We just completed another successful fiscal year on October 31st, no easy feat in times of economic recovery and social unrest. We don’t do it alone of course, many hands and hearts contribute to our success in enriching the cultural life of Arizona.

We are guided at Arizona Humanities by our mission.

Arizona Humanities builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.

What does this mean? When people come together to learn about our history, discuss the present, and ponder the future, they strengthen the foundation of our democracy. Civic engagement is essential to a democratic society, one where people participate in our leadership, elections and governance and justice systems.  The election season this year has been one of the most contentious in our history. We are not daunted by this. We are buoyed because our work is more important now than ever.

We know from what we have seen and heard that people in Arizona care. They care about their families, their communities, the nation and world.  From diverse places, rural and urban, they come to learn about water and sustainability, the history and the contributions of Native people, their history, languages, and spiritual beliefs. They learn about Latino culture through dance, art and spoken word poetry. They gather to watch films about veterans returning from war, and explore the lives and stories they have to share. They read and talk about books with authors, and listen to poems that paint the wonder of the world with words.

At Arizona Humanities we are committed to providing safe places to have conversations, learn and reflect upon the world we live in. We foster lively conversations, where people may agree or disagree, but still learn about the perspectives and experiences of others. This is what the humanities are all about, not just the you and me, but the “we” in We the People.

Brenda Thomson, Executive Director

Above photo: Arizona Humanities brought international storyteller, speaker, and philosopher Mark Gonzales to engage with students in Patagonia, Arizona. The poetry workshop and performance took place at the Tin Shed Theater on October 2, 2016.

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