By Eric Faulhaber, Visual Arts Coordinator, City of Chandler

Eye-catching artwork has decorated Downtown Chandler for the last few months, turning empty buildings into public art for all to enjoy.  The city of Chandler and the Chandler Arts Commission joined seven other valley cities and participating in IN FLUX Cycle 3, a public art initiative.  IN FLUX is an innovative multi-city initiative demonstrating a holistic approach to temporary public art projects through a showcase of installations by local artists.

The three Arizona artists chosen by the Chandler Arts Commission for the temporary installations were; Ann Morton, textile artist, Craig Randich, sculptor and Denise Yaghmourian, mixed media artist.

This project was designed to invigorate vacant spaces, and they’ve certainly created interest and activity in three vacant spaces downtown.  With the economic recovery, Chandler doesn’t have as many vacant spaces, but with the success of the current project, the city is still planning to participate in the IN FLUX Cycle 4, to be installed in December.   Artists will call on their natural creativity to display their work in open spaces or even public property.

These dynamic projects offer new perspective on the connections between community organizations, local businesses, artists, and audiences, and the next round of artistic installations, will do just that.

The call to artists will be released on August 23. For more details or information about the series of installations, visit www.influxaz.com, or call the Chandler Arts Commission Visual Arts staff at 480-782-2696.

Arizona Cities and Towns work year-round to produce events that bring together both residents and visitors alike to celebrate everything from major holidays to small-scale celebrations. Events are an important component of prosperous and viable communities: they attract tourism, enhance economic growth and create positive quality-of-life for residents. Throughout the next several months, cities and towns across Arizona will be hosting unique and exciting events. Here are a few you won’t want to miss: 

Sierra Vista – Hummingbird Banding

Hold tiny hummingbirds in your hands in Sierra Vista! From April through October, more than 10 species of hummingbirds migrate through Southern Arizona while en route from their tropical winter retreats or northern nesting grounds. Known as the “Hummingbird Capital of the United States,” Sierra Vista is home to two hummingbird banding sites, giving visitors an up-close and hands-on experience as researchers capture, band, record vital statistics, then release these brilliantly colored birds. Find a schedule and learn more at                          www.VisitSierraVista.com

Phoenix- Night Flight Golf

Grab your glow-in-the-dark golf clubs and head down to Palo Verde Golf Course. The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is offering golfers a unique way to escape the daytime heat this summer with night golf at the city’s Palo Verde 9-hole course. The course will be lined with glow lights and players will receive a glow necklace and glow ball. Each event will run in a tournament format as a four-person scramble and include fun prizes and a goodie bag for each player. For a full schedule of upcoming night golf outings and to register, visit www.phoenix.gov/golf.

Tempe – Healing Field

To remember and honor the nearly 3,000 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Tempe will hold the annual Healing Field Tribute at Tempe Beach Park. The public is invited to view the display of American flags representing the victims of that terrible day. A moving display of patriotism and unity, Tempe’s Healing Field Memorial is the nation’s longest consecutive running event.
Flags will be placed at Tempe Beach Park Tuesday, Sept. 10 through Saturday, Sept. 14. A memorial ceremony will be held at 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and a candlelight vigil will be held at 7 p.m. that evening. For more information, visit www.Tempe.gov/HealingField

Avondale- Tres Rios Festival

The city of Avondale took one of its natural resources and turned it into an outdoor community celebration. The Tres Rios Nature Festival is one-of-a-kind, focusing on the rich diversity of wildlife, habitat, history and ecology of the Gila, Salt and Agua Fria Rivers. The festival, which began 10 years ago, is an exciting opportunity for the Avondale community and visitors to learn and embrace amazing wildlife habitat and history of these systems. Attendees can participate in boating, paddleboarding, fishing, archery, hiking and wildlife viewing. The Tres Rios Nature Fall Festival will be held on Oct. 26. Find out more at                                                                         http://www.TresRiosNatureFestival.com

By Martin Dickey, Special Event Division Manager, City of Glendale

Glendale has become a community known for its festivals. From its downtown holiday light display to a whole weekend dedicated to chocolate, the city’s festivals have garnered recognition around the state and the region. Annually, about 350,000 people visit Glendale to attend a festival. Attracting new and returning visitors to our city is the primary reason we plan these free, family-friendly festivals and continue to fund them moving forward. But the result of the decision to create these festivals nearly two decades ago is more complex than just bringing people here.

The benefits of putting on annual events like these are numerous. First and foremost is economic impact. In a 2010 International Festivals and Events (IFEA) study, it was determined that attendees’ spending at two weekend festivals contributed about $3 million annually to our economy. This represents the economic impact just two of our six annual events! Our festivals have not only branded our city as a visitor destination, but have also helped to revitalize our downtown. The independently-owned businesses that make up our downtown area have maintained their business through these events, and the area continues to attract high quality merchants. For example, a California couple visited during Glendale Glitters and loved the downtown so much that they opened a business here, a charming bed and breakfast in a historic building. Another business owner decided to open a hair and nail salon after attending one of the city’s signature events. Business owners know the amount of people that each festival brings will provide excellent exposure for them on an ongoing basis.

In addition, Glendale’s signature festivals give our residents and businesses a sense of pride in their community. People are proud of the city’s small town feel and many bring their out-of-town guests to the events. Other families make it their family tradition year after year. Some also have told us that they came as a child, and now they are bringing their children, so it truly has affected generations of our residents. Glendale’s festivals also play a role in giving back to the community. We partner with a civic organization that works our beverage sales for a portion of the proceeds which they, in turn, donate to many non-profit groups, students and other city programs that have a tremendous impact on residents.

Glendale Glitters