

Kyung-Lim Turrell

Pats Shriver

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M

NIYAH WARREN

urals are displayed on the walls of small businesses in Flagstaff and are created by local artists, like Sky Black and Sean Griffin, professionally known as Griffin One. While this form of street art is accepted, not all are welcomed.

Graffiti is considered a form of vandalism in Arizona. In response to graffiti, Flagstaff residents formed the group Graffiti Busters 10 years ago. This volunteerbased program, while not connected to the Flagstaff Police Department, operates under the city’s Community Code Compliance department to find and cover local graffiti tags.

Kevin Dunlap is a code compliance officer for the city. He said the ultimate goal of Graffiti Busters is to eradicate graffiti quickly and efficiently. Leaving graffiti up for prolonged periods of time can encourage other artists to tag private buildings illegally, Dunlap said.

The Graffiti Busters define graffiti as any public marking the City of Flagstaff does not approve. All businesses must contact Flagstaff’s Beautification Program to seek approval for artwork displayed on their buildings by presenting a model depicting the finished product. Otherwise, artwork may run the risk of being covered up.

For instance, Dunlap said the program recently had to cover a piece of public artwork an artist created because the building’s owner failed to seek the city’s approval. The artwork represented friends the artist lost.

“He did 8-foot-by-16-foot walls, and he did four sections of it,” Dunlap said. “The problem was we had to cover it all up, and it was great art. He took the time, it was 3D, it was beautiful.”

Dunlap referred the artist to the Beautification & Public Art Commission to seek approval for his artwork.

Graffiti Busters has a complaint form

for those who spot graffiti when traveling around the city. Dunlap said this process is only relevant to Flagstaff, as NAUPD has a different protocol.

NAUPD Sgt. Kevin Duffy said the department typically receives calls from staff members and community assistants reporting on-campus graffiti. NAUPD then files a report, and NAU Facility Services cleans up the graffiti.

“Graffiti can be found anywhere, but I would say mainly it’s found on the inside of our buildings,” Duffy said. “People try to cover the walls in marker and spray paint.”

Dunlap said public concern for graffiti is related to the consideration of safety from gang-related violence in Flagstaff.

However, at NAU, most of the graffiti found is harmless.

“Mainly, the drawings are scribbling, but sometimes it can be art,” Duffy said.

“Gang-related stuff is usually not too often drawn.”

Other graffiti found on campus includes sketches of cartoon characters. Duffy said these drawings are often in bathroom stalls.

The volunteer members of Graffiti Busters aim to improve the quality of life for Flagstaff residents by keeping the city clean.

“We want to exemplify Flagstaff for what it is, not for the problems we have,” Dunlap said.

Graffiti Busters gather materials to cover tags from donations and the Hazardous Product Center. Flagites can donate leftover paint, which will be dumped into five-gallon buckets. The most recent contribution was 32 five-gallon buckets from Habitat for Humanity with the help of Home Depot to tint the paint.

Graffiti on bricks is sprayed down with a pressure washer and a special solvent.

However, when graffiti is painted over, the color does not always match the original paint of the building.

Local artists’ work is often altered by

graffiti. If a mural is tagged, Graffiti Busters suggests hiring a professional business to ensure the total restoration of the artwork.

Statistics on the amount of graffiti in Flagstaff are not recorded. However, Dunlap said in one week, Bill Sheppard, a permanent volunteer for Graffiti Busters, removed more than 35 tags.

The organization also manages stickers placed on buildings around town and cleans

chalk drawings from sidewalks.

Graffiti Busters welcomes volunteers needing to fulfill their court-appointed community service hours.

Additional information on volunteering for the Graffiti Busters organization can be found on its website. Information on receiving approval for a street art piece can be found on the City of Flagstaff Beautification webpage.

Top left: Bill Sheppard (left) and Kevin Dunlap (right) stand in front of the Graffiti Busters van outside the City of Flagstaff Sustainability Program Office, Oct. 12. Top right: Sheppard cleans graffiti off a power box at a clean-up site. Middle: Sheppard reaches for a “safe wipe” to clean graffiti off a dumpster at a clean-up site in an alleyway off East Aspen Avenue on Oct. 12. Bottom: Sheppard takes a photo of graffiti at a clean-up site. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG

7

Access all of our print editions on JackCentral.org

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

CULTURE

CROCHET LOUIE from FRONT

The blue and gold sweater Ray made for Welcome Week lasted the longest, even long enough for her to construct a new project: a jack-o’-lantern sweater. As Ray undid and took down the Welcome Week sweater, she said this was the first of her creations she could keep.

The response to Crochet Louie When a college makes the decision to add a new element of design to campus, many times that means a piece of art to hang in its union or maybe a new modern bench. It is not necessary for administrators to make campus look good, but if they choose to, research shows it can help with enrollment rates and an overall happier student body.

For NAU’s latest incoming class, however, the most notable piece of art was not modern. It was the granny sweater-type cardigan on a statue of the school mascot.

One new student, Abbey Hunter, began her first year at NAU this fall. Hunter and two of her friends all said they loved the blue and gold sweater.

“I think it’s, like, a fun school pride thing,” Hunter said. “It also is so non-destructive, it really just brings happiness.”

Although Hunter said she would like to see more of Ray’s creations in the future, she understands that each piece probably takes a long time to complete.

For the gold and blue vest, Ray said the project took around seven hours and then about five hours for the fall jack-o’-lantern sweater. In addition to crafting, Ray is also a member of Elevation, an a cappella group on campus, and a full-time student.

“It’s well made,” Hunter said. “It must have taken time.”

While the sweater was well-received by students on campus, one of Ray’s concerns was how NAU faculty would react to the non-university-organized project. When the NAU Instagram account encouraged whoever crocheted the sweater to reach out, Ray decided to remain anonymous.

In the absence of Ray’s social media presence, NAU community members took it upon themselves to explain the deeper message.

On a post of Louie in the sweater made by the NAU Alumni Association Facebook, one user commented that the project was “the emasculation of Louie” and wrote the Welcome Week sweater should be taken off.

Another member of the group weighed in, writing, “It is a fun take on the statue, and it is a great barometer of how gross commenters can be. The patriarchy/toxic masculinity is insidious.”

Ray said she noticed the mixed responses, but she had no deliberate messages in mind when she started making clothes for Louie.

“It’s an interesting thing that has happened, just as a reflection of our culture now,” Ray said. “I put a sweater vest on Louie and people are like ‘This is an emasculation.’ It’s a statue.”

In terms of vandalism to NAU-owned property, those who see it are encouraged to file a report with the police. Regardless of whether the Crochet Louie pieces are considered vandalism, NAU administrators have allowed the most recent piece to remain up for months.

For the time being, NAU has yet to condemn the yarn bombing of a statue on campus, and “shirtless Louie” continues to sport his new designer wardrobe.

While changing out sweaters on the Louie the Lumberjack sweater outside University Union, Carly Ray uses scissors to undo her tailoring, Oct. 4. Brisa Karow | The Lumberjack

Left: Carly Ray displays her latest piece for Louie, the bronze statue outside University Union, Sept. 28. Ray uses a granny-square pattern for her sweater-vest designs. Right: Since the Louie the Lumberjack statue outside University Union is 8 feet tall, Carly Ray’s taller friends, Luke Tittle (left) and Ethan Wright (right) help place her pieces over Louie’s head, Oct. 4.

Brisa Karow | The Lumberjack

Louie’s Kitchen:Raspberry and white chocolate swirl cookies I CHLOE LEGAY

n creating this recipe, I wanted to emulate the look of paint poured together, as seen in acrylic pour-over paintings.

The centerpiece of these cookies is the topping, which combines the tartness of raspberries with the rich sweetness of white chocolate. Sugar cookies provided a canvas for the swirling raspberry and white chocolate topping, turning a classic dessert into abstract art.

I hope you enjoy the cookies!

Ingredients: Cookie dough: ò FXSV DOO SXUSRVH ÀRXU 2 teaspoons baking powder ô WHDVSRRQ ¿QH VHD VDOW 2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature) 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves

Steps: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

:KLVN ÀRXU VDOW DQG EDNLQJ SRZGHU WRJHWKHU LQ D PHGLXP ERZO

%HDW EXWWHU DQG VXJDU LQ D ODUJH ERZO XQWLO OLJKW DQG ÀX̆\ $GG HJJ HJJ \RON DQG YDQLOOD XQWLO FRPELQHG DQG WKHQ VWLU LQ ÀRXU PL[WXUH VORZO\ 6FRRS GRXJK LQWR EDOOV DQG ÀDWWHQ WKHP $GG ò WHDVSRRQ RI UDVSEHUU\ SUHVHUYHV WR HDFK FRRNLH DQG WKHQ FDUHIXOO\ VKDSH WKHP LQWR EDOOV DJDLQ 5. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. %DNH IRU PLQXWHV DQG WKHQ OHW FRRO &RRNLHV VKRXOG EH FRPSOHWHO\ FRROHG EHIRUH adding the topping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a unique look.

Topping: 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Stock photo

Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG

9

Left: Soaps on sale are on display at P.J. Chilcottage inside Old Town Shops in downtown Flagstaff, Oct. 5. Right: Owner of Last Dance Ranch, Denise Klingerberg, poses for a photo with her goat soap lotion inside Bookmans Flag Cafe, Oct. 4. Taylor McCormick | The Lumberjack

$ EXEEO\ IRUP RI DUW B

SARA WILLIAMS

ehind-the-scenes of the decorated soaps displayed at farmers markets, there is an entire process that often is overlooked.

People who make soap by hand work with chemical lye, a material that can be dangerous. During the soap making process, artists stir lye into distilled water, all while avoiding inhaling fumes.

For the correct chemical reactions to occur, soap artists use lye water. When working with chemicals, a mistake could burn the skin, so artists often wear a protective layer of clothing.

Denise Klingerberg is the owner of The Last Dance Ranch. The shop hand-makes soaps and lotions as well as specializes in goat milk-based products.

Klingerberg and her husband bought land and made a self-sustaining farm in Parks, Arizona with chickens, cows and goats. The pair were both widowers when they got married. Klingerberg said the ranch is their last big project, hence the name.

They strived to get use out of their animals because they cannot afford to feed and take care of them without their labor helping in return.

“There was a rule,” Klingerberg said.

“You didn’t have pets, they actually had to have a function. Even the dogs have their function, even the cats have their function.”

Klingerberg was inspired to jump into soap making when she brought fresh milk from her goat to her friend to put in a soap mixture.

Her friend showed her how to make soap with the cold process method. The cold press method is when lye and butters are brought to a similar temperature, mixed and then put in an ice bath to harden.

Many types of butters, such as shea, avocado, olive and aloe, can be used in the process. Each have different reactions that cause a change in the texture of the soap.

Once cooled, scents and crushed rocks are added to the mixture for color.

Oftentimes, soap making can be used as an artistic outlet. Kristin Straka, the owner and soap maker at Arizona Soap Creek, said she started making soap just becasue she enjoyed it.

Straka was working in a bakery when an employee there got a soap-making book from his mom. He asked Straka if she wanted it instead because it did not interest him. She opened the book and has continued making soap since.

“I LOVE MAKING SOAP, BECAUSE I’M THINKING OF ALL DIFFERENT WAYS TO MAKE IT, AND I USUALLY USE THE COLOR WHICH KIND OF MATCHES THE SCENT.”

