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  • 04/21/2018

Archives for March 2018

Fourth place in NJCAA Tournament

03/31/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

 

Stephen Peck
MesaCC Legend

CamaraderieThe National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Women’s Basketball Division II tournament did not end with a championship for the Mesa Community College (MCC) Lady T-Birds. The women made the tournament by winning the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) Tournament in mid-March against the Aztecs of Pima Community College. After the playoff win, the women had a week of practice at home before they headed off to Harrison, Arkansas, host of the NJCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The championship was a victory away for the Lady T-Birds. The victory would not be easy, as they faced No. 1 ranked team, Monroe Community College of New York. The Monroe Lady Tribunes moved on to the championship after defeating the Lady T-Birds, and Mesa headed down to third place game against the Highland Scotties from Iowa, who were undefeated until their semifinal game against the Kirkwood Lady Eagles from Kansas. Jaynelle Robinson, 6-foot-3 center, clogged up the paint, with 16 rebounds and 16 points, while guard Sierra Green attacked from beyond the arc, making 7-11 3-pointers and 25 points for the game. Guard Torrie Cash was another threat who put 16 points on the board.

Commentators Kamarri Darrington and Chuck Sebastian, during the Mesa vs. Monroe game, talked about whichever team-faced Highland would be facing a lineup that has a chip on their shoulder. Highland missed some free throws at the end of the game that cost them the victory. The Lady T-Birds played at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 24 against Highland for third place in the NJCAA tournament. The Highland Scotties came out to play their game and secure third place. The Scotties employed a full-court press, guarding players the entire length of the court.

mcc basketballThe Lady T-Birds managed the Highland press well at the start and was down by three points at the end of the quarter. Guard Leah Goodman went to the bench early in the quarter after missing both of her shots and turning over possession twice. She did not return to action until the beginning of the second quarter. Guard Cheyenne Begay would come in for the team’s consistent season scorer and put four points on the board before Goodman returned. She would replace Trae Frazier after a couple of minutes gone in the second quarter.
Highland would begin to build their lead after Begay entered the game. They would make shots and steal possession away from the Lady Thunderbirds to build up their lead.

tam and coachAt about the halfway mark in the second quarter, coach Stephenson pulled Leah Goodman after committing another turnover and brought Deja Dagons into the game. Mesa went into halftime down, 47-31. The Lady T-Birds had to make some adjustments in the locker room to remain competitive in the final game of the tournament. Coach Stephenson started the second half with her original starting lineup, Leah Goodman, Deja Dagons, Diamond Fuller, Anessa Glenn, and Takara Wade. MCC was scoreless after forward Anessa Glenn made a free throw with four minutes left before halftime. Highland would go on a 22-0 run before point guard Courtney Colleary assisted Cheyenne Begay in a 2-pointer.

Mesa would begin their comeback about halfway through the third quarter beginning a 20-0 run of their own to bring the deficit against Highland to six points, 61-55, early in the fourth quarter. The Lady T-Birds would not come any closer to evening the scoreboard. With about four minutes left in the game, both teams would be in the bonus and get two free throws whenever a foul was committed. Even though the ladies had a huge deficit in front of them, they did not let that stop them from fighting for that third spot in the tournament.The Lady T-Birds held their head high as they did everything within their means to win.

Filed Under: News

Women’s basketball devoted time to youth center

03/31/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Stephen Peck
MesaCC Legend

Deja Dagons

Deja Dagons

The Mesa Community College (MCC) Women’s basketball team volunteered their time to serve others before the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Tournament in Harrison, Arkansas. The Lady Thunderbirds basketball team and the coaches mentored the children of the Brandon Burlsworth Youth Center.  The facility was minutes away from the Pioneer Pavilion, the center where the national competition was held.

According to MCC Athletics, the women went to the youth center after their first official tournament practice to spend time with 6-12-year-old children. The team went over plays and gave the young athletes tips about the game. The children also ran through some drills and basketball workouts. The Lady-T-Birds capped the day by playing a match with the kids to make the day more interesting.

The youth center is named after Harrison native, Brandon Burlsworth, who died in a vehicle accident on his way home to Harrison, just 11 days after being drafted into the NFL by the Indianapolis Colts. MCC prides itself on giving back to the community. The college has a community and civic engagement component to student learning and there is a course that focuses on leadership and giving back, open enrollment for any student.

