ARIZONA ARTS envisioning the new world By Beverly Medlyn
At
a time when people need the arts more than ever, the University of Arizona is finding new ways to engage the community, train students despite the uncertain future and sustain the local arts ecosystem, all impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “What does the new world look like?” asked Andrew “Andy” Schulz, the university’s vice president for the arts and dean of the College of Fine Arts. “We are looking for the best ways to engage with our audiences at this time, and we hope people are willing to be adventurous and come along with us.” Arts and athletics are the two front doors to the university, says Schulz, who assumed the newly created vice president position two years ago, coming from Pennsylvania State University. His first order of business was to devise a unified gateway called Arizona Arts, integrating the College of Fine Arts with the university’s public-facing entities. Those entities include Center for Creative Photography, UA Museum of Art, Arizona Arts Live (formerly UA Presents) and Arizona Arts in Schools, which serves K-12 students in challenging socio-economic circumstances.
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Launched in July 2019, Arizona Arts had eight months to get established before COVID-19 shut the doors of performing arts venues, museums and many classrooms. Millions of dollars in revenue have been lost. But the tough circumstances also represented an opportunity for Arizona Arts to take wing, Schulz says. “The holistic structure puts us in constant communication and collaboration with one another to send a unified message,” he says.
ARIZONA ARTS LIVE Chad Herzog was brought on board last year to reimagine UA Presents, which had been in place 25 years as the presenting organization for live performance. Typically, events have been staged at the university’s Centennial Hall, a 2,500-seat theater that is temporarily closed. Arizona Arts Live, unveiled this fall, takes the arts outside building walls, adding an element of surprise. “We will make Southern Arizona our stage rather than just Centennial Hall,” Herzog said. “Performances will happen all over Arizona. When we talk about Arizona Arts Live we