– DENISE KLINGERBERG, SOAP ARTISIAN Finally, the colored mixtures are poured into a silicone tub using different movements to get the designs the artisan is trying to achieve.

Soon after she started making soap, Klingerberg enlisted the help of her daughter with the business. The two worked togethaer for years until her daughter left to focus on her career in teaching. Before she left, she helped Klingerberg refine their recipes.

With her family helping sell soaps, Klingerberg began working at the Flagstaff Community Market on Sundays, where she gained a reputation for handing out free samples and having great customer experiences.

“I love making soap because I’m thinking of all different ways to make it, and I usually use the color which kind of matches the scent,” Klingerberg said.

“I started making soap over 20 years ago, and I loved it,” Straka said. “I used to buy soap from P.J. Chilcottage with the pictures in it that smelled good and [were] pretty.”

She began giving soap to friends and eventually sold her products at Rainbows’ End. Now, she has been selling soap at the company for 15 years. Within the past three years, she branched out to the Flagstaff Community Market and expanded into making shampoo bars.

When larger companies do not meet the qualifications to call their products bar soap, they often choose to call it a body bar or a bath bar.

Straka also uses the cold process method to make her soaps and experiments with patterns and toppings.

“It is time consuming but super fun,”

Straka said. “It is my creative outlet for sure.”

Many of Straka’s intricate bars have sold out, but she keeps pictures of them on her website to display the designs.

She was a vendor at Flagstaff Art in the Park over the summer, selling bars with aliens in a UFO or a nighttime scene of a river at the bottom of a canyon.

Abby Houghton, a handmade soap user, said she prefers to buy soaps from farmers markets where she knows they are made by the person she is giving her money to.

Soap artisans often work with clients to make soap excluding certain ingredients due to allergies.

“Personally, I use handmade soaps for skin reasons,” Houghton said. “Local people tend to be more cautious about adding in different chemicals or just anything that isn’t good for your skin.”

Houghton said store-bought soap may not be as good for skin, unless it has glycerin.

Glycerin can minimize water loss, helping retain moisture, providing relief to people with dry skin.

“I have really dry skin, and using handmade soap or just those that are generally made better, like glycerin, oat milk or goat’s milk, whatever, is better,” Houghton said.

Houghton’s experience is not universal; however, handcrafted soaps are generally made with easy-to-track ingredients and helps support local artisans.

Soaps and lotions made from goat milk from Last Dance Ranch sit in a basket on a table inside Bookmans Flag Cafe, Oct. 4. Taylor McCormick | The Lumberjack

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

CULTURE

Minority women are closing the gender gap in the tattoo industry

T

ABBEY SOBELMAN

here has long been a stigma surrounding people with tattoos, because they are often associated with low intelligence, promiscuity or not caring about how they present themselves.

Although feelings surrounding tattooed individuals have shifted to become more accepting and less judgmental in recent years, researchers found that tattooed women are still judged harshly and are more likely to be considered less attractive, caring and honest.

The tattooing industry is still a male-dominated field. As of 2021, 25% of tattoo artists in the United States identified as females. Furthermore, nearly 60% of tattoo artists were white.

Jara Nez has been tattooing for close to four years. Her work at the Mirror Gallery Flagstaff centers around black and gray illustrations of plants and animals.

Before becoming a tattoo artist, she grappled with personal and familial struggles surrounding the stigma of tattoos. Growing up on the Navajo Nation, Nez was taught by her family to never permanently mark her body.

Ceremonial markings are always meant to be removed, as they become someone else with them.

“I was told by my grandmother that in ceremonies you are marked on your body, but then, you always wash it away,” Nez said. “That’s when the ceremony is over.”

Although her family was not initially supportive of tattoos, they encouraged Nez to follow her passion for art.

Nez said she knew early on that she wanted to be an artist and was always interested in tattooing.

Growing up in Cameron, Arizona Nez said made her feel connected to nature, which inspired much of her work.

She is influenced by the contrast between life and death in the deserts and forests of Arizona, a concept seen in her tattoos.

“I admire a lot of the cycle of life, which includes death,” Nez said. “So, a lot of my tattoos also incorporate animal skulls and mushrooms growing from the animal skulls, kind of like life renewing itself.”

Nez said her interest in the circle of life also encouraged her to overcome her fear of death. Growing up, she said the topic was taboo, with those around her not often discussing it. Now, she said she uses her illustrations to express her

thoughts, including the idea that death is inevitable.

By putting her feelings into art, Nez said she enjoys helping her clients connect with nature in the same way she has.

She said that more people are embracing the outdoors, and she uses tattoos to help them understand the importance of nature’s healing powers.

“A lot of people have stories to tell, and a picture can say a thousand words,” Nez said. “Tattoos help express that person’s individuality, their history, their future, and I’m just really stoked to be a part of that story.”

Monique Ortiz is an artist at Bully Dome Tattoo in Phoenix. Although she did her first tattoo on her dad at 15,

“ TAT T O O S H E L P E X P R E S S T H AT P E R S O N ’ S I N D I V I D U A L I T Y, T H E I R H I S T O RY, T H E I R F U T U R E , A N D I ’ M JU ST REAL LY ST OKED T O B E A PA R T O F T H AT S T O RY. ”

– JARA NEZ, TATTOO ARTIST she has worked as a tattooist for three years.

Ortiz said her dad has been her biggest influence, acting as a mentor in her life and career. After working as a realism artist, Ortiz’s father opened Bully Dome Tattoo in 2018, where Ortiz now works.

While most apprentices look for artists willing to take them on, Ortiz learned directly from her father, which she said made her time as an apprentice more meaningful.

“I’m the most grateful to have my dad as a mentor because in other shops, during apprenticeships, I’ve heard a lot of horror stories,” Ortiz said. “They don’t treat their apprentices as well as regular artists.”

Now that she is finished with her apprenticeship, Ortiz said she likes keeping her options open when it comes to choosing a particular style.

Even so, she is especially drawn to creating hyperrealistic illustrations. Ortiz said it is rewarding when she can depict a realistic image on a client that carries sentimental value.

When she joined the industry, Ortiz said she felt she was not taken as seriously as her male counterparts. Sometimes,

when clients walk into Bully Dome Tattoo, they mistake Ortiz for a receptionist.

“Even from the beginning, I knew that it was going to be a struggle, putting myself out there and really gaining the respect of my peers within the tattoo community,” Ortiz said.

Nez said she was discouraged by how few minority female tattoo artists there were before beginning her apprenticeship. As a young, Indigenous woman in a maledominated industry, Nez said she felt the need to work harder.

“Because I am in a minority and a woman, I feel like I had to work harder in a sense to kind of prove, not only to my peers but to myself, that I can become this artist that I’ve always wanted to be,” Nez said. “I had, at one point in my apprenticeship, three other jobs to support myself. Because I went through that struggle, it’s made me appreciate where I am right now.”

Nez said she hopes more minority women choose tattooing as a career. She is happy to see more people opening up to tattoos and encourages anyone who may be scared about getting their first to push aside judgment from others.

“Everyone should have fun with their tattoos and not overthink it,” Nez said. “No matter what their family thinks, they should do what they want with their bodies and express themselves. Each tattoo that I personally get on my body makes me more myself, more like, ‘I’m this person,’ and I feel like everyone should experience that.”

Ortiz shared a similar sentiment and said she is relieved to see the stigma surrounding tattooed individuals diminishing as tattoos and artwork become normalized.

“There are plenty of great people that have art on their body, and I don’t think that it depicts any certain way of their feeling or thinking or the type of person that they are,” Ortiz said. “It’s just a way of people expressing themselves. I don’t think it’s anything wrong, and I don’t think it should ever have been looked at as something that was wrong.”

Since 2021, the tattooing industry experienced nearly a 20% increase in female tattoo artists.

In addition, the number of Americans with tattoos has increased by 11% since 2012.

As tattoos have become mainstream in recent years, opportunities continue to open for women and minority artists to share their art.

Local tattoo artist Jara Nez applies a neck tattoo from her Halloween-themed flash sheets on a client in her studio inside Mirror Gallery Flagstaff, Oct. 4.

Madison Easton | The Lumberjack

Left: Jara Nez works on a leg tattoo for a client from her Halloween-themed flash sheets in her studio inside of Mirror Gallery Flagstaff, Oct. 4. Middle top: Nez prints out an outline for a neck tattoo. Middle bottome: Local tattoo artist Jara Nez works on a neck tattoo for a client from her Halloween themed flash sheets in her studio inside of Mirror Gallery Flagstaff, Oct. 4. Right: Jara Nez works on a neck tattoo for a client in Flagstaff.

Madison Easton | The Lumberjack

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG 11

Bottom left: Alongside knitting and crocheting Olivia Dunn creates other pieces of work that are featured around Flagstaff, Oct. 6. Storey Welch | The Lumberjack

)ODJVWDɲ VXVWDLQDEOH DUWLVWV GHI\ FRQVXPHULVP The First Friday ArtWalk and NAU’s Open-Air Market highlight sustainable artists in Flagstaff through environmentally-conscious creations.

I

RACHEL GUERRERO

n an era of instant gratification, the art of creating rather than buying is scarce. Companies looking to pump out the next trend are contributing to the depletion of earth’s natural resources. To prevent depletion, more artists are turning to sustainable practices. Artists at NAU exercise environmental responsibility by using natural resources and promoting the art of slow production.

Slow production means prioritizing the process of making a garment as opposed to the time it takes. Artists are choosing quality over quantity, turning toward woodworking, hand-sewing, embroidering and crocheting.

Senior Olivia Dunn, co-chair of the NAU Green Fund, has been creating sustainable art since she was young. Her specialty is crocheting, with her most technical piece a 3 feet by 4 feet rendition of a coral reef.

Dunn’s process to create her reef involved mapping its mathematical structure. The hyperbolic plane is a type of geometry only displayed in nature by ocean organisms, such as kelp, sea sponges and coral.

“The Hyperbolic Structure, which gives it the cool brainy look — the structure has stumped mathematics for a long time,” Dunn said. “The only thing that can accurately replicate that shape is crochet by human hands.”

Dunn spent 200 hours crocheting structures based on the hyperbolic plane in her replication of a coral reef.

This process opposes mass production as it is more timeconsuming than purchasing bulk items.

Companies mass produce products to keep up with consumer demands. This kind of production adds to pollution levels and speeds up climate change. Dunn said she believes allowing people to slow down and be purposeful in their work can be a community builder.

“INSTEAD OF TAKING ALL YOU CAN FROM THE ENVIRONMENT, UTILIZE WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND TRY TO MAKE IT A BIT BETTER,”

–RUBY JOHNSON, ARTIST “If we are allowed to slow down more, we might not be reliant on all these fast-moving development-based structures that are pushing us toward climate disaster,” Dunn said.

With her involvement in the NAU Green Fund, Dunn works to preserve Earth’s resources by obtaining secondhand materials and reusable fabrics to create art. She crocheted jellyfish and suncatchers, which appeared at the Open-Air Market last fall.

The Open-Air Market occured on Wednesdays early in the semester at the University Union pedway. It provided openings for sustainable artists and other vendors to sell their products.

NAU graduate Morgan Smith sold several crocheted items, such as plant holders, bandanas and mushrooms, from her shop Threaded Detours at an Open-Air Market booth.

