Spring is always a wonderful time of year in Arizona. These sunny days are usually packed with plenty of fun outdoor activities and events from late February to late April. The fair air and sunshine also have a tendency to bring out the artist in all of us and Pinal County has its fair share of artists-in-residence.
This issue of Pinal Ways features some of those artists who showcase their talents in a variety of ways, from handcrafted signs and paintings to music, dance, food and gourd quilts.
So come and learn about what Pinal County has to offer the artist in you.
Get to know the artist
Art has been a part of Gila River Indian Community artist Amil Pedro’s life since he started sketching as a child. Teaching art and culture to the next generation is something he also cherishes.
Last year he spent part of the summer teaching arts and crafts to Native American schoolchildren in California. He’s done similar workshops near his home in Bapchule. Pedro said he taught the kids how to craft arrowheads and other stone tools such as atlatl, which tribes used thousands of years ago to hunt woolly mammoths. Continue reading.
We’ve interviewed five local artists from around the county or, as in the case of one, pieced together his story from historical records to learn more about their artistic approaches and inspirations.