Lauren - Hello, and welcome to our very first episode of State of the Artz.

I'm Lauren Roth.

We're excited to celebrate and explore Southern Arizona's unique and vibrant arts and culture with you.

In this episode, we will meet with visual artists, musicians, and sample tasty bites prepared by chefs who sprinkle their love and knowledge of Tucson's culinary heritage in their food.

We're joining you here in Tucson's historic Fourth Avenue.

Nearby, I often find myself at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, where I'm concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.

I'm also an assistant professor of practice at the University of Arizona, where I teach violin.

I grew up right in the middle of Seattle, Washington.

I played tons of sports year-round, did lots of music, tap dance, but my love of violin started early, and I had my first lesson on my third birthday.

I later studied violin at the University of Washington and also at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

That launched my career here to Tucson.

I spend my time on stage performing with the orchestra and playing recital, and you can find me hiking in Sabino Canyon at times, in front of the TV watching sports on Sundays, and possibly at a Sonoran hot dog food truck.

I think the arts and culture seen in Tucson is really unique because I find it so varied and appealing to all sorts of tastes.

There is just so much variety and a little bit of quirkiness, which I always think keeps the city and people down to earth and honest.

With a region as large and diverse as Southern Arizona, defining arts and culture can be difficult.

You can ask anybody how they feel about the subject, and everyone has a different answer.

Oh, I think Tucson's very cultural.

A lot of great concerts.

It's a wide variety of different types of events, Broadway musicals.

Art and culture makes me think of the Museum of Art.

And I love the culture of Tucson because it's telling us about what the community is about our heritage.

All the murals around town, I love all the murals that we have.

All of the historic buildings we have here.

Typically influence from like Mexico or South America.

I think of like the Mexican cuisine.

A Tucson's music scene, so it has an incredible mix, very eclectic.

Culinary arts, I just love so much here too.

There's a lot of circus arts in Tucson, there's a lot of dance in Tucson.

It needs people to go out to it.

As my stepmother used to say, "If you ignore your teeth, they'll go away."

If you ignore them with the arts, they will disappear.

Lauren - Southern Arizona has a unique visual style, but defining it can be challenging.

Next, we'll introduce you to four unique artists based here.

Not only do they enhance our community, but they are also dedicated to passing on their cultural and artistic heritage with future generations.

They believe if you do not have your culture, you have nothing.

Jessica - There's always a phase of mural painting where it's just like the most hideous, ugly, awful thing you've ever seen in your life.

I just don't think it's ever going to get better.

You want that satisfaction of like seeing it completed, and there's just a whole lot of stuff that comes in between.

Dakin - Art for Jessica is a walking, talking, breathing event.

To the way she dresses, to what she does for a living, to the moment before she goes to bed, there is art just constantly flowing.

Jessica - I really didn't start painting much until I went to the U of A. I got a BFA in 2D art with a focus in painting.

I always sort of thought that art would be my side gig.

In 2016, for the City of Tucson mural arts program, they put out a call to artists on the news.

I ended up getting selected.

The best way to learn something is to just throw yourself into it, so that's pretty much exactly what happened.

Once I kind of got out there and people sort of recognized my work, it was kind of this grounding thing for me that this is a community that I love and I've been here a long time, and now I'm establishing myself as a creative.

The goal of it is to be very uplifting, something that the community can take something positive away from.

Carmen - I see materials and it immediately pops in my mind.

Maribel - When we first encountered Carmen, we were pretty taken back by what a treasure she was, here in our midst in Tucson.

She adds so many dimensions of texture and depth to what we thought we knew about the Folklorico dance movement.

Carmen - I'm crazy about Folklorico because it's always moving, always colors.

In 1974, I started teaching Folklorico to children from one year old and up.

You're much better!

Tie your shoes!

Tie your shoes!

In your place.

Okay, come on over here.

Lyla - She's strict, but in a good way.

Carmen - Stay there.

In one, in two, turning your place.

Lyla - It makes everybody pay attention more.

Carmen - Up!

Bend your knees!

Bend your knees!

Lyla - She's made so many dresses.

It's great that she can make them, but it's just like amazing how she can make them.

Maribel - She is knowledgeable about the tradition, where it comes from, the roots, the authentic versions of this type of form in its original context.