Like Dunn, Smith uses reusable fabrics in her creations.

“I try to reuse everything,” Smith said. “If I make something and it is not sold, I will undo the piece and reuse the materials.”

Smith takes apart items of clothing that have not sold to reuse in new creations. She thrifts all her fabrics and locates scraps to use as stuffing.

The durability of handmade goods appealed to Smith and encouraged her to create her own. Smith said while you can embroider by machine, it is more personal to do so with your fingers.

Purchasing cheap clothing made in a quick turnaround time can lead to items losing their quality sooner because

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

they are mass-produced with cheap materials. In contrast, a handmade goods use sustainable, high-quality materials that expand their usable life.

“Through sustainable fashion, you will get something that lasts longer,” Smith said. “It is like, why wouldn’t you? It is better for the environment and better for you.”

Retro Orange Studio is another booth that sold art at the Open-Air Market. Ruby Johnson, a senior studying social work and outdoor education, owns the business. She makes citrus earrings by sealing fresh fruit in a glaze.

Johnson said she creates her art with fruit to use natural resources instead of plastics.

“Fast fashion sucks,” Johnson said. “Work harder and produce something that means something.”

Fast fashion is the rapid production of cheap clothing and accessories. The process contributes to waste, as garments are mass produced with harmful, non-biodegradable materials.

Through selling on campus, Johnson has been able to grow her business. She said her involvement with the outdoor education department elevated her environmental consciousness.

“Instead of taking all you can from the environment, utilize what is available and try to make it a bit better,” Johnson said.

By taking advantage of recycled resources, artists can use what is already available as opposed to contributing to overproduction.

In addition to the Open-Air Market, artists also sell their work during the First Friday ArtWalk. Downtown Flagstaff showcases the projects of local artists on the first Friday of every month.

Senior Emily Beebe celebrated her birthday by selling her art at the Flagstaff Climbing booth. She makes crocheted goods on request.

“It is more fun and personal,” Beebe said. “It is a collaboration between another person and me because I can make their image come to life. Every piece is made with passion and time of someone who loves the art.”

While Beebe said she feels her art is supported by Flagstaff’s First Friday, she believes NAU could show more appreciation toward its artists.

“NAU’s decorations could utilize stuff from student artists,” Beebe said. “Hire students to promote events and have more art installations up.”

Sustainable artists are a growing community in Flagstaff and are becoming increasingly recognized for their work.

Through sustainable practices, students can consciously use

natural resources to create art.

Top: At the Open-Air Market, there are many vendors selling food, vintage clothes and handmade items, Oct. 4.

Bottom: Morgan Smith sells her chrocheted creations at her shop Threaded Detours at the Open-Air Market.

Sarah Marshall | The Lumberjack Right: To bring awareness to environmental sustainability, Olivia Dunn crocheted a rendition of a coral reef, Oct. 6.

Storey Welch | The Lumberjack

SPORTS

Modernity kills cHaracter

W

hen taking a look at the landscape of sports logos and branding today, one will find many are deprived of the charm and color they once had. Circa the late 2000s through early 2010s, sports teams began to hop on the bandwagon of adopting logos with minimalistic design NOAH choices.

BUTLER Take the Golden State SPORTS EDITOR Warriors logo, for example. Up until the 2010-11 season, the Warriors sported an orange, gold and navy scheme with their former mascot “Thunder” wielding a lightning bolt. The team then adopted a simple circle logo with a motif of the Golden Gate Bridge in the middle. Light blue and golden yellow took over as the primary colors until a small rebrand darkened the blue for the 2020-21 season.

However, the changes that the professional side of sports make do not compare to the atrocities NCAA branding has committed.

Many colleges pride themselves on having a recognizable brand, like Otto the Orange out of Syracuse, New York or Rameses the Ram from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels. Both mascots are still a large part of the teams’ identities but are no longer wellrepresented in the schools’ logos.

In the case of UNC, the school followed the design choice path that many longstanding colleges and universities follow in terms of logo transformation.

Logo beginnings used to be simple, usually including the team’s primary color as well as a basic design with the state’s letters. Designs that followed — typical of the 1950s — were cartoon drawings of a primary mascot in the style of animated shows of the time.

The logo of the Detroit Pistons from 1996-2001.

Courtesy of SportsLogos.Net Moving forward, schools either stayed with the mascot logo for multiple iterations or changed back to a letter design that became the end game logo, or the logo currently in use. This was a change that happened around the late 1990s and early 2000s, where modern designs of the day began to dismantle the mascots.

UNC followed this path to a tee, as Rameses was the primary logo from 1954 to 2004, before today’s logo of the North Carolina blue “N” and “C” superimposed together emerged in the 2004-05 season. The last season with the ram in the logo, 2003-04, featured the ram bursting through today’s logo with the words “Carolina Tar Heels” plastered on the “C.” All things considered, the logo was cluttered with design elements, which led to its simplification the following year.

Bad design decisions are not always the case; logos sometimes have so much personality and color that when they are changed, it alters the brand completely.

The Detroit Pistons, a historic franchise and a powerhouse in the NBA, made a change from its basic circle logo in the 1996-97 season to an icon featuring a mustang, some flames and a refreshing color palette. The new teal, red and gray squad rocked the fresh branding for

five seasons before reverting to the original color scheme of red, white and blue.

The second iteration of the mustang, named “Hooper,” lasted another four seasons before the Pistons returned to its circular ways. In fact, in the 2020-21 season, the Pistons reverted all the way back to the branding they had from 1978 to 1995, albeit with modern modifications.

Instead of reintroducing Hooper, the character that was created and loved by many, Detroit went back to the “Bad Boy” Pistons look. Throwbacks of the mustang jerseys have made appearances lately, but there is no indication that Hooper will grace the primary logo anytime soon.

In this modern age, even more so than in the ‘90s, branding and community are the backbone of professional teams. To keep fans engaged and proud to represent the brand, owners and designers need to be cognizant of what people want. There are fans who may very well like to see these characters.

The University of Oregon Ducks does this exceptionally well as Puddles, its mascot, is an integral part of everything the school offers. Fans of the team flock to merchandise plastered with the quirky-quacker wearing football gear among other costumes.

Another branding element Oregon does well is incorporating throwback uniforms and jersey schemes.

Every year, the creative teams at the university come up with new designs to adorn their football players.

A particularly good example of this is the recent announcement and usage of “Mighty Duck” uniforms, featuring pastel colors and Puddles-themed 1984 designs.

Instead of tossing in throwback uniforms and rebranding every once in a while, more teams should designate a month — or even a playoff series — solely to these beloved characters. It would attract more attention, and potential fans might be more inclined to follow along for the ride. Many organizations have just as creative, if not more interesting, characters they could monetize.

After all, money makes the world go round.

&ROOHFWLRQ RI FKDPSLRQV

Top left: Senior middle Logan Maszton (11) soars through the air as she performs a flip throw during a Big Sky Conference soccer game against Idaho State University at Max Spilsbury Field, Oct. 1. John Chaides | The Lumberjack Bottom left: Sophomore running back Chase Belcher sprints up the field with the ball at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, Sept. 16. Caitlyn Anderson | The Lumberjack

Top right: Sophomore opposite hitter Kylie Moran (20) screams in celebration after her team scored a point against the University of Montana during their Big Sky Conference game at Rolle Activity Center, Oct. 7.

Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack Bottom right: Senior Francesca Criscione swims the last lap of the 200 individual medley at the NAU Swim and Dive Blue vs. Gold meet against Arizona Christian University at the Wall Aquatic Center, Oct. 13.

Caitlyn Anderson | The Lumberjack

NUTTYCOMBE HIGHLIGHTS NAU cross country became the first program in history to sweep both the women’s and men’s events at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 13. Both are now ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Elise Stearns Placed 4th with a time of 19:54.6 in the 6K. Nico Young Made his season debut and placed 2nd with a time of 23:26.1in the 8K.

Follow The Lumberjack sports reporters for live tweets and game updates!

MIC Sports: @NAU_MICsports Sports Editor: Noah Butler @NoahButlerLJ

Asst. Sports Editor: Nathan Ecker @RealEcker

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG 13

Players stand together for the National Anthem before the Big Sky Conference game against Eastern Washington University at the Findlay Toyota Court, Feb. 16, 2023 (From left to right: Sophie Glancey, Saniyah Neverson, Audrey Taylor and Olivia Moran) Gwen Costello | The Lumberjack

Gems in a canyon: from Boise to Flagstaff

F

NOAH BUTLER

rom the City of Trees to the City of Seven Wonders, two members of the NAU women’s basketball team have endured five years of steep competition sideby-side. Sophomores Sophie Glancey and Audrey Taylor both hail from Boise, Idaho — 856 miles from Arizona’s mountain retreat at 7000 feet.

Nestled within the confines of the Boise Mountains and the Sawtooth Range, Boise resembles a more spread-out version of the Grand Canyon State’s Tucson. The city has a wide urban sprawl, but it is much more planned out and forested than that of the city in the Sonoran Desert.

The city center houses the Idaho State Capitol, which is visible to travelers on the main downtown road, Capitol Boulevard.

Other landmarks include Idaho Central Arena, home of the Big Sky Basketball Championships, the Boise Zoo and Boise State University’s blue turf football field.

To get to the Gem State’s most populous city, one must traverse through mountainous regions, plains, canyons and national parks.

The players’ journey south began with a clear view of the Danskin Mountains and the western Salmon River Mountains for a significant portion of Interstate 84 before snaking its way alongside the Snake River near Glenns Ferry. Both sides of the highway become surrounded by flat plateau-like hills, and the slithery river flows parallel to the road.

After exiting the mountainous section, the flat farmland of Idaho furls out, with mountain ranges and rolling hills dotting the background. Eventually, the interstate comes to a division. One way leads travelers to the peak-filled area of eastern Idaho and Pocatello and the other diverts to the IdahoUtah border and the snow-capped summits of the Hansel Mountains of northern Utah.

As travelers depart the Beehive State headed toward Arizona, they are greeted by the jaw-dropping visuals of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim far in the distance.

After a few hours, Arizona’s tallest mountain, Humphrey’s Peak, stands tall and marks the end of the journey.

The end of a journey opens the way to a new one, and for Glancey and Taylor, theirs had just begun.

Timberline double trouble The duo went to Timberline High School in southwest Boise, where they helped the Wolves amass a 79-18 record over four years, eventually culminating in a state championship their senior year in 2022.

Every season of their high school careers led to improvement, whether it was the team’s record or their skills on the basketball court.

During Glancey and Taylor’s freshman year, the Wolves went 19-8, finishing third place in the 5A playoffs and earning the first state trophy in school history. In the 2019-20 season, Timberline performed better, going 24-4 before losing in the state championship game to Mountain View High School 5549. The next season was shortened due to the pandemic, and the Wolves lost to Mountain View for a third straight year, this time in the first round, then again to Boise High School in the consolation game.

Three straight years of coming close to championships and not being able to get over the hump boiled over in the final season of their high school careers. Glancey averaged

11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in her final year of high school ball to lead Timberline to a 24-2 record and another spot in the state title game.

The game against Boise turned out to be defense heavy, with the final score 36-35 in favor of the Wolves. Glancey hit a free throw with 21 seconds remaining in the game to set up an eventual game-winning 3-point bucket by one of her teammates.