Filed Under: Sports

Personalized fitness plan for students at MCC

03/31/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Mari DeSanto
MesaCC Legend

exercising at mccStudents can increase strength and energy by working out and exercising at MCC and earn course credits while staying fit.  Each semester the college offers over 20 exercise classes including, weightlifting, yoga, martial arts, and many more.  “We have a one-credit class, which is $86, and that would be for four months, so that’s $20 a month,” Jim Haggerty, manager of the fitness wellness program at MCC, said. “The one credit is very cost effective.” The program also offers a personalized fitness plan. The staff goes through a preliminary analysis of a person’s health, interest and goals and from there a plan is created.

State-of-the-art equipment, known as the Human Performance Lab (HPL), will do the assessments. “There are two advantages of the HPL. First, we can assess current fitness and then use the assessment to design a fitness program to enhance your physical health,” Jeffrey Messer, chair of the exercise science department, said.  Once a plan is developed, students will meet with a floor supervisor whom Hagerty said, “are all certified personal trainers”. These are professionals working in the program who will create an effective session.

Haggerty explained that the MCC gym has the latest standards of cardiovascular exercise, weight training, and flexibility.  There is no shortage of support in the program either. There are about 700 students attending fitness classes. Among the basic courses are various levels including intermediate and a few advanced.  There are many different types of workouts available such as aerobics, boot camp, martial arts classes, as well as all the activities in the Fitness Center.

free weightsOutdoors enthusiasts have options to choose from, like scheduled hikes and wall climbing.  For those who prefer dancing, there is everything from belly dancing to tap dancing. Do not worry, sports are also available.  “Physical activity or physical education will lead to improvement of mental and physical health”, exercise department chair Messer said. Not to forget, for those students who are eligible, there are some non-credit classes available for seniors, known as Silver Sneakers. There are also some classes that are offered solely for faculty and staff.

Filed Under: Sports

Thunderbirds baseball handed two game losing streak

03/31/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Stephen Peck
MesaCC Legend

Swing and a missMCC Men’s baseball is on a two-game losing streak after playing Arizona Central College over the weekend. The first game was at the Thunderbirds home diamond where Mesa fell 5-2, on Friday, Mar. 23. The next game was the following day in Coolidge, Arizona at the Vaqueros home field. The Vaqueros won the second game 13-8.  Central Arizona stepped into the batter’s box, after winning on the road, and put up four runs in the first inning after holding Mesa to a single run. The Thunderbirds scored two more runs in the top of the second inning.

Central added five runst o their lead after sending the Thunderbirds back out on to the diamond. Thunderbirds put a run up on the scoreboard in the top of the inning for the next three innings. MCC still trailed the Vaqueros by three runs after the fifth inning.  Both teams would not score in the sixth inning. Central notched three more runs when they came to bat in the seventh inning.The Thunderbirds got two more runs in the top of the eighth, which would not be enough as Central notched another run in the bottom of the inning.

MCC would lose its second game, 13-8, with 19 hits and give the series to the Vaqueros. The stats for Mesa were not available on either team’s website. The previous day the two teams played in Mesa. Central Arizona College would take the first game of the two-game series 5-2.  Neither team scored in the first four innings as Jimmy Boyce and RJ Dabovich were battling it out on the mound.

Boyce was the first one to have the opponent breakthrough on the scoreboard. The Vaqueros notched three runs off a Brennan Reback homer to right field that scored teammates Reagan Teegarden and Daniel Cervantes. Alix Garcia made it a 5-0 lead in the top of the eighth with another homer to right field scoring teammate Jake Vander Wal. The Thunderbirds remained scoreless until Marcus Skundrich singled to right-field, earning 2-RBI, bringing in Paul Steffenson and Connor Denning. The team travels to Yuma to face the Matadors of Arizona Western College for a doubleheader Tuesday, Mar. 27, 2018.

Filed Under: Sports

Merely modernizing Mesa

03/04/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Mayor Giles spoke to patrons of the city at a breakfast in early February

Stephen Peck
MesaCC Legend

Mesa Mayor John Giles outlined monumental changes coming for the city in the current years at the 2018 State of the City breakfast held at the Mesa Convention Center in February. Among the proposed improvements are enhancing public safety, increasing educational opportunities for toddlers, expanding services and jobs at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and an economic development plan for the city’s downtown area. Mayor Giles began his address by citing the city’s population growth, which Census figures shows Mesa has become the 36 largest city in the U.S. – up from standing at 38 for several years – with 485,000 residents.  He also announced that Mesa added 2,000 jobs in 2017, and there are plans to increase the numbers again this year.