But she's also an artist who adds a touch of flair.

People get recognition in galleries, in big performances, in shows.

Very few of the people behind the scenes.

Who are the holders of knowledge and who are so devoted to the specific practices of keeping something alive.

Carlos - When you begin, it's daunting, right?

Because you've got to put all these little pieces, you know, one by one with a pair of tweezers.

But once you get into it, it just kind of takes on its own rhythm.

These patterns start forming, it shows you what it wants you to do.

My name is Carlos Valenzuela.

I've been designing, painting, fabricating murals out of glass and tile since I was about 17 years old.

I never went to art school.

My artistic training came through apprenticing with a community artist.

Racheal - I think Carlos is one of, if not the most prolific artists in town, as far as making public pieces of art.

Carlos - There's a vast amount of mosaic murals in South Tucson.

It stems from the Las Artes program, which was a county program that was started in the early 90s.

It was a GED program.

All these murals were created through community effort.

They were created by young people that were, a lot of times, in very difficult situations.

Maribel - Carlos is very special because he embodies the spirit of community generosity.

Racheal - Almost like a Shakespearean sort of like tortured thing happening, you know?

Like it's a different kind of experience, and I think that that ties so much into him as a person and his upbringing and his culture.

Lisa - Puppetry as an art form grew out of religious ritual and folklore.

It has 4,000 year history that we even know of, and I feel part of that historic ancient tradition.

I'm Lisa Sturz with Red Herring Puppets.

I really became interested in puppetry at an early age.

It's important to me as a puppeteer to teach the next generation.

Maria - The tree, I think, went up a lot smoother this time too, so which is really good.

These are, who was this guy?

Caleb - Kyle.

Maria - Kyle.

Caleb - And Deedle Dum.

Maria - Deedle Dum.

Lisa - I've done hundreds of residencies in schools, working with curriculum, working with arts and education.

I formed a partnership with the Scoundrel and Scamp Theater in the historic Y downtown.

Brian Falcon welcomed me.

It's a marriage made in heaven.

Maria - I love that you could really make them do anything.

Caleb - You could make them do anything.

Maria - Yeah, it's like you could be silly with them, you could be serious, you could be, it's like you could take on a whole different personality with them.

Caleb - Puppeteering has so much you could do with it.

Maria - Yes.

Lisa - Puppets kind of inhabit that inner world between God and man.

They're not real, but they're animate, and I love exploring that kind of in-between state.

Rowby - It's been really fun for me, visiting planet Earth because I get to see so many different cultures and people from all kinds of places.

And you know what I learned?

That all people have a really nice heart.

There's love everywhere on this planet.

Lauren - What is the common thread between Las Azaleas, a women-led mariachi band, Neon Prophet, a desert reggae band, and Kyklo, the duo that plays tunes from the Aegean region?

These musicians from all different walks of life share in southern Arizona's musical pulse, their virtuosity allures crowds to dance.

One, two, and... (Music) (singing in Spanish) Diana - The reason this ended up turning into a group that is all female and that performs the works of women is because it was an accident.

I just wanted to experiment, and I wanted to just play music.

And it turned out I kept calling these really talented musicians, and they all happened to be women.

(singing in Spanish) Suzy - I love this group, and just to have five super talented, wonderful ladies.

We mesh well we get along so well, we understand each other.

(singing in Spanish) Andrea - The main reason why I joined Las Azaleas was to get a new experience that wasn't just mariachi, and I think that Diana tries really hard to incorporate all types of female artists, whether it be a pop artist, we've done a couple pop songs.

Diana - Mariachi music started as a completely male-dominated genre, and all of the lyrics and the songs are from the viewpoint of a man.

We make sure that the music we perform was either composed or popularized by a woman, and so I wouldn't want to just just say we are a traditional group, just because I do value and appreciate the rich history of mariachi music.

(singing in Spanish) (applause) (music) (singing) Paul - A good friend I grew up with is a poet.

I said, "How did you choose to be a poet?"

He just said, "I can't not do it."

And I feel exactly the same way about music.

I just can't not do it.

One of the most amazing things about being a human being is having music.

I come from a very sort of normal American, if that's possible, sort of WASP background, and so I learned piano and flute and all of those things.