Around the same time as the title run, recruiting season was in full swing. Both Taylor and Glancey were scouted at their high school games, but NAU staff first caught word of them through their play in club ball.

NAU head coach Loree Payne said she was impressed with the way the two carried themselves on the court, even during their high school careers.

“We saw them both in the summer,” Payne said. “They played for different club teams, but we individually started recruiting them and were like, ‘Oh, they both go to Timberline.’ We were able to see them at the high school. It felt like they already knew how to play together, and they had pretty good chemistry on the court. Sophie is a post player, and Audrey’s a sharpshooter, so that combination, we needed that.”

The players excelled on the same team, so the decision was obvious for NAU to offer scholarships to each of them and hope they signed on.

Glancey and Taylor were unaware of the others’ recruiting interactions up until they both decided on NAU. “We were very separate,” Glancey said.

“I remember Audrey had her offer and everything a month before me. I didn’t think I was getting an offer until really late into the recruitment process. We tried to make the decision separately from each other just because we didn’t want to influence each other’s decision.”

Taylor kept her commitment a complete secret from Glancey to ensure her friend made the best decision for her own career. As is standard in the social media age, Taylor posted her commitment to NAU on Instagram, and Glancey followed suit not long after.

With their high school years over and completed, a new four-year odyssey sailed into motion.

“OUR PARENTS COHOSTED THE TEAM DINNER, SO IT WAS REALLY FUN TO GO BACK TO WHERE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WAS AND HAVE OUR PARENTS BE THERE.”

– AUDREY TAYLOR, GUARD FOR NAU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Big Sky beginnings The Lumberjack era started slow for the pair, but as their first season progressed in 2022-23, they became more comfortable with their roles on the team, Glancey at forward and Taylor a guard player.

Taylor made her biggest splash of the season early against Park University Gilbert in a 111-44 drubbing of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school. She recorded her season and

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

career highs in points, at 18, and steals, with 6, as she led the way for the Lumberjack win.

Glancey injured her hand early in the season but nonetheless produced for NAU in 34 games throughout the season, starting 16 of which. Her “introduction” game came against ASU in what was a near upset of the Sun Devils. She played 25 minutes and posted 8 points to go along with 13 rebounds.

Production-wise, Taylor stagnated as she only appeared in 11 games, but her early season showings gave a glimpse into what she could add to the team if given the opportunity. She said the college game was much different than her experiences in high school.

“I think two of the biggest things for me were the pace and the level of play overall,” Taylor said. “In high school, you have a lot of girls who play for fun, and basketball isn’t their main sport. So, coming to college, everyone is really focused on basketball all the time.”

On the other hand, Glancey’s play continued to improve with longer stints on the floor. In a Big Sky Conference match against the University of Montana, she posted a career-high 22 points in what was a dominant paint performance.

As a post player, Glancey was also presented with challenges for the step up to collegiate level. The game is a lot more physical than high school play.

“In high school, I didn’t do the extra things like lifting, and here I need to,” Glancey said. “I can’t go in thinking I’m bigger or stronger than anyone else because that’s not the case.”

By season’s end, NAU secured a threeway tie for first place in the conference and the No. 1 seed at the tournament held in Boise. This presented a homecoming opportunity for the two and a chance to compete in front of home fans at at a higher level.

Homecoming The Big Sky Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships were a weeklong takeover of Idaho Central Arena that showcased some of the talents the conference had to offer. NAU came into the tournament with a 19-12 record, and again, the coveted No. 1 seed in a conference with stout competition.

Glancey and Taylor got to go home and show the squad their hometown.

“Our parents cohosted the team dinner, so it was really fun to go back to where our neighborhood was and have our parents be there,” Taylor said. “Just everyone kind of gets to see where we’re from. It was nice because the tournament was so long, so my parents got to come to a lot of games. I got to see my dogs. I was excited about that.”

The Lumberjacks’ first matchup was against the No. 9-seeded University of Northern Colorado Bears, a team NAU beat twice during the regular season. This matchup was no different, as NAU trounced the Bears 64-48. Glancey put up 4 points and three rebounds but recorded five personal fouls.

No. 4-seeded Eastern Washington University was next on the Lumberjack radar, and during their matchup, Glancey had the most well-rounded game of her rookie season. She posted her first career collegiate double-double in the Lumberjacks’

semi-final win, 13 points and 10 rebounds as NAU won, 74-57.

She said having a dominant performance in an arena filled with childhood memories meant the world to her.

“It was really cool for me too because I got to grow up watching it, going to the Big Sky tournament with my parents, picking teams to watch,” Glancey said. “So, actually playing in it was surreal because I’ve watched them play since I was 8.”

The championship game did not go the way of the Lumberjacks, though, as Sacramento State University took care of business and continued to March Madness with a 76-63 win. However, NAU received a bid in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the Lumberjacks’ historic season, but they did not make it out of the first round.

Payne said she was continually impressed with the evolution of both players as the season progressed.

Next steps for the Boise duo

“IT WAS REALLY COOL FOR ME TOO BECAUSE I GOT TO GROW UP WATCHING IT. SO, ACTUALLY PLAYING IN IT WAS SURREAL BECAUSE I’VE WATCHED THEM PLAY SINCE I WAS EIGHT.”

– SOPHIE GLANCEY, NAU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FORWARD AND CENTER This upcoming season will be a reset of the conference entirely, as many players who were vital to Big Sky teams either transferred or graduated. NAU will be without star guard Regan Schenck and forward Montana Oltrogge, both of whom propelled the Lumberjacks to the Big Sky Women’s Basketball Championship Game.

Glancey, now healthy, has a chance to play a bigger role in NAU’s offense. Payne has high praise for Glancey after her productive freshman year.

“If Sophie hadn’t broken her hand last year, she probably would’ve been a high probability candidate for Freshman of the Year,” Payne said. “She just continued to grow, became one of the best post-players in our conference. I’m excited because I think she will be the best player in our conference.”

As a guard on a guard-heavy team, she had learning to do on both sides of the ball.

Throughout the season, however, Payne became more aware of her growth.

“I think she gained more and more confidence as the offseason hit,” Payne said.

“She has been playing really, really well.

[She] obviously came in and sat behind some players who had a lot of experience, so I think she was able to grow and improve all year last year. We’re excited to see what she can potentially do for us this year.”

The duo will have plenty of time this season to hone their skills and grow with their teammates as the team heads toward the ultimate goal of a Big Sky Championship — and March Madness berth — back home in Boise.

The only way for the duo to go is up, and this season will be a reflection of the growth the two have already gone through.

FEATURES

Jonah Hill, is about to cut into a ring, Oct. 6. He is a Hopi and Quechan silversmith and crafts all his products at his house. Storey Welch | The Lumberjack

Artist Jonah Hill: connecting nature, culture and community S

HELENA ROBLA

mall does not always mean insignificant. When it comes to jewelry making, cultures have used it for centuries to symbolize marriage, accomplishment and identity.

Jonah Hill, a Hopi and Quechan silversmith, is no stranger to conveying meaning through smaller items. Although Hill did not plan on a career as a silversmith, his passion for jewelry making led him to explore the art of metalsmithing, incorporating his experiences and culture into designs.

His artistic career started when he learned how to carve wood and began to sell and exhibit his work at art shows. However, after spending 16 years as a woodcarver, Hill said he started to lose interest in it.

After his interest in wood carving neared its end, Hill started to pay better attention to what other artists were doing and became interested in jewelry making. After going to the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Navajo Marketplace and talking to the creators there, he began to look more at jewelry and art galleries and wondered how everything was made.

His fascination for jewelry-making guided his decision to enroll in the Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he learned about metalsmithing.

During his time off in the summers, Hill worked as a river guide for the Flagstaff nonprofit organization Grand Canyon Youth, which allowed him to immerse himself in nature and gave him inspiration for his art, he said.

“I wanted people to have a sense of place when wearing my work,” Hill said. “I try to incorporate nature into my jewelry so that people can wear it and be reminded that they’re a part of nature.”

Aside from water and nature-related imagery, Hill also implements cultural

symbols in his work, especially Hopi imagery.

Hill said he believes the more people who express their culture through art, the easier it is for others to understand it and become more in tune with who they are.

Hill’s work can be found in galleries across Flagstaff. He does workshops for children and adults, where he shares his knowledge of ethnobotany — how the Hopi and the Quechan use native plants — and is involved with environmental organizations, like the Colton Garden and Willow Bend Environmental Education Center.

his tribe’s roots as well as his surroundings and the places he has been to. Hill is willing to share his knowledge and stories, Lomahaftewa said.

“I think all Hopi artists use their art as an education tool to whoever’s buying it,” Lomahaftewa said. “There’s always a story behind what they make, and a lot of those stories come back to our origin stories and how we’re supposed to be living life today. It shows a lot in Jonah’s artwork.”

Hill’s pieces are also sold at the Museum of Northern Arizona.

“... I try to incorporate nature into my jewelry so that people can wear it and be reminded that they’re a part of nature.”

– JONAH HILL, HOPI AND QUECHAN SILVERSMITH Living in Flagstaff for the past 16 years, Hill said he has formed a strong relationship with the community.

“I think Flagstaff is a really great town for me,” Hill said. “It’s just really cool to have a really tight-knit community, to have a lot of support in different ways and through a lot of people.”

One of the places that sells his work is Winter Sun Trading Company in downtown Flagstaff, where Hill worked before he left to study metalsmithing.

Aside from Hill’s pieces, Winter Sun sells the work of Hopi, Navajo and Zuni artists.

Candice Lomahaftewa is part of the Hopi Tribe and has worked as a salesperson there for 23 years.

Lomahaftewa said she appreciates how Jonah thinks outside the box in terms of Hopi imagery and how he pulls from

Cynthia De Angelis has been the museum’s gift shop operations manager for 10 years and is in charge of buying the pieces the shop sells, often directly from the artists who make them.

Since its founding in 1928, the museum has showcased the work of Native American artists. One of the museum’s founders, Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton, was committed to bringing Hopi art, especially jewelry, to the museum so people could differentiate it from Navajo art, De Angelis said.

De Angelis said Hill’s take on Hopi imagery stands out from other Hopi artists by including Quechan symbols and designs.

“Jonah has taken it to the next level by just doing something completely different,” De Angelis said.

Hill’s distinctive style has won him several awards at the museum’s Hopi Marketplace. His most popular pieces are a

set of rings and bracelets from a collection called “River’s Edge” done in tufa cast. Tufa casting is a technique that consists of carving a design into tufa stone, creating a negative space where molten metal is poured.

Aside from making one-of-a-kind pieces, another aspect that characterizes Hill’s art is its evolving nature. When he first started doing jewelry, De Angelis said, Hill already had ideas about what he wanted to do with it.

“He has grown tremendously as an artist,” De Angelis said. “He’s always looking for another way to express himself.”

De Angelis said no matter what obstacles Hill might face, he will work toward his goals while keeping a positive attitude.

As Hill continues to evolve and captivate audiences with his style, Lomahaftewa said it is evident that his artistic journey is far from ending.

“As well as him being a teacher of Hopi culture or Native culture, in general, he is always willing to learn,” Lomahaftewa said.

“So, that’s just the cycle of his artwork. It evolves; it goes through ups and downs, and you never know what to expect from him from season to season.”

Hill said his goals as an artist and person are the same. By sharing as much knowledge as he can with others, he said he can strengthen the connections between the members of his community and give them a sense of belonging.

