The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA), in collaboration with the Town of Sahuarita Parks and Recreation Department are bringing a variety of new public art installations to town parks, in honor of the town’s 25th Anniversary. These temporary public art pieces will be painted on five different electrical boxes in order to enhance the visual landscape and quality of life for residents and visitors to Sahuarita Parks. The murals are expected to be completed by November 2019.

The new murals celebrate themes of Sahuarita culture, economy, and landscape. Three southern Arizona artists – Ignacio Garcia, Wesley Fawcett Creigh and Ghazal Ghazi - were chosen from a competitive field of applicants to design and implement the murals.
 
This Public Art Installation is one of many upcoming community events including a Chalk Art Festival on November 2 at Sahuarita Lake Park set to debut in the town thanks to an exciting new partnership between the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance and the Town of Sahuarita. From public art installations to community art festivals to culinary and music celebrations, the partnership will bring the arts center stage throughout Sahuarita.

SAACA murals will be featured at the following locations in Sahuarita:

Anamax Park
17501 S. Camino De Las Quintas
Sahuarita, AZ 85629

Quail Creek-Veterans Municipal Park
1905 N. Old Nogales Highway
Sahuarita, AZ 85629
 
Ghazal Ghazi October 2 — 4 (First week of October)
Artist Ghazal Ghazi will paint two murals connecting cosmos, the Sahuarita people, and local ecology. Ghazi’s mural in Anamax Park will feature a stunning portrait surrounded by a dreamy starscape on one side, and imagery inspired by the community garden on the other. At North Santa Cruz Park, Ghazi will paint a prickly pear inspired mural. Ghazi is a multidisciplinary visual and literary artist who works with the intention of promoting community and dialogue. She has created large scale 2D and 3D works of public art and exhibited her work both nationally and internationally, from Mexico, to Chile to Oklahoma, exploring themes of sustainability, memory, language, community, healing, and ecology.
 
Wesley Fawcett Creigh October 14 — 18 (Third week of October)
Two murals by public artist Wesley Fawcett Creigh will be going up in Anamax Park in early October. Creigh’s murals will pay tribute to two key aspects of Sahuarita’s local economy and offerings: the Whipple observatory, located just south of town, and the pecan orchards. A graduate of Prescott College with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Art with an Emphasis on Social Impact, Creigh’s artistic resume includes public works created in partnership with many notable community organizations including the Santa Fe Art Institute, Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, Springboard for the Arts, Pima Community College, and the Center for Global Justice. Creigh has been featured in galleries throughout Arizona, Mexico, and Minnesota and is, in addition to being an accomplished muralist, an in-demand scenic designer for Arizona theaters. 
 
Ignacio Garcia October 28 – 31 (Last week of October)
In late October, Ignacio Garcia will paint a large Saguaro flower mural on the electrical boxes at Quail Creek - Veterans Municipal. Taking inspiration from Sahuarita’s namesake (roughly translating to “little Saguaro”), there will be nothing little about his eye-catching, realistic looking flowers. Garcia is well known throughout Arizona and California for his 3D chalk murals and large, colorful photo-realistic murals that often play on whimsical, playful pop art ideas. His mural of Bill Walton riding a Jackalope on the side of Rialto Theater in Tucson is one of the most photographed images of the downtown corridor. Garcia is an artistic studies graduate of the East Valley Institute of Technology in Mesa, AZ and the Gnoman Workshop in Hollywood, CA.

Note to Media: Photos Available

Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance
The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is a not-for-profit organization that exists to promote engagement in arts and culture, helping our communities produce strong, inspired citizens. SAACA enlists artists, businesses, governments, and individuals to expand artistic and cultural opportunities in their respective communities. To enhance access to the arts and to promote cultural awareness in the communities it serves, SAACA presents large-scale festivals, events and other programs. The Alliance also promotes educational opportunities in the arts and culture for all ages.

Town of Sahuarita
The Town of Sahuarita is the 6th youngest incorporated town in the State of Arizona, and will celebrate its 25th birthday on September 20, 2019. Sahuarita is a regional partner with other municipalities, educational institutions, non-profits, and business leaders in Southern Arizona, and recognizes the importance of arts and culture in creating and sustaining well-rounded communities. For more information on the public art partnership between the Town of Sahuarita and SAACA, please visit www.sahuaritaaz.gov/parks.

Amanda Kate Marquez was recognized by Tucson Local Media and Inside Tucson Business as an outstanding executive in our community at the Executive Excellence Dinner and Awards on November 1, 2017.

Formerly known as the CFO Awards, the Executive Excellent Dinner and Awards honored 42 executives that are CEO's, COO's, CFO's or an Executive Level Department Head, and Kate came out on top.

Ms. Marquez has lead the nonprofit for over 11 years with exemplary results. She began with the organization in 2006 as a Development Director for the previously named Greater Oro Valley Arts Council. A year later, she was promoted to Executive Director. Under her tenure, she has directed the transformation of the organization into a model with sustainable growth and groundbreaking program areas such as arts therapy and arts education outreach. The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance has since grown to become one of the largest multi-disciplinary presenting arts organizations in the region, dedicated to the creation, preservation and advancement of the Arts.