Anton - I'm from Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is an interesting country.

It was communism for many years.

My dad was a musician, and he played weddings.

So being a musician was a little bit getting away from the communist regimes and getting his own ways.

And coming here to the States, my dream is to really meet somebody, play music, and I'm really glad that I met Paul.

Starr - I love it because it kind of transports you.

I go to support my friend Paul, who plays in the bands, and I've been watching them play for a few years.

I love that about Tucson.

You can experience different cultures here.

Ryan - Kyklo is unique.

You know, it celebrates diversity in a very real way.

And for me, I find that inspiring because I love to discover the world, and Kyklo's kind of a window into another place.

(Turkish music) (Cars passing) Scott - This Saturday night show is like this is, for the last 37 years, this is Tucson's reggae scene, and it's amazing to be part of it.

Jamie - You know, an interesting thing about reggae in Tucson is the Native American people got into it, really, before it was in the city.

Yeah, we play desert reggae.

David - We play our own brand of, you know, our own style.

Jamie is a hell of a singer and bass player.

(singing) Cathy - There's been a lot of different players except for David, who's really Neon Prophet and he's got a great voice.

(singing) Paul - David Dean, that voice of his should be heard like all over.

I mean, that voice is like unbelievable.

It's like no other voice.

(singing) Harvey - I began to understand, you know, their kind of foundational principle of one love, unconditional love.

It really resonated with me, and it's been fantastic.

Paul - They're on a long ride.

I just joined in on the ride, like, so like, I'm happy about that.

I'm happy, like, I got a chance to experience it, and I'm still experiencing it.

Tony - Yeah, yeah, it's been a blast, I'm just, well, how can it not be, right?

You get to play on stage, you get to drink, you get to smoke, all right!

You can edit that out.

It could be the cigarette.

Jamie - As long as people are coming, we're loving it.

David - You know, we're having fun, and it's more like, not really serious, it's like a jam, man.

It's like, you come here, we have our friends, a lot of great musicians that are out there.

Scott - There isn't anything else like this.

If there's a connection with the community, with each other, it's really different, it's special.

David - How you feeling, Tucson?

All right, ow!

Thank you so very much.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Lauren - In 2015, Tucson was the first place in the U.S. to be named a World City of Gastronomy by UNESCO.

It may have come as a surprise to some, but those of us who live here know the food is special.

Next, we'll introduce you to chefs Wendy Garcia of Tumerico, who is known for her heavenly vegan food, Feng-Feng Yeh, who is the brainchild of historic Chinese Chorizo Festival, and John Martinez, the chef of Tito and Pep, who is known for his family meals cooked over wood.

All of them honor the regional traditions that UNESCO recognized in Tucson and are adding their own unique style.

John - What I really wanted to do was open a restaurant that I felt was like a Tucson restaurant in Tucson.

(Music) My name is John Martinez.

We're right here at Midtown Tucson, Tito and Pep restaurant.

When you go back to thinking about all the cultures that have inhabited the Tucson valley over the last couple millennia, there is one constant thread that ties into the food, and that's cooking over wood.

I was looking for the right place.

I knew I wanted to have the focus of the restaurant be a mesquite-fired grill or a mesquite-fired hearth.

We really wanted to kind of tie the decor within the space to the neighborhoods where we're located.

Ideally, we want to serve the people that live closest to us.

We want them to be our regulars.

Coming in here kind of feels like you're in your own neighborhood.

Pretty much like any borderland wherever you go, right?

You know, it's culturally brackish, so to say.

You know, you have this, like, constant influx and mixing of people from either side of the border.

The flavors that kind of resonate here that are different than others is, you know, we really do embrace that full-flavored cuisine that you get coming out of Mexico.

Some good pickled onions, some toasted pumpkin seeds, ties back to the squash that we're using.

And again, add some great texture.

Then we're going to dress the whole salad with some fresh lime, and then we finish with a little bit of queso fresco.

So this is our roasted fall squash salad with tomatillo vinaigrette, queso fresco, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

(music) Feng-Feng - My name is Feng-Feng Yeh and it's fun fun like you're having fun twice.

(music) And I am the creator and brainchild of the Tucson Chinese Chorizo Festival.