“My main goal for my art and for who I am is to learn and to share as much as I can about everything in life, which is neverending,” Hill said.

The silversmith will be a participating artist at the Museum of Northern Arizona’s Winter Market on the first weekend of December.

Although people who come to the market for Hill and his art will not know what pieces to expect, those close to him can anticipate his signature interpretations.

Left: Jonah Hill cuts and files down a piece at his main desk, Oct. 6. Right: Jonah Hill holds a bracelet he is working on for a customer. A lot of Hill’s work has to do with enviornmental issues and, more specifically, water. Storey Welch | The Lumberjack

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG 15

Creativity and arts flourish through STEAM at Tynkertopia

I

KALEYANA JONES

n a small building on the east side of Flagstaff there is a place where kids can go after school — not to play with action figures or video games, but with pliers, glue and the laws of science.

At Tynkertopia, kids engage with science, engineering, technology, art and mathematics (STEAM) through handson activities.

Tynkertopia, a nonprofit community center, reopened in August 2021 after closing its first location in Flagstaff due to the pandemic. Its mission is to assist people in improving their inventing skills, all the while incorporating the concepts of STEAM. Alice Christie, the founder of Tynkertopia, has been an educator for the last 57 years, teaching K-12 and higher education at ASU. She also traveled the country for nine years, helping create STEM programs for schools across the United States. Christie earned the title of President’s Professor Emerita at ASU, which has only been awarded to 36 other professors.

Continuing her education journey, Christie founded Tynkertopia in 2017. She said she was determined to create a place for the community, personally funding the center to make it happen.

In creating Tynkertopia, the mission was for people of all ages to explore independent thinking and designing, with an emphasis on creativity. She fostered an environment where experimenting and discovery could be the center of learning.

In her ideal learning environment, Christie said, kids can explore ideas with a variety of supplies available to them.

“I think my most important concept I like to focus on is what I call creative confidence,” Christie said. “The confidence to try something new, to do something that sparks their creativity, and it doesn’t necessarily have to look like anybody else’s.”

Tynkertopia has more than 10 classes for different ages, each involving an aspect of STEAM. The center provides classes covering topics such as coding, dance and cooking. Classes are offered to several age groups, with some catered to kids as young as 4 years old and others for adults.

“Tynker and Wine” is an event Tynkertopia throws every third Friday of the month for adults to explore, build, create and learn. For October, Lowell Observatory hosted the event at Tynkertopia for adults to participate in astronomy-focused activities before stargazing.

“Build-A-Bot Workshop” is another event hosted by the community center during September. At this event, people of all ages can use recycled items to construct robots.

Along with providing creative outlets for the Flagstaff community, Tynkertopia hosts events to support those in need.

“In December, we always have a holiday party for the children in the neighborhood,” Christie said. “And they get a warm jacket, hat, gloves, mittens, socks, an educational game, several books, a coloring book, an art kit, and Chickfil-A often gives us free meal cards for families.”

Tynkertopia encourages people to engage in community service. Through the organization, volunteers work special events and help kids with their science experiments, projects,

Alice Christie stands in the entryway of Tynkertopia, Oct. 12. Christie founded Tynkertopia in 2017 and has been an educator for the last 57 years. John Chaides | The Lumberjack art and homework. Junior interns from Flagstaff middle schools and high schools act as teacher assistants.

Christie said Tynkertopia’s main goal is to provide a place for people to explore their creativity.

Jenna Papai started as a volunteer in 2021. Since then, she worked her way up from volunteer to director, holding several other roles along the way as a teacher and education coordinator.

Papai said she enjoys helping kids feel like they have trustworthy adults in their lives they can turn to. Instead of going straight home, kids have a place where they can do homework, receive a meal and have fun.

“You can see how important we become in their lives,” Papai said. “When they have a cut, we’re the ones who clean it up.”

Tynkertopia’s workers aim to help children become more confident in themselves. The staff help alleviate creative insecurities by providing kids with encouragement and giving them the space to test their ideas, Papai said.

“They’ve become confident in their building and their creating, whereas before they might be hesitant and not know what to do,” Papai said. “Now, they just have all these ideas that they execute on their own.”

Tynkertopia receives aid from other organizations and donations, which has allowed the nonprofit to increase its impact. Partnerships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and St. Mary’s Food Alliance allow students to receive free meals every day Tynkertopia is open.

These donations provide tools like small boxes, school supplies, batteries and old electronics kids can use as materials to design, build and invent at the center and at home.

With only four community centers in Flagstaff — two of which are for kids — the number of places for children to go after school is limited.

Tynkertopia gives parents another place to take their kids to enrich their minds and encourage them to use their imaginations.

Katelyn Lambson has been taking her kids to Tynkertopia since December 2022. She said she originally brought her kids so they could try different activities but returned because of how much fun her kids had.

“My kids love the classes,” Lambson said. “One of the best benefits has been watching my kids make plans at home to build new things, to find new skills and have a safe environment to explore those new skills.”

Since coming to Tynkertopia, Lambson began working as a volunteer, bringing her kids along to help with the events.

With growing creative certainty, Christie said, kids feel comfortable and self-assured to continue testing their theories and allowing their imagination to take over outside of Tynkertopia’s doors.

Since starting to attend Tynkertopia a year ago, Lambson said she has seen her kids become more sure of themselves in their experiments at home and in the classroom.

“More than anything, they have gained so much confidence to try and experiment and explore in ways that have really reflected in their confidence and in their school work as well,” Lambson said.

In a short time, Tynkertopia has become a place where anyone is welcomed, Christie said, to explore, question, build and most importantly, tinker.

Eve Fetter puts rubber bands on a Geoboard at Tynkertopia, Oct 12. Various games, toys and items are scattered around Tynkertopia for people to play with.

John Chaides | The Lumberjack

A Tynkertopia student grabs clothespins from the recycled items shelves, Oct 12. A range of new and recycled items are used at Tynkertopia.

John Chaides | The Lumberjack

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

FEATURES

Flagstaff Symphony orchestra’s musical evolution

A

NAY HERNANDEZ

fter 124 years of bringing music to northern Arizona, Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra (FSO) has evolved in its musical journey. This year, performances promise to continue the tradition of evolution. In September, the 74th season began, inviting audiences to celebrate female composers.

The all-volunteer symphony features musicians with varying levels of expertise.

FSO is the largest performing arts organization in northern Arizona, with 65 members this year.

The symphony orchestra’s mission is to enrich, engage and inspire the Flagstaff community through the performance of orchestral music.

One member who has experienced this mission in action is Cris Inguanti, an NAU associate professor of practice and principal clarinet chair of the FSO. Inguanti has been a participating symphony member for a decade. In the time Inguanti has lived in Flagstaff, he said he has enjoyed the sense of community the orchestra and city have brought him.

“What happens in a community like Flagstaff is that it’s small enough that we really kind of get to know people in the community who are art supporters and classical music supporters, and they know us,” Inguanti said. “And it is that kind of bridge building, which is really important in the arts.”

Although the group is in its 74th season, the symphony’s mission has remained consistent since 1899 when it was founded.

Originally, FSO was a group of female musicians under the leadership of Emma Babbitt. Their first performance was the opera house on the second floor of the Babbitt building in downtown Flagstaff in 1899. The same year, the group performed for the city’s Fourth of July celebration, and both performances were met with acclaim from the Flagstaff community.

Because of the positive feedback, the symphony’s members agreed to perform for specific organizations and celebrations for free. One of the more well-known free performances was an annual concert at NAU. In 1950, NAU’s music program began with support from several faculty and community members, all of whom aided in the formation of the Northern Arizona Symphonette.

The symphonette did not last long.

It was a brief window in FSO’s history when the symphony was composed of 29 musicians. This was the final stage of the musical group before it officially became the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.

One decade after the official formation of the symphony, Pat Curry became the conductor in 1960 and made changes to increase the symphony’s professionalism.

Curry’s changes included establishing a regular concert schedule of six shows a year, introducing guest conductors and a uniform of all-black clothing. Within a year, FSO formed into a corporation.

One way FSO has maintained its

Guest clarinetist Jun Watabe plays a solo at the first Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra concert of the season at Ardrey Auditorium, Sept. 29. Landon Johnson | The Lumberjack support has been through the Carnegie Hall Link Up Program, which it joined in 2013. The program provides students with resources for music education and invites them to an FSO performance.

Jackie Schwandt is the associate director of the Kitt School of Music and associate professor of viola and violin. She is also the current principal viola chair in FSO and has been a member since 2004. Schwandt said she has participated in the Carnegie Hall Link Up Program since it was introduced to the symphony and has enjoyed watching the interactions between students and musicians through the program.

“They’re engaged with the musicians, and they’re engaged with the conductor, and they’re engaged with the actual program,” Schwandt said.

FSO annually served 3,500 students in northern Arizona as of 2022 through the Carnegie Hall Link Up Program.

However, the pandemic caused difficulties for FSO, forcing the orchestra to navigate through quarantine guidelines.

“I remember during COVID-19, at first we couldn’t meet at all,” Schwandt said. “But they still got innovative. I remember I played an outdoor, very small chamber group with a few of the other musicians in the orchestra at the Museum of Northern Arizona in the courtyard.”

The president of the board of directors, J

Michael Cruz, said the symphony was quick to find ways to engage with the community and perform safely. One of the ways the symphony did this was by moving in-person concerts online.

“COVID-19 was the obvious change agent, and we rallied quickly to continue to perform in ways that were safe,” Cruz said.

Once FSO was able to reintroduce in-person concerts, the group returned, continuing to increase its outreach.

The new season presents the work of female composers, introducing audiences to pieces that are performed less often.

“I’d just like to see the organization continue to succeed and do well in our community,” Cruz said. “I enjoy the concerts and am grateful for my colleagues on the board who work very hard to help grow our audience.”

Schwandt said the new season is putting the spotlight on female musicians and composers.

The symphony orchestra will also play pieces from Judith Cloud, a local composer who died in August. FSO will continue her music legacy by showcasing her work.

The overarching theme of this season is “Breaking Sound Barriers,” which aims to celebrate the collective power of women in classical music, with half of its programs written by female composers.

“I love to see more and more

Top to bottom: Conductor Charles Latshaw leads the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra at its first concert of the season title “Love and Laughter: Dvořák, Cloud and Rachmaninoff,” Sept. 29.

Landon Johnson | The Lumberjack representation,” Schwandt said. “There’s always been female composers. It’s just they haven’t had the opportunity to be heard usually. It’s been a trend to include what the industry would call underrepresented composers.”

There are five shows left in the 74th season. The next show is titled “Fantastique!

Ortiz, Liszt and Berlioz” and will be performed on Oct. 27. Almost all the pieces FSO will play over the next seven months relate to the season’s theme while evolving the symphony’s musical journey.

Editors Lily Combs and Zachary Markewicz contribued to this story.

Ikuko Kanda leads the violin section at the FSO’s first concert of the season, Sept. 29. at Ardrey Auditorium. Landon Johnson | The Lumberjack

THE LUMBERJACK | JACKCENTRAL.ORG 17

FEATURES

STORY COMPILED BY EMMA STANSBERY & ZACHARY MARKEWICZ

T

he individual application of art has infinite possibilities. Artists rarely define their work the same way, which creates an environment where the meaning of art is constantly being expanded. Although in school, students are taught how to draw, paint and play music, art can come in many different forms.