Boeing recently announced the company would add 900 positions at their East Mesa location.  The mayor boasted how commercial and business investments were well over $500 million in capital, with the revenue from sales tax continuing to grow. “The growth, certainly, has put some pressure and some stress on our ability to respond to our public safety needs,” Giles said. Public Safety Giles touched on safety issues the city faces today, including the need for more police officers and firefighters, and building stations in areas throughout the city.  He said he plans to put it on the ballot for voter support.

“Those types of large investments are gonna require voter approval,” said Giles. Homelessness was also part of the city’s public safety issue, one the city has worked on with the help of the Mesa United Way.  Giles wants to incorporate funding for these services into Mesa’s fiscal budget. “We asked the human service agencies in Mesa, led by the Mesa United Way, to help us form a strategic plan to focus our government and philanthropic resources on our most vulnerable residents,” Giles said

The Mesa K Ready is a community-based program created to help toddlers become kindergarten ready, an initiative Giles said has been successful and needs to grow.
According to Mesa K-Ready coordinator, Elizabeth Mullavey, the city is home to more than 31,000 children under in the age of five.  “Of those children, only 36 percent of them attend some type of preschool study,” Mullavey said in a video presentation at the address. This is the first year of the program and it helped 50 families prepare their 4-year old to enter the Mesa Public School system.

Now, Mesa plans to grow the program to help 800-1,000 families with toddlers within the next four years. “If you have a community that has a strong education program, that has strong public schools, what it does it gives you a really great base of talent, resources locally, [to] go on to finish high school or college, or come straight to work for an employer,” David Moromisato, Cardon Children’s Medical Center chief medical officer, said in the Mesa K-Ready video presentation.

Giles spoke of an innovation project for downtown Mesa called ‘innovation district.” Among the ideas is to create an anchor business and research institution. The plans are part of a report by the Washington D.C. non-profit research group Brookings Institution. The Brookings Institution toured downtown Mesa to evaluate the best uses of the area.  The agency proposed creating an “Innovation district” that requires collaborating with businesses, agencies, and developers to boost Main Street and the surrounding areas.

“Innovation district is, it’s a part of a regenerating urban core, that has elements like, gathering places, investments in transit and housing, entrepreneurial ship, business, and education,” Giles said. The mayor’s announcement of the innovation district comes on the heels of a council approved $60 million projects called The Grid, where it will include mix-use of residential, office, and restaurant project to be developed by Scottsdale-based office space creator Palladium Enterprises and business management agency CO+HOOTS.  The Grid will be located on Main Street next to Benedictine University near the Mesa Center for Arts. CO+HOOTS will be the anchor in the new center.  “Downtown Mesa is well on it’s way to being a diverse, innovative, economically strong urban hub of our very large city,” said Giles.

Among Mayor Giles outlined to improve city parks and public spaces is a plan to increase business at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.  He announced the SkyBridge Arizona program and explained that it would make the East Mesa airport the first international air cargo hub for use by U.S. and Mexico Customs.  The SkyBridge Arizona program will import and export goods between the two countries and open up shipping availability “to any one of over 200 airports in Mexico,” Giles said.
SkyBridge Arizona will be stationed on a 360-acre section on the airport’s southern area, next to the runway.

Diversity was among the highlights of Giles’ address. He announced that he sent a letter to the state legislature to protect citizens of Mesa from any form of discrimination. Giles emphasized the need to continue to build a more diverse and inclusive city. A mission he said, he supports through the One Mesa Pledge.  Giles ended the address saying, “People will always want to live in Mesa, Arizona, and they will beat a path to our door.”

Filed Under: News

Regardless of major school enrollment is decreasing

03/04/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Allison Cripe
MesaCC Legend

Choosing a major is tough. Do you make decisions based on job availability?  Do you decide based on what you want to do?  Do you decide on multiple degrees to have some balance?  There’s plenty of options that must be narrowed down. With our world becoming immersed in technology, Computer Sciences is a degree that’s argued as a more popular choice even for students who love the arts.  Business seems a likely option for high enrollment as there’s a large number of jobs that require business degrees.

When it comes to English and Fine Arts, there’s plenty of talk about why people would not sign up for these majors. There is too much talk about low options for jobs when it comes to the Arts. Even people in the Arts have to know about business, don’t they?  Wouldn’t it be that the enrollment numbers have risen then for Computer Sciences and decreased for Fine Arts? The reality is that all majors are steadily declining as numbers of enrollments just haven’t gone up.

