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Seeking Nominations for Arizona Traditional Artists and Culture Bearers for our Annual Master-Apprentice Artist Award 

Bryce Antone, young O'odham man with a burden basket

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Denise Uyehara, Programs Manager in Artist Services duyehara@arizona.edu (520) 230-2807  April 16, 2026   Annual Award for Traditional Artists and Culture Bearers in Arizona Seeks Nominations    Tucson, AZ – The Southwest Folklife Alliance (SFA), an affiliate of the University of Arizona’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the organizer of the Tucson … Read more

Honoring Chinese and Mexican Histories at Grand Opening ofNew Center for Cultural Organizing on Tucson’s South Side 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 30, 2026 Contact:  Nelda Ruíz, Programs Manager in Cultural Organizing (520) 621-4046 nruiz33@arizona.edu Honoring Chinese and Mexican Histories at Grand Opening ofNew Center for Cultural Organizing on Tucson’s South Side  Tucson, AZ—The Southwest Folklife Alliance in partnership with grassroots organizers from Regéneracion invites the public to the grand opening celebration of a … Read more

Southwest Folklife Alliance and Artists At Work Celebrate Working Artists and Resilience in Community Gathering 

The four Artists at Work artists shown in a grid.

MEDIA ALERT MEDIA CONTACT: Denise Uyehara, duyehara@arizona.edu, (520) 621-4046 March 26, 2026 Southwest Folklife Alliance and Artists At Work Celebrate Working Artists and Resilience in Community Gathering WHAT:  The Southwest Folklife Alliance (SFA) and Artists At Work (AAW) bring together Southern Arizona artists for a day of creativity and community. The event celebrates the role of … Read more

The Smithsonian Institution augments Tucson Meet Yourself to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary

Tucson, Arizona—Tucson Meet Yourself (TMY), the beloved festival showcasing the expressive cultures of Southern Arizona every year in downtown Tucson, has been selected as one of approximately 40 festivals nationwide to collaborate with the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as part of Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals.  TMY will … Read more

Braiding Folklife in Kazakhstan and the American Southwest

Big Jim, the founder of Tucson Meet Yourself, speaking on a stage at TMY to a crowd of people in 1974.

The Smithsonian Folklife Magazine recently featured the Southwest Folklife Alliance in an article by SFA Disability Cultures Folklorist, Alisha Vasquez. This article is part of the Kazakhstan Artisan Initiative, a community-based cultural sustainability initiative in the country of Kazakhstan developed through a partnership between the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the Union of Artisans of Kazakhstan. … Read more