Alternative to typical mediums, forms of art like dance, fashion and graphic design are also creative ways of expressing identity. At NAU, many alternative artists create meaning beyond traditional expression.

AIDAN MCCLENDON Senior Journalism and photography Film Photography “Self-expression is usually through some form of art,” Mcclendon said. “I think that with photography how you edit an image or how you choose to frame a shot is your own interpretation of how that story is being told.

“Photography shows my perspective on the world, so that is, I guess, telling you my story. A lot of my photography, though, is telling someone else’s story, and that’s why I’m into the photojournalism side of it. I’m always hooked on the background behind the shot.

“I think photography, for me, is more than just expressing myself. I’ve always liked art that mirrors the world or allows for further thoughts on something that’s happening, or it’s something that’s prevalent in your life.”

AMANDA EDBERG Second-year graduate student Master of Arts in anthropology Dance “Is dance a sport, or is it an art?” Edburg said. “I think that dance is like traditional art in that it’s subjective, and you use your creative process when you’re doing it, but unlike other arts, you’re also using your body physically as your art.

“I got my Bachelor of Arts in anthropology, and I also got a dance minor.

I decided when I wanted to go back to school — I decided I wanted to merge the two together.

“Dance anthropology is basically every culture has its own way that they move and their own movement. Then, they also have their own dance styles and their own experiences that way. It really plays into my research.”

ANNA DAVENPORT Sophomore Psychology Fashion “Picking out an outfit everyday means that it is a huge part of your livelihood,” Davenport said. “How you dress is how people view you and how they come to an opinion about you. Fashion is a huge way of connecting with people and yourself.

“I am a gender queer person, so fashion has been a huge part of coming into myself. I used to dress really feminine and found that that wasn’t what made me feel affirmed in my own body.

Now, dressing more masculine and finding aspects of femininity, I feel more myself than ever.

“I view fashion as an art form because of how much time and effort it takes to put together an outfit. When I see someone else in a well-thought-out outfit, I am able to admire it in its entirety.

Without the art of fashion, the world would be a very boring place.”

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

PHOTOS BY BENNIE HART, JOHN CHAIDES & EMMA STANSBERY

RICHARD “RICHIE” YOUNG Senior Strategic communications Graphic design “I was never the best [at drawing], so being able to grab assets from online and being able to manipulate it myself and get it to be exactly how I want it is a benefit to graphic design,” Young said.

“Over the summer, I tried to challenge myself, and I did a graphic a day for a month. I would try to make new concepts for graphics, but I would try to learn one different thing.

“I didn’t want to overwhelm myself because you notice that you want to learn so many things, but you just don’t know where to start. Start small, then slowly get bigger and bigger, and you’ll get to where you want to go eventually.”

JULIA TOMA Senior Comparative cultural studies Ceramics “Ceramics is a really funny one, because a lot of people put it in the hobby, craft area because a lot of ceramics are functional,” Toma said. “Where do we draw the line between functional items and artistic items? What I found is that there really isn’t a line, or if there is, it’s just very blurred. Things that have form can also be art.

“Ceramics, especially making your own ceramics, gives you the opportunity to put your own twist on things so that they’re a little bit more obviously art.

“A lot of my ceramics ... I like to use as an analogy for being perfectly imperfect. So, the outside looks a little bit maybe worse for wear, but then, you look at the inside, and it’s completely fine. There’s nothing wrong with it structurally. I think that’s a good analogy that I have used for my own life.”

XANDER KOEPPEL Junior Studio art Tattooing “I have been an artist my entire life, and I think that being a studio art major has most definitely assisted my art skills,” Koeppel said. “I’m learning fundamentals that I can also apply to tattooing. I am very fortunate that my major goes hand in hand with the career I’ve chosen.

“When I got my first tattoo, I realized that it was an experience where you meet a lot of different people, and there are so many different opportunities.

“When you go in for a tattoo, you’re going to the artists for their experience and the time that they spent in the industry. There’s so much more to the whole process; it’s an experience, and for most people, it’s not an everyday thing like it is for me, so I almost think of it as being sacred.”

Background photo by Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

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Guests listen as junior Amy Beeler reads an original poem at Awa Kava Bar & Coffee’s Open Poetry night in downtown Flagstaff, Oct. 2. Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack SOLIDARITY continued from FRONT “In here, it feels like talking to a bunch of your friends,” MacNab said. “It’s such a small and homely space, so it feels a little different than getting up in front of people.”

MacNab also attends poetry readings that are held in more formal settings. She has participated in FlagSlam, a community event in which poets compete for first- and second-place prizes.

FlagSlam’s focus is specifically slam poetry. Slam poetry began in the 1980s and includes loud, dramatic performances from poets and participation from audiences.

Each of these elements is present in FlagSlam competitions, which occur every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Yogaert located downtown.

Each poet has three minutes to read their original work. Once they finish, they are scored by judges from the audience. After two rounds, their scores are added to determine the winner, who delivers a victory speech to end the night.

Lydia Gates is a coorganizer for FlagSlam alongside Tempest Black. She said their poetry readings are not like any other open mic in the area because of the competitive format and heavy reliance on audience participation.

Additionally, this slam caters specifically to the LGBTQ community.

“We pride ourselves on being an inclusive space,” Gates said. “In a lot of spaces, queer people are allowed and accepted, but they’re not the central focus. Here, it’s kind of the opposite.”

Gates said FlagSlam’s main goal is for audience members and performers to feel accepted.

One way the organizers do this is by asking each performer for their pronouns before announcing their name or providing commentary on their performances. Gates said this is done because the organizers want to show each performer’s pronouns are respected.

Another way Gates and her coorganizer provide a comfortable environment during performances is by asking poets to give content warnings before their work.

“If somebody is going to speak about, say, their feelings of gender dysmorphia, they’re going to let people know on the mic by saying, ‘Hey, content warning for gender dysmorphia,’” Gates said.

“When people get a serious content warning, people appreciate that, and [it allows] them to prepare themselves.”

Senior Ava Jones is a poet and who regularly performs at FlagSlam.

Jones is a member of the Poetry Youth Council and an organizer of Midnite Mic at NAU. She said

she frequents FlagSlam the most because it is family-oriented, and the familiarity among attendees adds to the intimacy of performing.

When performing, Jones said she enjoys connecting with her audience and expressing herself.

“I genuinely think that if I didn’t get it out, I would go crazy,” Jones said. “There’s no other way I could fully express the things I’ve been wanting to.”

Jones said she found her love for slam poetry from watching the performances of Button Poetry, a company based in Minneapolis.

Poetry is the only art medium Jones said she has found that lets her express emotions that can be difficult for her to explain.

“I feel like I have a lot of really big emotions, and it’s really hard to describe things unless it’s through figurative language,” Jones said. “I found out I see things in snapshots, and poetry is the best way to weave the snapshots together.”

Cruz refers to the poetry and literary communities as tight-knit environments where artists can express themselves.

She said without poetry and the surrounding community, Cruz would not be the person she is today.

With poets collaborating in different spaces in Flagstaff, Cruz said performers will realize they are supported and not alone.

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As the shutter clicks, The world suddenly feels different All I see is light Laughter, joy, tears Beauty The light dances through her lens, Refracting within its walls A millisecond, Turned into eternity We were in harmony I could’ve performed this melody forever I knew the notes to play, And my camera sang to them in perfect pitch But suddenly As life goes, Chapters changed And time grew sparse The papers piled up The deadlines condensed I had to let her go I knew she’d understand It was just a week, Turned into a month, Turned into dust scattered across her case And then my spark grew dim The light that once danced through her lens, No longer refracted within me The notes became blurred The melody fading from my heart Who was I if it left?

I missed the colors, the sunsets Experiencing the joys of others Encapsulating the beauty of unseen moments I wanted to capture the world in a millisecond I couldn’t let that spark vanish So I searched for my friend Overwhelmed with fear that our harmony departed But when I found her, She greeted me With the calmness and grace she had always embodied

Top left: Lydia Gates, organizer of FlagSlam at Yogaert in downtown Flagstaff, recites an original poem to help poets at the event feel comfortable performing, Sept. 27. Top right: Senior Ava Jones reads one of her poems off her phone during a FlagSlam competition. Bottom left: NAU alumna Margarita Cruz listens as her friend Taylor Grantz finishes reading an original poem at Awa Kava Bar, Oct. 2. Bottom right: Lily MacNab, organizer of Awa Kava Bar’s Open Poetry night in downtown Flagstaff, reads an original poem to guests.

Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

And so I picked her up I wiped away the dust Then I clicked her shutter And the tune came rushing to my head, And the light began dancing through her lens, And the moment was turned into eternity

VISUALS

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Photo Spotlight

Storey Welch | The Lumberjack

John Chaides | The Lumberjack

Jessie McCann | The Lumberjack

Sarah Marshall | The Lumberjack

Taylor McCormick | The Lumberjack

Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

Landon Johnson | The Lumberjack

Chloe Legay | The Lumberjack

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

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MADISON EASTON

hotography is a process of image production that was only really considered an art form around 80 years ago. People realized what could be done with these little boxes of magic and began to capture anything and everything.

As technology has evolved, with all of the new lenses and editing software, so has the art of photography.

Here at The Lumberjack, we assemble a bi-annual group of photographers, both trained and untrained, to unite images alongside our stories.

Despite our goal of photojournalism—to tell stories and document events—many of our staff photographers spend time outside of the paper, with an intrinsic interest in the medium, to capture some beautiful images.

This ability to go out and document life and existence in hundreds of different styles with a click of a button is, in my opinion, what makes photography so special.

OPINION

Recognizing art as resistance F

TESS BANDSTRA

rom poetry and song to murals and vigils, protest art is prevalent in city streets, museums and classrooms.

Representing a call to action during social movements, these art forms challenge the status quo.

Without taking the time to digest the messages portrayed through art, people may breeze by it like any other piece in a museum. I am guilty of not always recognizing how necessary and impactful protest art can be, and I’m sure many others are too.

When attending protests for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, it is easy to pay attention to the speaker and not take the time to appreciate surrounding art.

Although the speaker is important, galleries compiled with images of protests and rebellion encapsulate influential moments that can resonate with people in a more powerful way.

Art as resistance should not be overlooked. Rather, it should be celebrated as strength in its purest form.

Creative thinkers have challenged political injustice throughout history as a method of highlighting a need for social change. Examples include Philip Guston’s Ku Klux Klan paintings, confronting the racism and violence this group holds, or the AIDS Memorial Quote, using art to remember those harmed by the AIDS epidemic.

Some school curriculums also recognize art as resistance. Teachers often use political comics or graphics to analyze and discuss wars and other historical catastrophes. Classroom discussion about rebellion shows how protest art has made its impact on history.

Nationally, protest art acts as a call to action during social movements.

Protest art was seen across the United States during BLM marches in summer 2020. For example, a close-up photo of Breonna Taylor, one of many people who died from police violence, was projected on a Confederate statue of General Robert E. Lee. Additionally, BLM was written across the horse Lee is riding. What was once a statue defending slavery became the

ILLUSTRATION BY LENORE OTERO-STRONG protest art of an unjust system.

Art is a powerful tool for expressing the wrongs in this world, especially while the BLM marches and spine-chilling history of loathing toward minority groups in the U.S. was amplified during the pandemic.

