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COMMUNITY
TheMesaTribune.com |
THE MESA TRIBUNE | MARCH 13, 2022
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Mesa artist designs ‘swap meet’ exhibit BY ALEX GALLAGHER Tribune Staff Writer
W
hen most people think of an art museum, they might not expect seeing things found at a swap meet. Native American Artist Brad Kahlhamer’s exhibit at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art likely has shattered that expectation forever. But then, the Mesa artist’s fondest childhood memories are sifting through lumber yards and rummaging through piles to find interesting items – and going to swap meets. And so he has created an unusual exhibit that echoes “When I first started talking to the museum about this concept, it was more around the utility of a swap meet,” Kahlhamer said. “I wanted this idea of this
Native American artist Brad Kahlhamer looks at his exhibit at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art as a swap meet for ideas. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer) community outside of the typical retail system. This is really a gray economy,
there’s almost this idea of a wild market.” SMoCA describes the exhibit’s origins
and goal as “Kahlhamer’s meditation on a nomadic and intersectional contemporary condition.” : “The social and cultural space of the Arizona desert swap meet reflects, models, and fuels Kahlhamer’s recent artistic practice and preoccupations,” it explains. “At the intersection of neighborhoods, city sprawls, and open-space land, swap meets fill in the cultural gaps between communities and are spontaneous meeting spaces, where many social networks form between individuals of different ages, residency status, cultures, and race.” Thus, it adds, a swap meet becomes a gathering place for “like-minded strangers or friends who seek out a place of meaning, belonging, or surviving.”
see SWAP page 17
SWIMKids USA founder looks back on 50 years BY SUE BREDING Tribune Contributor
I
magine what it was like 50 years ago when Lana Whitehead wanted to open her own swim school in an era when occupations considered “the norm” for females were narrow. “It was definitely a nontraditional choice in a time when the workforce was very male dominated,” says Whitehead, founder and president of SWIMkids USA in Mesa. But having witnessed the heartwrenching grief of two of her friends who had tragically lost their young children due to drowning, nothing could deter her. Their grief shaped her life as she developed a passion to make a difference and increase awareness about the dangers of drowning. At that time, the American Academy of Pediatrics was recommending to parents
Lana Whitehead has devoted her career to provide life-saving swimming lessons to kids. (Special to the Tribune)
that they start swim lessons for their children at age 5.
But Whitehead began to experiment with her infant son, Lance, and she found
that the water can be a great bonding experience. More importantly, she realized young children can begin to learn swim skills much earlier than 5. The Mesa resident’s calm and patient approach with students made her a popular teacher. Whitehead built a curriculum based on her belief that in addition to teaching children swim strokes, that there were other things a swim school could do. These include infant and baby swim classes. She also became a pioneer when it came to swim schools purposefully teaching drowning prevention skills. She developed new techniques so children as young as 1 can begin to learn swim safety moves. For example, she began to teach students to swim, roll to their back in a float and then swim again
see SWIMKIDS page 17