As revealed in the numbers offered from MCC’s Institution of Effectiveness and graphs on Mesa Community College’s site which can be found on the Institution for Effectiveness. Numbers remain relatively high for Fine Arts and much higher for Business degrees, but, there haven’t been many new students signing up for Community College. Numbers are for the most part, with little incline all around.

Graphic Design is a good crossover degree regarding arts and technology. It is also a degree that has its numbers on the rise as a major choice. However, Web Design has declined in numbers as a major. Fine Arts took a large rise since last year. While it declined in 2017, it inclined again in 2018 from 99 to 168.  Small business has declined, however, Business has gone up 300 people since last year.  This is almost two times larger than the students who have signed up for a major in Fine Arts. Choosing a major can be difficult. Everyone has their opinion on what degree will get you a job and what degree will disappoint you.

The Arts are argued as not being financially stable with many high salary numbers being in Computer jobs. As focus continues to be on Silicon Valley and developments in tech, more attention is put on the degrees that will get you to those techie 100k salaries. All of these assumptions, however, prove to be false when assuming what degree people will choose. The favor seems to be no community college at all.

Filed Under: Opinions

Loss of T-birds is a loss in community

03/04/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Marcus Campbell
MesaCC Legend

On Feb. 5 the MCCCD school district announced they would be cutting all of their football programs after the upcoming 2018 season.  Included in the four programs cut was Scottsdale Community College, Glendale Community College, Phoenix College and our own Mesa Community College. After receiving a report from a task force the district cited financial concerns and academic underperformance as their reasons for cutting the athletic program. Maricopa listed several reasons for cutting the program. The first being a slowdown in enrollment and the cutting of state funds to community colleges.

Maricopa also cited financial concerns related to the football program. Football makes up 20 percent of the total athletic budget and over 50 percent of the insurance costs. Maricopa also cited academic reasons for cutting the football program. Football had the lowest academic performance of any MCCCD sports.  Football student-athletes had the lowest GPA and the lowest loan repayment rate.  Football players also had the highest dropout rates and the lowest rates of course completion. This is a disastrous loss for the sports community here in Mesa and across the Valley.

Community College football programs are often used to develop athletes who aren’t ready for Division 1 competition.  Without this avenue student-athletes who would not ordinarily be able to pay for their education will now be kept on the outside of the system.  For athletes who may have been undersized, underdeveloped or simply did not have the grades for a Division I school community college offered an option for education and advancement.  Of course, not all athletes use community college as just a stepping stone or second choice.

Some athletes rely on programs like community colleges to obtain the opportunities they would not have had otherwise. The ending of the T-birds program will be a tragic loss to the athletics communities in Arizona. High school athletes often consider community colleges as a viable option for education and continuing athletics.  Without these four programs, there are only three junior college teams left in the state; Eastern Arizona College, Arizona Western College, and Pima College.  A number of MCC students have been recruited by Division I and Division II colleges over the years and without this pathway fewer athletes than before will be able to find their opportunity.

With the loss of the football program comes the loss of scholarships along with it.  Losing this avenue for continuing education is a detrimental blow to student-athletes who could not afford tuition costs otherwise. The district was clear that they would honor scholarships that have already been awarded through the spring 2019 semester.

The act of honoring scholarships is less a show of good faith and more a contractual obligation. Revoking scholarships would not only be callous it would also be unethical. Scholarships represent a bond between an athlete and their program that shouldn’t be affected by administrative issues.  All in all, the loss of MCCCD football programs will have a tragic effect on the football culture of Arizona.

Filed Under: Opinions

Wakanda Forever

03/04/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Marcus Campbell
MesaCC Legend

Black Panther was released on Feb. 16 in theaters across the nation to critical acclaim and widespread financial success.  As of Feb. 26, Black Panther has grossed over $470 million and over $700 million domestically. Black Panther had an opening weekend of $202 million making it the fifth highest domestic opening of all time.  Black Panther shows very little signs of slowing down in the domestic box office. During its second weekend, the movie suffered from only a 46 percent drop. This drop makes it the lowest second-weekend drop of any movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The drop is only challenged in the superhero category by Blade, Spider-Man and Wonder Woman.