In addition to the innovative programming, each year SAACA provides hundreds of opportunities for artists in the community to present and exhibit their artwork in the community through culinary, arts and music based events and festivals.

"Kate Marquez has been a force in the Southern Arizona arts community for over a decade and has exemplified outstanding leadership and dedication to our region." says SAACA Board of Directors President, Tom Binder. "Kate's knowledge, experience and commitment to the advancement of the arts is evident in every aspect of the organization's conduct."

Ms. Marquez is also the Founder of Arizona Business Committee for the Arts (AZBCA) and, this year, has expanded the programming statewide. AZBCA spearheads Arts and Business integration programs through the enhancement of business practices, strengthening our economy, increasing employee engagement and improving creative thinking skills through creative arts based approaches.

Marquez is also a Private Sector Advisory Council Member for the American for the Arts.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Photos available

Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance
The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) is a not-for-profit organization that exists to ensure that, through engagement in arts and culture, our communities produce strong, inspired citizens. SAACA enlists artists, businesses, governments, and individuals to expand artistic and cultural opportunities in their respective communities. To enhance access to the arts and to promote cultural awareness in the communities it serves, SAACA presents large-scale festivals, events and other programs. The Alliance also promotes educational opportunities in the arts and culture for all ages.

Cox Communications is proud to sponsor the Cox Communications Movies in the Park this summer in partnership with Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance (SAACA) at Reid Park.
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Cementing itself as a can’t miss summer event 14 years in a row, Cox Communications Movies in the Park returns to fill Reid Park with entertainment for all ages. Come enjoy some of your favorite family movies on a 40-foot tall screen under the stars as well as balloon artists, face painting, and bouncy castles for the kids. Food trucks will also be. Cox Communications will also be attending with a special promotional tour of their new CONTOUR product as well as giveaways. The festivities begin at 6:00pm and the movie will begin around 7:45pm (or dusk).
Cox Movies in the Park Schedule of Showings: 

• Wall-E – Friday, May 5

WALL-E, short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class, is the last robot left on Earth. He spends his days tidying up the planet, one piece of garbage at a time. But during 700 years, WALL-E has developed a personality, and he's more than a little lonely. Then he spots EVE (Elissa Knight), a sleek and shapely probe sent back to Earth on a scanning mission. Smitten WALL-E embarks on his greatest adventure yet when he follows EVE across the galaxy.

• Moana – Friday, June 2

In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.

• The Secret Life of Pets – Friday, July 7

​Max (Louis C.K.) is a spoiled terrier who enjoys a comfortable life in a New York building until his owner adopts Duke, a giant and unruly canine. During their walk outside, they encounter a group of ferocious alley cats and wind up in a truck that's bound for the pound. Luckily, a rebellious bunny named Snowball swoops in to save the doggy duo from captivity. In exchange, Snowball demands that Max and Duke join his gang of abandoned pets on a mission against the humans who've done them wrong.

• Zootopia – Friday, August 4

In a city of anthropomorphic animals, a rookie bunny cop and a cynical con artist fox must work together to uncover a conspiracy.

• Finding Dory – Friday, September 1

The friendly but forgetful blue tang fish, Dory, begins a search for her long-lost parents, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.

Where: Reid Park, Demeester Outdoor Performance Theater
 920 S. Concert Place, Tucson, AZ 85716.
 Attendees can gain access to the Movies by entering off of Country Club Road.
Cost: Free
Website: http://www.saaca.org/Cox_Movies_in_the_Park.html

Cox introduced the Movies in the Park summer series in 2003 with a projector and a re-purposed bed sheet. Since that time, Movies in the Park has grown and has now become a community favorite across Pima and Cochise Counties. Cox invites area residents to bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy a free movie.  Food vendors, live music, jumping castles, and arts and crafts exhibits will be set up for guests to enjoy. Unique activities will be highlighted and will rotate each week including community demonstrations, special guest appearances and fun activities for children. The event will also include food trucks to provide movie snacks throughout the showing.

About Cox Communications Arizona 

Cox Communications is the third largest cable provider and a multi-service broadband communications company in the country, serving nearly 3 million residential and business product subscribers in Arizona (a product subscriber represents an individual service purchased by a customer). In metro Phoenix, Cox serves approximately 2.5 million product subscribers. In Southern Arizona, Cox serves approximately 400,000 product subscribers. Cox’s 24,000-mile hybrid fiber coaxial cable network throughout Phoenix and Southern Arizona provides homes and businesses with digital television, high speed Internet, home networking, high-definition television and digital telephone service over its own nationwide IP network. Cox is the third largest private for-profit employer in Arizona.  During the past ten years, Cox has topped numerous J.D. Power and Associates’ studies of customer satisfaction, most recently receiving top honors for residential telephone & high speed Internet, and business data services and has received PC Magazine’s “people’s choice” award for the sixth time. Additionally, Cox High Speed Internet has been ranked #1 for the past eight years on the “Ranking Arizona-Best of Arizona Business” list. Cox Media is responsible for the sale of cable advertising throughout Arizona. Cox Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc. and serves approximately 6 million customers nationwide. Additional information about Cox in Arizona is available at www.cox.com/arizona.