(music) It's really laborious to create the chorizo.

(music) Ben - You know, bringing out all the best in every single ingredient, and then you bring it all together, making sure the grind is right, making sure the fat ratio is right.

And you're just like, wow, this is why it's so worth it to go through all these steps.

(music) Feng-Feng - The Chinese chorizo is an actual historic sausage that was made here in Tucson, so it's specific to this city, and it was developed in Chinese grocery stores that were all located here on Tucson's south side, and in the barrios.

It was a really important place where they spoke Spanish, they spoke Indigenous languages, and they really catered to their community.

I was surprised to hear that most Tucsonans don't know about this story.

I think it's just like a good symbol because they used end cuts, like meat that was gonna go to spoil, things that were gonna be destined for the trash, and they transformed it into a product that was in high demand.

(music) Ben - You know, Feng-Feng was just like, hey, I heard about you, I know what you do, I think you're the perfect guy to help us out, will you please help?

And I was like, absolutely.

Yeah.

Feng-Feng - We're producing everything here at Forbes Meat Company with sustainable and ethical meats, and bringing modernity to this recipe was also offering the vegan plant-based version.

At the end here, I think we're gonna be a little under 600 pounds of chorizo because there's 20 different restaurants participating in this festival, and we are giving each restaurant, you know, 15 pounds of the pork and 15 pounds of the mushroom.

Everyone seems to be really just so excited for this, and the really cool part of this project is that it interjects something new and fun for chefs and restaurants and for their customers to experience.

When you're a person of color or a person of mixed race in America, it's really hard to kind of like place your identity, and today there's only like about 3% of the population is Asian, and growing up, I was like one of the few, and so I kind of thought about that time all through school that I felt really like, you know, alone and alienated, and I was thinking like, what would I want at that age?

And I was like, okay, what if I do something for the like little Feng-Feng's that are out there and that want to see their identity reflected in the culture?

Why not like renovate our narrative too, and like let's bring back this story, because this story actually helps Tucson to get where it is today, economically and culturally.

Ben - It's about what the mission of this project is, and that's I think what's cool with our community.

It wasn't about each individual, it was about what we can do for one another.

Feng-Feng - I felt really touched because a lot of people, you know, came up to me, you know, and said, oh, I'm Mexican and Chinese, I'm a product of this, and like thank you for seeing me.

It's just really nice to kind of like tick off my mission and say like, okay, yeah, these people are being seen, like that's all that we're looking for, I think is some sort of validation.

[music] Wendy - We are in Tucson, Arizona, at Tumerico.

We make experiments, food experiments here, with a lot of spices and fresh ingredients.

I know a lot of people, they don't handle spicy very well, but they need it, so I throw a little bit in there.

Cooking, it's a part of me, it's been on my family for generations.

My dad was a big eater, he loved food, and my grandma loved food.

I grew up eating like meat, like really good quality meat back in the day, so one of the reasons that I became vegan, because I moved here when I was 17, and I started getting fat and very unhealthy, and I just didn't like it.

So at one point I realized that it was the food, it was like all these fried food.

I mean it tastes delicious, but it's not good for you.

I don't see vegan food as different from any other food.

I grew up with this food, like the flavors, the spices, the way the food is cooked, like it's fresh.

[music] Rudy - I feel overwhelmed with like just a lot of compassion for her, because I think she's a really, really amazing human being.

[music] Daniel - She works harder than anyone I've really ever known, so I mean she really started this from the ground up, truly.

She's a very admirable person with her intensity.

Rudy - It's just, it makes me feel overwhelmed to know her.

[speaking Spanish] Wendy - I get up in the morning, I come to the kitchen, I'm really excited to get here.

It just feels good when I put a plate of food on a table for somebody, and they feel good about it, and then I see them like getting the food, and she's like, "Oh yeah, this makes me feel good, this feels good."

So it's more than just making, just a plate of food.

I don't see it just like that.

I see it more like something bigger than me, and it sounds crazy, but that's how I feel it.

[music] Lauren - Thank you for joining us here on State of the Artz.

We're so excited to continue to explore the local arts and culture of Southern Arizona with you.

I'm Lauren Roth, and we'll see you again next time.

Aloha.