The drop also makes it the lowest drop of any movie that opened above $200 million except for Star Wars: The Force Awakens which had its second weekend over the Christmas holiday. Black Panther currently sits at a healthy 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 88 percent on Metacritic. Both sites measure critic reviews differently which causes the disparity in scores.  Metacritic uses the aggregate of all critics scores and uses the average for analysis while Rotten Tomatoes uses the percentage of critics who viewed the move favorably and gave the movie a passing or “fresh” score.

Many factors helped Black Panther reach these lofty goals. It was the first mainstream superhero film to feature a black lead.  Black Panther was also the first black lead superhero movie in well over a decade following Blade: Trinity and Catwoman in 2004, both films were critically panned and had modest box office returns.  Black Panther also marks the first predominately black team to helm a superhero film.  Director Ryan Coogler joins an a primarily black cast and crew including veteran actors and filmmakers.

Behind the camera, Coogler is joined by screenwriter Joe Robert Cole, Cinematographer Rachel Morrison, Production designer Hannah Beachler, and costume designer Ruth Carter.  In front of the camera, an all-star cast flaunts in front of the camera. Chadwick Boseman joins Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker.  The movie isn’t entirely black however Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman both play an essential role in the film’s story. Black Panther follows T’Challa, the new black panther and leader of the country of Wakanda as he deals with insurrections and family betrayals. Chadwick Boseman stars as T’Challa and is completely convincing as the newly made king. His character is forced to adapt his new kingdom and fight for the throne over the course of the motion picture.

Michael B Jordan starts as Erik Killmonger, Black Panther’s antagonist and challenger to the throne of Wakanda.  Jordan is one of the highlights of the film and turns out an incredible and emotional performance. He plays one of the most convincing villains since Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight.  Jordan’s portrayal of Killmonger is completely believable and the strength of the character is how relatable his motivations are throughout the film.  Never is the audience made to question the character’s motivations, drives, or state of mind. Killmonger might provide a strong point for the film but it’s the women of Black Panther that truly steal the show. Letitia Wright stars as T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri, who provides most of the genius of the film and all of its comic relief.

Every scene where Shuri is present she absolutely steals the screen. She is magnetic, hilarious and brilliant. She is also a fully capable warrior.  Another excellent female character in Black Panther is Okoye played by Danai Gurira. Okoye is the head of an all-female fighting force that protects the king at all times. The female characters in Black Panther are well-rounded characters with real motivations and strengths. The women of Wakanda also don’t rely on their male counterparts in any way.

By the end of the film the women of Wakanda stand as some of the strongest characters and people in the entire country.  Wakanda itself is also beautifully realized and imagined. The sets and costume design are breathtaking and totally immersive.  The authenticity of the movie is astounding considering the movie is based in a fictional world. The film achieves this by staying true to African symbols, accents, customs, and languages.

Filed Under: Features

Cloverfield enters a paradox in new film

03/04/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Jack Carroll
MesaCC Legend

“Cloverfield: Paradox”, released on Feb. 4 on Netflix, is the third film in the “Cloverfield” franchise. It was directed by Julius Onah, Produced by J.J. Abrams, and stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, and Chris O’Dowd.  By now you probably know about the insane marketing campaign for this movie- announcing the movie, releasing the first trailer, all during the first half of the Super Bowl, and mere hours before the film premiered on Netflix.  As a fan of the Cloverfield franchise myself, as soon as I saw that Bad Robot logo I immediately told everyone around me to shut up and glued myself to the screen.  Seeing them claim I was going to finally get the answers to what happened in the first movie (the first sequel, “10 Cloverfield Lane” has very little in relation to the first one, containing only passing references to themes in the series), I was excited.

Did the movie live up to the literal hours of hype that was built up between the first commercial and release? Well, yes and no. In series like Cloverfield’s, there are gonna be duds. “The Godfather Part III”, “Return of the Jedi”, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” all come to mind.  Are they awful movies? Not really, there are worse films out there. But they don’t exactly hold up to the standards set by their predecessors, and as a result, can be seen as a bad movie in comparison.This is one of those movies.

The story is about the space station Cloverfield and it’s crew, who are in the midst of an energy crisis that is putting the world at the brink of war. Their goal is to use a particle accelerator, known as the Shepard, to provide infinite energy for all of Earth. Eventually, after tensions build and many failed tests, one of the tests seems to do more than provide the world with infinite energy, and they hear something in the walls… First, let’s discuss the good in this movie. The acting is some of the best the series has seen. Although 10 Cloverfield Lane has everyone beat with John Goodman’s performance, David Oyelowo, Chris O’Dowd and Zhang Ziyi seem to be putting in excellent work. Ziyi in particular, who puts on an exclusively Mandarin-language performance the whole film. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is also good in the (ostensibly) main character role as Ava Hamilton.

