The US Air Force has announced plans to escalate training over the most biodiverse region of the continental United States, where military air maneuvers especially harm conservation areas and Tribal Lands.
The Peaceful Sky Benefit is sharing awareness of these proposals 2/19 – 2/22, in solidarity for peaceful skies and equitable stewardship of the region, featuring local and touring musicians at different Tucson venues.
Melinda Matson Spina, Peaceful Sky benefit volunteer, reached out last November. She’d seen my work at the Tucson Museum of Art, and featured the exhibition several times in the collectable CITA community calendar she prints at Spina/Novoa studio, each month. Melinda runs the studio, along with her spouse, Mariano Novoa.
Melinda wondered if I might be interested in joining their efforts, perhaps collaborating in some way. She could not have known at the time, I was in collaboration with two Phoenix artists, creating a temporary installation titled Unintended Consequences, for Center Space, inside the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts. In general, we were exploring man’s affects on the Arizona landscape. The information she shared fit right into our area of interest, especially details concerning the US Air-Force announcing “proposals to severely escalate training over the most biodiverse region of the continental United States.”
After talking with Melinda and Mariano a few more times, we decided to use one of my jaguar studies and create a Risograph print. The large cat is only one of the animals threatened by some of these proposals. → Impact Alert
The Peaceful Sky Benefit is coordinated by 100% volunteers. It is a grass roots community-led event, funded by community contributions. It is bringing together poets, musicians and artists and is planned for February 19-22 in Tucson, AZ. You are invited to come out.
More info → Peaceful Sky Benefit
Exclusive prints of art and photography by Ahchipaptunhe, Julius Schlosburg or myself, will be available for concert-goers who use their phones to donate $20 or more directly to these selected ↓ organizations defending threatened regional lands.
Chiricahua Regional Council
Center for Biological Diversity
Chiricahua Mountains, AZ
Julius Schosburg Photography ↑ Chiricahua Mountains, AZ, print size: 10×13″
Stone People
Ahchipaptunhe “Stone People”, 2020, Print size: 13.25 x 10
Jaguar – Panthera onca
Monica Aissa Martinez Jaguar – Panthera onca, 2017, Print size: 10.15 x 10.31
Thank you Melinda and Mariano, for the work you do and for inviting me to play a part in this event. And thank you to all the volunteers and to all the folks who regularly look out for the people, the animals and the land.
On a side note: Within days of learning about the Peaceful Sky benefit, I painted a small military airplane into our installation. When I share a photo of the completed detail with Melinda, I appreciate her response. Thank you for creating this conversation starter, she writes. She understands fully, the value of its presence in our composition.
The airplane appears one more time in our installation, along with jaguar paw prints. I won’t share a pic here though I hope you look for them should you see the work in Scottsdale.
Unintended Consequences opened this weekend → more info
Continue reading → GoFundMe
More information:
Arizona Daily Star → opinion piece written by Melina Matson Spina
New Air Force Proposals → https://www.arizonaregionalairspaceeis.com
Public Awareness and Response→ https://peacefulchiricahuaskies.com
Spina Novoa Studio donated design and printing for the event.
Monica Aissa Martinez 