Virtual and creative art was influential in sparking protest and rebellion during a time of isolation.

In the midst of the BLM protests, murals of George Floyd and other victims of police brutality were installed around cities across the world.

Many people did not understand the purpose of these murals and viewed them as illegal graffiti. However, this art held so much more meaning than that. It was a call to action, a cry for help and a message showing how broken the system is.

Several BLM protests throughout the U.S. used art as a focal point, putting a spotlight on the political change they wanted to make happen and humanizing the victims of injustice.

In Flagstaff, an art exhibit known as “Tzonteyōtl Na’ach’ąąh (Resistance Art) A Diné & Xikan@ Collaboration” was a cross-cultural gallery showcased in 2022.

The 90-minute performance of varied art highlighted the history as well as continuing colonial violence and buried stories of Indigenous people.

The resistance art featured activists expressing themselves through visual and performance art, demonstrating Indigenous disparities, forced migrations and racial profiling. The artists focused on specific history in Flagstaff as well, using art to motivate people to try and create lasting change for the Indigenous communities here.

Protest art is more than a call to action: It is a movement of lasting change that requires recognition and participation for the outcry to actually sink in. Protest art cannot stand on its own — the artists need an audience and teammates to stimulate change.

Throughout political conflict and battles worldwide, people have used art not only as an outlet, but as a form of showing the world’s true colors.

Banksy is a well-known graffiti artist who tends to focus his art on politics or societal discourse affecting citizens throughout the world. His piece, “One Nation under CCTV,” refers to surveillance of the people nationwide.

In addition to Banksy, other forms of protest art are just as powerful and important.

After former President Donald Trump was elected, many musicians wrote songs about the impact of Trump’s presidency.

Kiana Ledé, a singer-songwriter, expressed through her song, “Dear Mr. President,” how Trump focused government attention and policies on the rich white man. Ledé’s song highlighted the dangerous and negative impact Trump had on the BLM movement and how he ignored the violence on the street — tying back to more protest art from the summer of 2021.

BLM protests continue to happen under President Joe Biden. Art is used as one of the attempts to allocate more time, money and action for change in systemic violence. Although there was some initial optimism with police reform under the Biden administration, Black Americans said in a survey that police brutality is just as persistent, if not worse.

Without protest art, how would people express the frustrations that are difficult to put into words? Influential forms of art are a necessity as well as emotional outlets that inspire activism.

Protest art acts in the sense of a weapon to defy power relations, so let’s keep it front and center to continue to challenge the current criminal justice system in place.

Taking art and turning it into public opposition is a spotlight that requires attention. Protest art needs more recognition with the continuing hate and greed in this country. Without it, representation and expression of social justice issues may not be as well known.

Look up, pay attention and give surrounding artists a louder voice in the community.

Flagstaff is missing its magic C

ABI SEIDENBERG

reating well-rounded, intricate communities is not always as easy as waving a wand and saying “abracadabra.” Flagstaff already has a strong arts community, but there’s still something missing: For a town so proud of its artistic grandeur, Flagstaff needs more magic.

Magic is just as much of an art as acting, singing, dancing and comedy. Performance art, though not as commonly exemplified, would greatly support the creative culture of Flagstaff.

The art of magic began in 2500 B.C. in Ancient Egypt.

For centuries afterward, it was seen as witchcraft. This snuffed out the magical flame so severely that the first stage magician in North America didn’t emerge until the early 1800s, but when it did, magic hit the ground running.

Magic shows became popular and drew in large crowds. This led to the rise of famous magicians, like Houdini and David Copperfield.

Even when an act is clearly a trick, people are naturally drawn toward watching magicians practice their craft. The combination of riveting suspense followed by a shocking reveal is intriguing and leaves an audience wanting more.

Watching magic trains people to look for tricks in perception, misdirection and disinformation. These skills teach audience members how to identify manipulation in the world around them and prevent them from falling prey to misinformation.

I’ve been doing magic since I was 7 years old, and the magic community has been component of my family for as long as I can remember.

My father, who has been doing magic for more than 35 years, taught me everything I know. I started out doing simple card tricks, but I quickly realized my passion was performing larger-scale comedy magic on stage. I love everything about magic.

In the past year, I’ve been to multiple elementary school talent shows in the Flagstaff area because of my younger cousins who live here. A surprisingly high number of children performed a magic act.

In my experience as a magician, it’s exceedingly rare to have two or three students performing magic, even in high school. In nearly every talent show in which I have competed, I have been the only magician.

The number of young magicians in the area compared to the scarcity of magic programs is disappointing and shows a lack of appreciation for their interests.

Not having any opportunities for magicians in Flagstaff means children and others who are enthusiastic about magic don’t have the chance to improve their performance ability.

The rabbit-and-top-hat, “pick a card” style of magic is what Flagstaff is missing.

This is a disservice to the entire community, but it puts an especially strong deficit on the children who are

passionate about magic.

In their formative years, kids deserve the chance to hone in on their hobbies.

Access to supportive, educational and enriching experiences can encourage them to follow their interests.

When young kids are involved in a thespian activity, such as acting or performing magic, it spurs independence and emotional intelligence.

Research shows engaging in performance arts leads to better academic performance because of increased self-confidence and resourcefulness.

The opportunity for Flagstaff’s youngest generation to get involved in magic would give them the chance to reap these benefits.

Evident by how many magic acts are in school talent shows, many children in Flagstaff want to participate in magic. As such, there should be more opportunities here to allow them the chance to develop their skills through magic clubs, stores and shows.

Card magic requires hand-eye coordination and dexterity that can help keep the magician’s brain and body in shape.

Stage magic provides the magician with vital public speaking skills, interpersonal communication techniques and overall spatial awareness.

Magic communities in Flagstaff would provide residents with an entertaining and unique way to harness these skills.

Flagstaff is a place for uncommon hobbies to thrive.

There are dozens of opportunities to practice various activities, such as slacklining, fencing and cross-stitching.

There’s no denying performing magic is an unconventional interest, but Flagstaff doesn’t give residents the chance to explore it at all.

The International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) has a stationed ring of members who practice magic in Phoenix. The trip down to Phoenix is often too far for adult magicians, let alone children who would need a family member to accompany them.

The Phoenix Magic Club, another organization with magic “jamming” sessions, offers a learning environment where groups of magicians can work on their newest

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS BEAMAN trick and learn from each other while building community.

Some opportunities to watch magic have made their way up the hill, but they are few and far between with only two public, family-friendly magic shows in the past five months.

More opportunities for magicians in Flagstaff, whether through IBM or a different organization, can help contribute to the diversification and enrichment of the community. This provides an outlet for children to explore their passions and a chance to spark inspiration among all ages.

Magic can be a way for people of all ages to gain confidence in themselves and their abilities while providing a source of entertainment.

There are sword fighting clubs, lightsaber clubs and visual art classes, so now, it’s time for a Flagstaff magic scene.

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OPINION POINT

Keep your artistic passion as a hobby Turning artistic passions into a career isn’t as glamorous as it sounds. A lack of separation between hobbies and work can lead to exploitation and burnout. To enjoy the art, don’t add a paycheck.

W

KATIE SQUIRES

hen deciding on a career, multiple factors are taken into account, but many people will tell you the most important aspect is passion. “Do what you love, and love what you do” is a common sentiment taught to those questioning what they want from a career, specifically people who have creative interests.

Entering a career in the arts may seem desirable because expressing creativity stimulates the brain and incites feelings of satisfaction. Additionally, many artists continue to gain recognition through social media, leading people to believe these careers are more achievable than ever before.

However, artistic careers can lead to exploitation, financial instability and burnout. Creative hobbies can serve as an outlet for stress, and turning art into a career removes a person’s ability to enjoy it.

If you like to draw after a long day of work, how can you blow off steam once you make drawing your career?

Success stories are regularly told by rich entrepreneurs, artists and musicians, but exclusively highlighting their success can skew one’s perspective.

What many successful artists leave out of the story are lucky factors like connections and timing.

Pursuing an artistic passion as a career comes with financial risk. Artistic professions typically cater to the affluent, which is why there are so many celebrity children who benefit from nepotism – meaning they inherited their success from their parents rather than earning it.

Any dream can come true when there is an abundance of wealth and resources to make it happen.

According to research conducted by a sociologist at the University of Michigan, people who come from wealthy families are more likely to pursue careers in their passions.

Without preexisting financial stability, entering the art field, where low wages are common, can make it difficult to keep up with the cost of living.

Financial stability is a significant factor in happiness as shown in a study by the research journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Having a steady income can reduce stress and contribute to a person’s overall satisfaction with life. Choosing a career based on pay, hours and job security does not mean people are compromising their passion; they are just prioritizing stability.

The productivity of creative work is sometimes difficult to measure because it can be subjective. As a result, employers

OCTOBER 27, 2023 — DECEMBER 8, 2023

tend to take advantage of artists and underpay them. Many creatives work extra hours, take on responsibilities outside of the job description and sacrifice their personal lives.

A study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that people are willing to justify poor treatment of employees at a higher rate when the workers are passionate about their jobs.

This is because employers know the workers love their occupation and believe their accomplishments should be rewarding enough alone.

Animators, chefs and writers are among the artists who struggle to sustain themselves due to unfair working conditions and wages. This inequitable situation results in burnout for many employees, increasing stress and frustration surrounding work.

Creative burnout is completely normal when it comes to working on a project, but when the task at hand is linked with economic stability, there is little room to take breaks when deadlines need to be met.

This can ruin the artistic passion that used to provide a person so much joy.

It is common for creative workers to reach their breaking point and become forced to reassess their careers when work leads to extreme burnout. People often

define themselves by their jobs, and when their careers deteriorate, their confidence can follow.

Maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life can aid in avoiding burnout, and keeping artistic hobbies separate allows people to continue enjoying their passions. While this may seem like putting an aspiration on the back burner, experts suggest this method can increase growth, happiness and health.

Pursuing an artistic passion outside of work ensures the passion can serve as a creative outlet to manage the stress and anxiety a job may cause.

People should consider looking for a career that allows them to pursue an artistic passion outside of work.

For example, if someone loves to sculpt, they could choose a career that pays enough to cover the costs of materials and gives them flexible hours to create art in their free time.

When weighing career options, passion does not need to be a factor, let alone the deciding one.

Careers do not define people, and people can still engage in creativity regardless of their job. If someone is passionate about pursuing art, they should protect their love for it and take caution in getting a paycheck involved.

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ANAI CARRASCO

hoosing which career field to enter can be a daunting task, especially when pressured to choose a practical profession. However, turning an artistic hobby or passion into a job can bring fulfillment and happiness to someone’s life, providing room for style and self-expression within their career.

For many people, their careers define who they are.

Choosing a job with meaning can lead to a more fulfilling life. Often, that can mean a career in the arts.

Individuals introduced to art education at younger ages tend to take their art more seriously and strive for years to turn it into a career.

When passion and work combine, it makes for an exciting occupation with few dull moments. The chase and satisfaction of perfecting an art form offers possibilities of happiness and success.

However, the gamble with pursuing a career in the arts is complex as the job choice may have a small salary, and the field is often difficult to break into. A financially impractical profession can be a dealbreaker for many people.

Some are taught from a young age to get a college degree or a career that pays well.

Parents often aspire for their children to become engineers, doctors or scientists — any wellearning career.