Another positive is the cinematography. Every scene in this movie looks beautifully lit and shot, despite the mediocre directing and slightly unimpressive space station aesthetic.  However there are problems with the movie, and they are noticeable.  The first issue is the dialogue. A good movie can express many story elements using very little exposition. The first two movies do it excellently, with many of the major plot points not even being explained or discussed in-film, leaving interpretation and plot points a little vague as to drive up the fear of the unknown that this series is usually so good at portraying.

Meanwhile, “Paradox” has the character Volkov, a Russian engineer on the station who seems to speak entirely in expository dialogue. It is meant to seem “conversational”, but it genuinely feels like he read that morning’s newspaper and read it verbatim while using a pretty corny Russian accent. But when you have scenes like that, you also can get scenes like the one where they can’t find Earth anywhere around them, and Kiel (Oyelowo) is sitting silently in his quarters as he is contemplating what to do while the crew argues. No dialogue is spoken by Oyelowo, and you can really feel his emotion. This movie is full of conflicting moments of quality like that, where one scene feels like you’re watching a movie they usually save for an episode of “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, then in the other, it feels like you’re watching a scene from “Gravity” or “Aliens”.

This movie was made with two very different groups of people in the production room, and it feels like it. The good scenes of this film initially were enough to keep me entertained on my first watch through, but after giving it another gander (It’s a Netflix film, so you can do that) it really does get slow. Although the quality moments have benefits and are good in their own right (usually thanks to the cinematography and acting), this film ultimately is brought down by an obvious 85th-ish draft script, a director who probably wasn’t entirely ready to direct a major motion picture like this, and a slow pace that turns what could have been a good 60 minute Black Mirror episode into a 105-minute, uneven TV movie that probably shouldn’t have been hyped to the extent that it was.
All three hours of it.

Filed Under: Features

I.d.e.a. museum’s new exhibit

03/04/2018 by TheMesaLegend2 Leave a Comment

Sydney Ritter
MesaCC Legend

The IDEA museum, in downtown Mesa, is opening their newest exhibition, “Sonoran Safari” to the public on Feb. 9. According to the website, “Visitors coming to Sonoran Safari will explore the artistic landscape of the world’s 11th largest desert – the only place where the famous saguaro cactus grows in the wild.” Sonoran Safari features 25 artists from Arizona, the United States, and the Czech Republic. Artworks include digital photography, pastels, ceramics, digital works, digital drawings, bronze sculptures and many more.  All the way from the Czech Republic, artist Veronika Richterova created seven pieces that she has been developing for several years, different cacti made from used plastic bottles and caps.

“I find all inspiration as well as material for my artworks in the streets in yellow recycling bins where people throw plastic waste,” she said.  Alongside Richterova will be photography from Mark Klett, an artist from Tempe, Arizona who has been featured for over 40 years. Four of his photographs have been taken from his collection “El Camino del Diablo” to be shown in the exhibit. “Much of my work responds to a historical precedent, either historic photographs or text or event. I’ve done a lot of work that involves making rephotographs of historic images – going back to the original locations and making new photographs in response,” Klett said.

Peggy Orbon’s pastel paintings are also going to be shown alongside Klett’s. “I paint landscapes in pastel or oil and many of them are done on location. Once you have the right equipment, there’s nothing like getting outside to paint. It’s so enjoyable to be outside trying to capture what you see in front of you,” Osborn said. “And, everything looks so much better in person than in a photograph.” Other than admiring the art, visitors have the option to create a “reflection” painting, experience what it would be like to work at a wildlife rescue center, write desert poetry along with several other hands-on activities. In his curator statement, Brian Asdell spoke of the beauty in the Sonoran Desert.

“The Sonoran Desert is one of the unique deserts in the world and contains an incredibly biodiverse ecological system – second only to the Amazon rainforest,” Asdell said. “This is mainly due to its two annual rainy seasons, the regular fall rains and summer monsoons that arrive just in time to quench the thirst of plants, animals and humans alike. This creates an extremely lush and green desert system filled with dynamic life and beauty. ”Visit http://www.ideamuseum.org/sonoran-safari.html for more information on spring camps, upcoming special events and to buy tickets to visit the Sonoran Safari at the Idea Museum.

Filed Under: Features

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