Our River Stories: The Gila and the Salt with Zarco Guerrero

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument - Visitor Center Theater 1100 W Ruins Drive, Coolidge, AZ, United States

Join Zarco for a series of stories that share the vibrant and tragic history of water and the River People, over a 2,000 year period. Beginning with the Toltec trade route that brought agriculture and corn to the Southwest. The history of the O’Odham before and after the expansion west is revealed. We learn about […]

FREE

Landscapes of Extraction: The Art of Mining in the American West with Dr. Betsey Fahlman

Florence Community Library 778 N. Main St., Florence, AZ, United States

Mining is the transformative industry of the American West—one that competes in scale and in color with the scenic landscape on its own terms, with the industrial sublime dynamically coexisting with the natural one. These landscapes are located at the bedrock of economic development—the risky speculation from which huge fortunes could be made and lost—and […]

FREE

Why Arizona Dark Skies Matter with Dr. Matthew Goodwin

Burton Barr Central Library - Pulliam Auditorium 1221 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ, United States

Flagstaff, Arizona was the world’s first community designated an International Dark Sky Place for its active efforts reduce light pollution and protect the visibility of the night sky. There are now over 130 dark-sky communities, places, and parks globally. Arizona alone has 17 dark-sky places, which is more than any other country in the world. […]

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Energy in an Uncertain World with Dr. Jennifer Richter

Coolidge Public Library 160 W. Central Avenue, Coolidge, AZ, United States

With the advent of modern technology energy can be affordable, accessible, and sustainable for all Arizonans. However accessibility to sustainable energy is not just about technology, but also about the values and ideals that a society has about access to energy. What are the values that are driving energy production and distribution in today’s world? […]

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Set in Stone but Not in Meaning: Southwestern Rock Art with Allen Dart

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument - Visitor Center Theater 1100 W Ruins Drive, Coolidge, AZ, United States

Ancient American Indian petroglyphs (symbols carved or pecked on rocks) and pictographs (rock paintings) are claimed by some to be forms of writing for which meanings are known. But are such claims supported by archaeology or by Native Americans? Archaeologist Allen Dart illustrates how petroglyph and pictograph styles changed through time and over different parts […]

FREE

From “Chief” to Code Talker: Four Profiles of the Navajo Code Talkers with Dr. Laura Tohe

Buckeye Valley Museum 116 E Hwy 85, Buckeye, AZ, United States

During WWII a group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines without knowing that they would be called on to develop a secret code against the Japanese military. This select group of Code Talkers devised a Navajo language code that was accurate, quick, never broken, and saved many American lives. This talk profiles four […]

FREE

Representation Matters: LGBTQ+ Representation in Pop Culture & Politics: Q&A with David Boyles

Arizona Humanities 1242 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, United States

From music artists like Lil Nas X to TV dramas like Euphoria, the LGBTQ+ community, and their stories and experiences, are more visible now in popular culture than ever before. In many ways the rise in LGBTQ+ representation parallels the movement for LGBTQ+ representation in the 1970’s. What was happening to culture and politics during the […]

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Paper Sons and the Road to Citizenship, 1882-1965 with Dr. Li Yang

Casa Grande Public Library 449 N. Dry Lake St., Casa Grande, AZ, United States

  A “paper son” is a term used for young Chinese immigrants coming to the United States prior to 1943 who claimed to be a son of a citizen but were, in fact, sons on paper only. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed to curb Chinese immigration to the U.S. The passage of […]

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A Free Press: Cornerstone of Democracy with Gail Rhodes

AZ, United States

The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects press freedom. Freedom of the press is important because it plays a vital role in informing citizens about public affairs and monitoring the actions of government. But what happens when public trust in the media is eroded by sensationalism, foreign influences or bots, fake news, and business […]

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More than Pocahontas and Squaws: Indigenous Women Coming into Visibility with Dr. Laura Tohe

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument - Visitor Center Theater 1100 W Ruins Drive, Coolidge, AZ, United States

This visual presentation shows how Indigenous American women have contributed service to Arizona and the US, yet were stereotyped in films and remain invisible in the media. Nevertheless, they have been honored in all areas of public service—law, medicine, literature, military and activism with awards such as, the Presidential Freedom, the McArthur (genius award), the […]

FREE

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