It is often imparted to the younger generation that a career in the arts is a pipe dream. The guilt and pressure can outweigh passions, and many people aren’t given the opportunity or privilege to live out their dreams.

Whether it be financial circumstances or educational access, some are more privileged than others to choose their dream major and career.

For people who didn’t grow up with money, a profession with financial security may be the top priority.

However, taking on a profession that a person has little to no interest in can lead to an unhappy everyday life. In many people’s careers, some find they are miserable at their workplace because of the repetitive nature.

This leads to feeling stuck in a dead-end job and unhappy completing the same monotonous tasks. The typical nine-to-five desk job may not be fulfilling, even if it pays well.

There are an overwhelming amount of advantages in undertaking a creative endeavor.

These jobs can offer purpose and aspiration.

Striving to follow a passionate path makes a lifelong career worthwhile.

Although there is a stigma that turning creative outlets into a way to make your living is impractical, YouTubers, painters, performers and actors have paved the way for future generations to pursue their dreams.

Artistic endeavors often become successful.

In the digital age, it is easier to gain popularity.

YouTube, TikTok and Soundcloud are a few platforms people can gain traction on. It is safe to say the traditional parental views of what careers are respectable are severely outdated.

Dedication and entrepreneurship is needed to turn a creative passion into a successful and lifelong profession.

Many people may be afraid to fully invest in their artistic outlet and make it their career.

While there are those who become successful on a bigger scale, fame is not the only measure of success when it comes to art.

At first, the pay of a creatively-driven job may not be as stable, but there are occupations that provide solid income while also fulfilling one’s artistic passion. Editors, authors, makeup artists, directors and producers are some of many artistically motivated careers. These are sustainable, passion-demanding jobs that often result in higher pay.

The art industry is made of countless individuals who once had a passion for a creative outlet, persisted and paved the way for others to pursue their dreams. Creative endeavors can be pursued with traditional forms of art, and new outlets continue to come to light.

Life is too short to pass up a creative career.

Despite the difficulties, it can be practical to pursue an innovative occupation.

Normalize artistic professions and allow them to be respectable careers.

reative expression offers individuals a healthy outlet for their emotions.

Art helps people articulate their identity and life experiences, and artistic processes can reveal how the mind functions.

When composing art, or simply appreciating it, there is less room for distraction so emotions come to the surface.These experiences allow people to express any thoughts and feelings they may bottle up or hold deep down.

Therapeutic art enables people to cope with trauma and improve their mental health. This can happen through a variety of mediums and settings.

Dance, photography, painting and music are all examples of art therapy, whether done alone or with a therapist.

Art evokes emotion, causing a spectrum of feelings, such as fulfillment, despair, rage and happiness. A piece’s colors, composition and subject matter work together to produce a one-of-a-kind experience for each individual.

No matter the medium, art has the power to transform people.

Many carry their troubles throughout their daily lives and avoid acknowledging them.Talk therapy is one way to assist a person in identifying and processing emotions.

Adding art therapy into people’s lives provides a way for them to manage depressive thoughts, anxieties and emotional traumas, making them easier to work through. Transforming emotional experiences into a visible piece with the use of lines, shapes and colors can help heal trauma, address emotional harm and find tranquility.

In addition to assisting people make progress in improving their mental health, the activity provides them with an outlet when life’s challenges are too much to bear.

Many people dealing with a variety of issues — from depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and addictive behaviors to just having a bad day — can engage in art therapy.

Art therapy is used in many settings, like rehab facilities and counseling sessions. In these environments, this strategy is often prescribed to help individuals process the situations they are there to resolve. A study conducted in 2022 found that visual art therapy is effective for patients facing anxiety and depression.

Similar to visual arts, music is an expressive, therapeutic outlet of therapy that is also effective. Music has been proven to aid in lowering blood pressure, stress levels and even overstimulation. It can enhance one’s mental and physical well-being, whether it be by playing an instrument or just listening to calming music.

Visual art is one of the most common forms of art therapy, but there are many artistic outlets that can be used to cope with trauma.

With photography, traumatic experiences, such as abuse or other incidents that have resulted in PTSD, can assist individuals in moving on and developing a healthy approach to deal with new challenges. In some cases, photography can improve mental health and well-being by increasing self-esteem, confidence, memory and decision-making.

Poetry allows inner thoughts and feelings to be written with a clever limerick or haiku. Some are able to pour past events into the work created, making this process helpful for personal growth. Dance enables a person’s motor functions to help people physically process emotions.

Through art therapy, people can free themselves from their own minds. To heal, past traumas must be faced and dealt with.

Art has the power to unlock the beauty of life. Trauma and pain don’t have to hold onto the heart and mind forever.

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ILLUSTRATION BY LENORE OTERO-STRONG

([SRVLQJ DUWLVWV DQG FHOHEULWLHV LV SDUDPRXQW WR VXSSRUWLQJ WKHP When artists are found exemplifying problematic behavior, they should continue to be exposed and the quality of their actions should be held to higher standards than the quality of their creative work.

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ROSE BAILLIE

any people have some form of a creative outlet to expel their innermost thoughts and feelings, or even let out a given day’s angst. For those of us who express ourselves through art, we know the songs we play, the poems we write or the scenes we paint are personal. Our creations are part of us.

The question of whether artists can be separated from their art may be considered when an individual has displayed problematic behavior. However, knowing creations are personal makes doing so very difficult.

From perpetuating gender stereotypes to hate speech and physical abuse, there is a continuum of misconduct among famous artists. Responding to these issues can be nuanced; however, society should avoid blindly supporting them.

The only way to invoke change is to call out these individuals and stop the excessive admiration and loyalty they receive from fans. While artists should be recognized for any contribution they’ve made to the industry, their work is not more significant than their harmful behavior.

Unfortunately, there is a laundry list of influential creators from every generation and industry who have been found exemplifying problematic and heinous behavior.

Elvis Presley, J.K. Rowling, Ye, Azealia Banks and Michael Jackson are a few examples. It’s disheartening when a beloved musician, author or painter is found harming others, either through their actions or words.

I’ve always been a fan of rock music from the ‘70s and ‘80s. During this time, the genre began to evolve from classic rock to a more punk and eclectic style. One of the prevalent artists from this time period include Lou Reed.

Reed in particular always struck a chord with me. His songs hint at underlying emotions and experiences without being too obvious.

However, about a year ago, I wanted to learn more about Reed and found out he was emotionally, verbally and physically abusive to his ex-wives. He also openly used racial slurs. In this process, I stumbled upon an album he wrote with Metallica in 2011. One song in particular was especially upsetting. “Mistress Dread” tells the story of a woman, from her perspective, who enjoys abuse.

Reed argued he was writing in character. But when someone has been the abuser, they don’t have the credibility

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to tell the victim’s story.

Needless to say, I was appalled by Reed after learning this information. I went back and listened to some of his songs and could then recognize the misogynistic and racist undertones that I had missed throughout the years.

Reed is one of many famous artists who has not received substantial criticism and exposure for their harmful actions, nor was he charged for any of his behaviors.

Much research was needed to find out about his past.

After learning about Reed’s problematic nature, I decided listening to his music would occur few and far between.

By publicly exposing artists for their wrongdoings, it creates an opportunity for consumers and fans to choose if they want to continue to support them. Rather than further idolizing these individuals, the media should call attention to their hurtful actions and provide readily available information to consumers.

If an artist’s behavior is not on the public’s radar, consumers can also take the time to learn about their behavior before blindly admiring them. Relying on reputable news sources for this information, such as The Guardian, The New York Times, The Associated Press and The New Yorker, can help fans filter out misinformation regarding famous people’s conduct.

Among the list of offenders is the infamous Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Ye has been found wearing a “white lives matter” shirt. He also made countless antisemitic comments and incited hate against Jewish people.

At the same time, Ye produced a variety of hits and had a profound impact on the hip-hop world. Before he was outspokenly prejudiced, Ye was a social rights advocate tackling issues of racism with his songs “Jesus Walks” and “Spaceship.”

So, is it still OK to listen to his music?

While we can’t deny Ye’s contribution to the genre, his problematic behavior has now become a bigger deal than the quality of his music.

Fortunately, through social media and the news, Ye’s actions are a known problem, and society holds a popular opinion of him being problematic. Support for his music has slightly dwindled, and brands have distanced themselves from him.

Even if consumers may not agree with an artist’s actions, by listening to their music, eating at a famous

restaurant, watching a play or purchasing a painting, consumers are directly supporting that individual — financially, characteristically and artistically. Knowing this can help fans decide if it’s worth it to indulge in their work.

Famous artists have substantial influence, and when their problematic actions are dismissed and written off as no big deal, both the artists and consumers may think there is nothing wrong with this behavior.

There are plenty of artists who make brilliant music and also go out of their way to advocate for others. It is more beneficial to spend time shifting support to the people trying to make good in this world.

If society doesn’t at least challenge problematic artists or minimize support, their actions are viewed as acceptable, and those harmed are seen as insignificant. This solidifies the idea that fame can make a person untouchable.

Additionally, these artists should not be glorified. The recent biopic, “Elvis,” tells a version of the singer’s life story and rise to fame. It focuses on Presley’s relationship with his manager, who exploited him. While this is unfortunately true, there are also problematic elements of Presley’s character that were overlooked in the making of the film.

Presley started dating his ex-wife Priscilla Presley when she was 14 years old and he was 24. The singer was known to pursue other minors as well.

By not calling attention to his predatory nature, his character is portrayed as acceptable in the movie. Presley’s contribution to the rock industry can still be acknowledged, but the music industry and fans should emphasize his issues and work harder to expose him. The biopic would have been an opportunity to do so.

Neglecting to cast a holistic picture of what happened, producers are doing a disservice to viewers.

While there is an array of actions taken by famous artists that are problematic, evaluating each case is important.

Accountability doesn’t only come from consumers but from the industry altogether. Highlighting wrongdoing can stimulate change and show others this behavior will not be tolerated. It can be hard to know how to respond in these instances, especially when an artist has so much influence over a certain genre, but the quality of their art should not be an excuse for their actions.

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Exhibit goers take a closer look at some of the pieces at the Nasty Women Art Exhibit in Flagstaff, Arizona on Apr. 14, 2017. Shannon Cowan | The Lumberjack

ROTC Color guard marches through the homecoming parade Saturday morning, Nov. 5, 2022. Octavia Freeland | The Lumberjack

Four decks hang closely side-by-side pulling Leandra Yazzie’s artwork, Interconnections, together Nov. 14, 2018 at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Representing how each culture has their own way of respecting nature and their own tribal heritage.

Rylee Flowers | The Lumberjack Jada Olson paints on a community art canvas outside Creative Spirits during the First Friday ArtWalk, April 7, 2023. Shops around town participated in the artwalk by having activities or displays for visitors. John Chaides | The Lumberjack

Everyone tried to make at least five gyoza to be pan fried at the International Pavilion, Nov. 17, 2022. Sara Williams | The Lumberjack

Some musicians in the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra wear costumes as characters from movies associated with their concert, The Best of John Williams at Ardrey Memorial Auditorium, Feb. 18, 2022. There is a musician dressed as Indiana Jones (left), a Hufflepuff student from Harry Potter (center), and Ellie Sattler from Jurassic Park (right).

Victoria Medina | The Lumberjack

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