State of the Arts
by Jackie and Jerry Miles

Our efforts to create a photographic history of Fountain Hills are proceeding nicely. We have waded through tens of thousands of photographs from my personal collection and from the collections of Keith McMahan, MCO Properties, The Fountain Hills Times, Cassie Hansen, Arnie Dworkis, Bonnie Kline and several others. We have photos reflecting the history of Christ’s Church, a comprehensive set of photos of the Community Theater and others. I am trying to get photos from Ft. McDowell. I have a few that I have taken on the Ft. McDowell reservation, but not enough. We have scanned and saved about 7,500 of these pictures, and I have pruned those down to about 350 that will form the basis of our photographic history. By no later than September I hope to have about 100 on permanent display in the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum. I will be asking members of the Museum Board of Directors and the Public Art Committee to help make this last pruning.

If you are a long-time resident and have pictures reflecting our past, I would like to borrow them. No more fountains, however. Without question, that is the most photographed element of our community, perhaps one of the most photographed items in the state.

I have two great fountain pictures that will go into the exhibit and probably into our final publication. One is an aerial shot of the fountain and the surrounding area taken by MCO in the early 1970s. It pictures the fountain with hundreds of surrounding acres of land graded and ready to develop. The companion picture is one I took from a helicopter about three years ago, showing the same setting, with almost everything around fully developed.

Our animal wildlife is a key part of our community and I need more pictures of these. I need pictures of javelina, coyotes and perhaps a good rattlesnake shot. If you have some good ones, I would love to borrow them. Jean Linzer gave me a fantastic picture of a bobcat sitting on her backyard wall. A few years ago there was a bear spotted in a palm tree in our town. I am looking for that picture.

And to the other churches in the area, I have a great collection of photos from Christ’s Church which Pastor Don Lawrence loaned me, quite a few from the Presbyterian Church, a handful from the Methodist Church but nothing except exterior shots from the other local churches. Please help me out.

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The Fountain Hills Artists Gallery is entering its second year. At the end of the current operating year (May 31) several artists dropped out, but they were quickly replaced by others. The gallery is a cooperative venture, a non-profit Arizona Corporation operated by its participating artists. The gallery takes no commission on sales, so prices tend to be quite a bit cheaper than in commercial galleries. You will find work of fine quality on display, oil and watercolor paintings, sculpture, jewelry, photography and various other media. One artist, Steve Failows, has a great exhibit of hand-made kaleidoscopes. It’s worth taking a look. The gallery is located on the north side of the Avenue of the Fountains just west of Saguaro Blvd. (My photos are on the left just as you enter the gallery.)

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Be sure to get tickets for the musical “Annie Warbucks,” the Community Theater’s summer production. The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through July 12. Thicket prices are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors or youths 17 and under. The show is a sequel to the hit “Annie,” and is directed by Peter J. Hill with music directed by Miciah Dodge.  The box office is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached by phone at 837-9661.

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The Fountain Hills Artists Gallery is hosting children’s art workshops every Wednesday this month. Dennis Weber will teach clay workshops July 8 and 22. Megan Junk will teach youngsters how to decorate these clay creations with acrylic paint July 15 and 29. The classes will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. and are open to ages 8 to 14. The cost is $40 per student, with supplies provided. Each session is limited to 3 or 4 students with registration on a first come, first serve basis. Call the gallery at (480) 836-9919, or come in person with your check made out to Fountain Hills Artists Gallery.

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Remember that “Jazz in the Hills” continues every Friday night throughout the summer. Different combinations of outstanding jazz artists appear each week at the Appian Way Restaurant which is located at the corner of Saguaro Boulevard and Amhurst. Doors open at 7:45 p.m. and music begins at 8:30. Come earlier to enjoy dinner, or have drinks and dessert while you listen to fine jazz. Call (480) 837-4882 for more information.

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The July exhibit in the Community Center is by local photographer Bill Levitt. Stop by and see his work. Even better, stop by and meet him at his reception Friday, July 10, from 5 to 7 p.m.

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When Jerry and I go to the Loveland sculpture show the first weekend in August, we will be driving instead of flying, as we usually do, so we can bring back the sculpture “Quackers” by Mike Dwyer. So we won’t have a chance to once again see the “Blue Mustang” sculpture at the Denver airport. The 9,000-pound fiberglass horse is 32 feet tall as he rears up on his hind feet.

There was an interesting article in the March 2 edition of The New York Times about this sculpture. It seems the horse, which was installed in February 2008 on the roadway approaching the terminal, has electric glow-in-the-dark red eyes. And it has frightened several people, who think it might be a curse because in 2006, during construction, a section of it fell on the artist Luis Jimenez and killed him. Others love the sculpture, and say that at least it is doing what art is supposed to do – getting attention. The piece inspired a Blue Mustang poetry slam last April, during National Poetry Month, when 250 horse haikus were read.

The sculpture was originally supposed to be placed in a pull-off area with benches where it could be viewed from all angles. But after 9/11, this parking area was shelved for security reasons, so the sculpture is isolated and unapproachable, and therefore often misunderstood. Quite frankly, when Jerry and I saw it last year, we thought it was great.

Another Denver artist, Lawrence Argent, is presently working on a commission for an installation at Sacramento International Airport in California. His work, also in fiberglass, is a 56-foot-long red rabbit and will appear to be leaping through the terminal into a giant suitcase.