InMaricopa MagazinePublished on Creative minds convene for Maricopa's annual art talks, starting next month.
This article was written by Kylie Warner, a reporter for InMaricopa Magazine and published on December 15th, 2024.
The Maricopa ARTS Council is partnering with the Maricopa Library and Cultural Center to host a free 2025 lecture series called Inside the Creative Mind.
The series will feature five lecturers who are described as skilled, top-notch professionals who will explore creative evolution. The lectures will take place January through March in the library’s Redwood Room.
The speakers will offer attendees personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes insight into how they transform ideas into works of physical art.
This is the 13th time that the Maricopa ARTS Council is hosting this wintertime lecture series.
The series kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 23 with Author Kay Fisher. The five-time author has an extensive background in science. He has taught and programed computers for more than 40 years and was part of the team that developed one of the fastest computers in the world. In addition, Fisher is an award-winning photographer and aviation enthusiast whose model airplanes have been featured in Scale Rc Modeler magazine.
After that comes abstract artist Janna Blackburn Feb. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. Blackburn, whom the council refers to as an “abstract master,” has works exhibited throughout the Southwest that have won many prizes including MAC’s 2024 Abstract Art Contest. She is also a Harley-Davidson rider and gardener. Blackburn said she is a firm believer that art can be a mirror to society and that she tries to weave narratives filled with emotion, strength and resilience.
Author Tom Schilling will host his lecture from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20. Schilling’s stories cover all things unusual, edgy and weird. He has written 20 novels, three novellas and 67 short stories over the past 11 years. The self-described “neurodivergent competitive writer” has been a finalist in two novel competitions and had works appear in seven literary journals.
Author Laura Olivieri enters the scene from 2 to 4 p.m. March 8. She has published a book titled Where Are You: A Child’s Book About Loss. Besides being a musician and author, Olivieri is also a prize-winning slam poet, videographer and agricultural specialist. She is well-known locally as the director of Maricopa Music Circle chamber orchestra and a key member of the city’s Arts Advisory Committee. Olivieri has been on the cover of an issue of InMaricopa magazine.
The final speaker will be Navajo weaver Tiffany Yazzie from 2 to 4 p.m. March 22. Yazzie comes from a family of weavers and says that her art is “an endeavor to preserve family tradition and a connection to those who have taught me.” Her works are inspired by vivid color combinations where she uses traditional as well as her own contemporary designs. Yazzie’s textiles can take anywhere from 10 to 200 hours to weave, and she typically does not sketch the design before beginning to weave. Yazzie was also one of MAC’s 2024 Abstract Art Contest winners.
Attendees will have the chance to ask lecturers questions following each of their presentations.
