What Music Tells Us About the Brain

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

Many neuroscientists study music to elucidate mysteries of the brain. Why is music such a rich resource?  Not only can scientists physically track the process of learning music as different areas of the brain light up, they can trace music’s powerful effect on our emotions, muscles and memory.  The benefits of music span well beyond […]

Free

Instruments and Music of Arizona’s Pioneers

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

The story of our state is not complete without music. This program will focus on the various genres of music that reflected the milieu and personalities of our various immigrants.  Using musical instruments and stories, audience members will be presented an artistic tableau of our past: heroes, villains, and the immigrants who passed through and […]

Free

Written in Thread: Arizona Women’s History preserved in their Quilts

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

Written in Thread: Arizona Women’s History preserved in their Quilts traces the history of Arizona through women who recorded pieces of their lives in their needlework.  The colorful patterns of women’s quilts added a spot of brightness to their homes and their lives. They also celebrated and recorded special events with their quilts. Beginning with […]

Free

World War I in the Middle East: Roots of Contemporary Conflict

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

Although World War I occurred a century ago, its effects are still evident in the Middle East today. The war left memories of suffering and brought about new political realities. The Ottoman Empire ended, and new states were created, yet the peace settlements left many Middle Eastern people dissatisfied. The post-war treaties left millions of […]

Free

Rising from Invisibility: Indigenous Arizona Women in Charge of Themselves

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

In many Southwestern matrifocal cultures, Indigenous women’s lives are modeled after female heroes and sacred women who exemplify and express courage and kinship values. Among some tribal cultures, rites of passage celebrate female creativity and the transformative nature of women, hence there was not a need for the concept of feminism. Nevertheless, Indigenous women’s lives […]

Free

“Protecting a Way of Life” Kinship Responsibilities – Arivaca

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

Royce Manuel (Akimel O’odham) best describes his work through the “Tools of Yesterday” using plant fiber, primitive bows & arrows, knapping stone, and making agave plant cordage. As a tribal and cultural educator and member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Royce and Debbie specializes in the revival and teaching of artistic traditions while […]

Free

Empire to Las Cienegas NCA: Ranching and Historic Landscape Change – Arivaca

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

The Empire Ranch, built by Walter Vail and family, was one of the most financially successful and long-lived cattle enterprises in Arizona. For over 140 years, the owners of the Empire wisely managed its natural resources – soils, waters, and vegetation in the Cienega Valley. Today those grasslands are some of the richest and most […]

Free

Cowpokes, Crooks, and Cactus: Arizona in the Movies (Arivaca)

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

Tyrone Power, Andy Devine,  Katy Jurado, Steve McQueen and, of course, John Wayne. From the earliest days of film, Arizona has been a setting and subject for hundreds of films. Some, like Junior Bonner and Red River, are considered classics, others, such as Billy Jack and Evolution, surely less so. Some may even be classics […]

Free

Hopi Quilting Traditions (Arivaca)

Arivaca Old School House 17080 W. 4th St, Arivaca, AZ, United States

For centuries, Hopi men grew cotton and wove the fibers into blankets and clothing. In the 1880s, with the arrival of Anglo missionaries and government officials, quilting was introduced to the Hopi people and it quickly became integrated into Hopi culture and ceremony with quilts being used in every Hopi household. Hopis today are 4th […]

Free

Rivers of Dreams: Songs and Stories of Arizona’s Waterways with Jay Craváth

Caviglia-Arivaca Library 17050 W. Arivaca Rd., Arivaca, AZ, United States

The Colorado, the Gila, the Salt, the Verde, the Hassayampa, the Santa Cruz: Arizona’s rivers were lush green ribbons of life flowing through a desert landscape. They became sustaining paths for indigenous traders and immigrants leaving wagon tracks and settlements. The Hohokam built vast canals from the Salt to direct irrigation water for crops. European […]

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