Meet Carrie Brown, Interim Arts and Culture Director | | © Nader Abushhab, 2025, courtesy of the City of Phoenix. | | Carrie Brown brings over 20 years of experience in the arts, with a passion for creating innovative projects that connect communities and champion artists. Since joining the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture in 2022, she has led the city’s multi-million-dollar public art program, including the award-winning ¡Sombra! Experiments in Shade—an imaginative response to Phoenix’s extreme heat. Her career spans impactful roles in San Antonio, Austin, Los Angeles, Mesa, Glendale, and with Valley Metro in Phoenix, where she helped shape vibrant public spaces through art. A proud ASU alum with a BFA in photography, Carrie is also a certified interpretive guide through the National Association of Interpretation. | | |
Public Art Program Update
Nepantla by Joseph O'Connell + Creative Machines
| | © Justine Garcia, 2025, courtesy of the City of Phoenix. | | Nepantla is the experience of living in two worlds simultaneously. The project located at 55th Ave Promenade, Maryvale Neighborhood, Phoenix, Arizona between Indian School Road and Camelback Road, is composed of three archways that represent different aspects of the surrounding community. Visitors will experience motifs drawing on monarch butterflies' migration, the acknowledgement of Meso-American cityscapes and modern-day Phoenix, the showcase of two cultures at night telling stories of myths remembered and culture flourishing. | | Meet Li Rothrock, Collections Management Intern | | |
Li Rothrock is the Collections Management intern at the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture. Through photo, video, sculpture, and installation, her work explores migration and diaspora through the generative capacities of invasive plant species. Recent exhibitions include long violence dreamt me west, Northlight Gallery, Phoenix, AZ (2025); the shape of an absence, Eric Fischl Gallery, Phoenix, AZ (2024); and ¿Te Ubicas?, the Arts + Literature Laboratory, Madison, WI (2021). She is the Somers-Cafiso Fellow at the Rocking S. Ranch in Phoenix, AZ, and an ArtSpark Fellow at Scottsdale Arts in Scottsdale, AZ. She received her MFA in Fine Arts from Arizona State University.
© Nader Abushhab, 2025, courtesy of the City of Phoenix.
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Artists to Work Program Update
2026 Artists to Work Reception and Showcase
January 15, 2026, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Rio Salado Audubon Center.
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The Artists to Work Program supports the creation and presentation of original, new or in-process artistic work by practicing Phoenix artists. Awarded artists are required to complete a public presentation within city boundaries and that benefits Phoenix residents.
Join us for an evening of celebrating Phoenix's vibrant arts community through the 2026 Artists to Work Reception and Showcase, co-produced with The Sagrado Galleria, will feature the artwork of the 2025 Artists to Work awardees. During the event, we'll also announce the 2026 Artists to Work awardees. Don't miss this exciting reveal! RSVP Here.
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S'edav Va'aki Museum updates
Meet Stephanie Joyner, Community Engagement Coordinator
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Stephanie Joyner is the Community Engagement Coordinator at the S'edav Va'aki Museum. She brings over seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including serving as the first Executive Director of the Pinal County Historical Museum and as the Grants Manager at Arizona Humanities. Stephanie earned her B.S. in Anthropology from Virginia Commonwealth University and her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from Northern Arizona University. When she’s not working, Stephanie volunteers with the Arizona Archaeology Society as the State Membership Chair, enjoys reading, and explores the best craft beers in Phoenix.
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Get ready for the next installment of our free Thursday evening programming, 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱: 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀!
Join us on January 8, 2026, at 6pm in the S’edav Va’aki Community Room for a very special guest lecture featuring Neal Galloway, the artist behind Ground Water and Flood Lines.
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Call to Artists
Monochrome Exhibition
| | © Seafoam by Julie Gilbert Pollard | The Shemer Art Center is now accepting submissions for Monochrome, an exhibition showcasing artwork created predominantly in one hue. Arizona artists whose work features a single dominant color, creating a strong and commanding visual impression are encouraged to apply. Deadline to apply is January 30, 5:00 p.m. | | RIO Active Transportation Planning Study | |
The 18-month Rio Reimagined Active Transportation Planning Study is well underway by the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and Kimley Horn. The interactive comment website is still open for you to share your big ideas, take the survey, leave a comment on the project map, and help determine active transportation priorities at MAGRioActive.com. Community members have already shared many comments and ideas for future trail connections. We invite you to explore the map and share your input before March 6, 2026.
For more information about the Rio Reimagined Active Transportation Plan, contact Kay Bork at kbork@azmag.gov.
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The NEA is committed to supporting excellent arts projects for the benefit of all Americans. Activities funded through Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) enable Americans throughout the nation to experience the arts, foster and celebrate America’s artistic heritage and cultural legacy, and benefit from arts education at all stages of life. Deadline to apply is February 12, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
| | The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture is the city's designated local arts agency. It supports, champions, and promotes the local arts, culture, and educational community to make Phoenix a great place to live, work, and visit. In addition to the department’s flagship programs, the agency oversees and supports the City's Youth and Education Office, Archaeology Office, and the S'edav Va'aki Museum. | | | | |
