11th Annual Viola Awards

Saturday, March 2, 2019, The Flagstaff Arts Council announced the winners of the 2019 Viola Awards. The Viola Awards celebrate excellence in the arts and sciences in Flagstaff.

Like The Oscars…

…but for the arts in Flagstaff, and better and glitzier! A total of nine awards were announced at the Gala event, with the addition of two Legacy recipients honored. SD Nelson and the late Mac Groves were both recognized for their Lifetime Contributions to the Arts and or Sciences.

To celebrate the eleventh annual Viola Awards, the Arts Council worked with local artists to create a very special evening. Dawn Tucker directed a one of a kind opening performance that featured almost a dozen finalists across multiple categories. David Strackany 2019 winner for Excellence in Music performed his original material live from stage during two intermissions. Visual artist Sonja London-Hall created unique tier glass awards.

We are excited to reveal the winners from this year’s award ceremony.

See Winners

Legacy Award Recipients

This year we have two Viola Legacy Award recipients. The Legacy Award recognizes lifetime achievement and impact in the arts in Flagstaff.

Mac Groves

Mac Groves passed away on January 9, 2018 after a 40-year career as a beloved and respected educator and director. Mac had three of his plays produced in Flagstaff with one, The Mother Road, touring for two years in partnership with the National Park Service.

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SD Nelson

SD Nelson is the author and illustrator of numerous children’s books including, Black Elk’s Vision, Gift Horse, The Star People, Buffalo Bird Girl and Greet the Dawn. He taught art at Mount Elden Middle School in Flagstaff for 27 years (1976-2003). SD’s paintings offer a contemporary interpretation of traditional Lakota images.

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11th Annual Viola Awards Winners

Community Impact Organization

Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra: Link Up

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Community Impact Organization” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628434929{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]“The Carnegie Link Up program is, I think, the most important thing we do all year. This is a program that combines the schools and the orchestra so that the kids come to a concert and they perform with us. It is such a thrilling thing to be a part of.” FSO Music Director Charles Latshaw’s words capture the audience impact of the Link Up program. Those audiences begin with 3600 students from Flagstaff and regional schools, “I was excited to play my recorder on stage this year with the orchestra. I liked the way all the instruments came together to make really nice music,” says Madisyn. Tobias adds, “My favorite parts were playing ‘The Blue Danube’ and dancing together to ‘Cidade’ at the end. I want to come back next year.” These animated responses create a wider ripple, impacting audiences who experience the excitement and joy of the children.

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Community Impact Individual

Bonnie Dumdei

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Community Impact Individual” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628445501{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]Bonnie Dumdei is the co-owner of the Flagstaff School of Music, along with Terry Alan. Bonnie has a passion for education, and a love for music & community. With the school of music, Bonnie and Terry aim to teach music in a fun, family-like atmosphere. Bonnie is involved with a number of community programs in relationship to the Flagstaff School of Music and beyond.

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Emerging Artist

Carli Giese

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Emerging Artist” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628819837{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]Carli Giese is a ceramic artist currently working on her post-baccalaureate certificate from NAU. She was born in Tempe, Arizona, where she also received her BFA in Ceramics from Arizona State University, class of 2016. In the fall of 2015, during her undergraduate career, Carli studied a semester abroad in Jingdezhen, China. There she studied at The Pottery Workshop, an international ceramics center in what’s also known as the “Porcelain Capital of the world.” She was the first student from ASU to be a part of this program and put together a Kickstarter campaign that was backed by 84 supporters and raised $4,500 to assist with the cost.

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Excellence in Arts Education

Kathy Marron

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Excellence in Arts Education” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628812792{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]Kathy Marron teaches art to all grades at Thomas Elementary. Her inspiration and energy is reflected in the work of her students. Marron began a school-wide mural and self portrait project at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. She had each grade create self portraits in assigned colors and then hung them separated by each grade. They now hang on the hallways of Thomas elementary portraying a rainbow of the faces of all students. This project was an important lesson on collaboration through art and a lesson in unity.

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Excellence in Science Education

Rich Krueger

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Excellence in Science Education” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628864137{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]Rich Krueger has been teaching at the Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy (FALA) since 2011. He teaches a wide range of subjects including, Sixth Grade Liberal Studies, Physics, Geology, Meteorology, Engineering, Astronomy, Outdoor Explorations, and oversees two award-winning Robotics teams. Rich received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his Masters of Arts in Science Teaching from NAU. Before coming to FALA, he worked as a math and science teacher in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

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Excellence in Performing Arts

NAU Lyric Theater: The Magic Flute

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Excellence in Performing Arts” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628872183{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]Mozart’s enchanting opera, The Magic Flute, was performed by Northern Arizona University’s Lyric Theater in April 2018 at Ardrey Memorial Auditorium. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) is a story about a prince charged with rescuing the daughter of the Queen of the Night. It features a quest for wisdom and enlightenment in order to bring back light to a world banished in darkness.

The production mixed the original German music with English dialogue, creating an experience that adheres to the style and tradition of the original German opera, without sacrificing the accessibility of the English text. A title screen above the stage translated the German into English.

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Excellence in Music

David Strackany – Paleo: Music Diary Part 2

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Excellence in Music” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628905145{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]David Strackany, known by some as Paleo, is a songwriter, producer, and audio engineer. Strackany made Flagstaff his home in 2015 and has made quite an impact on the community since then. Upon arrival, Strackany worked as one of the primary audio engineers at Firecreek Coffee Co, and since booked and did sound at nearly every venue in downtown, and recorded many of Flagstaff’s best musicians, first at his studio in the Hive, and more recently as co-founder of MOCAF Studios.

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Excellence in Storytelling

Jesse Sensibar: Blood in the Asphalt: Prayers from the Highway

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Excellence in Storytelling” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628891159{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]Working as a tow truck driver shaped Jesse Sensibar’s life in dramatic ways and is the inspiration for his new book Blood in the Asphalt: Prayers from the Highway. Driving on the lonely highways of the American Southwest, he’d tow many wrecked vehicles from the highways. Often at the locations of the accidents, Sensibar would later see makeshift shrines created by loved ones of those affected by the tragic accidents, demonstrating a continued connection to the people lost. In this book, Jesse recounts 10 stories of fatal car accidents and the aftermath that follows. He explores reinvention and resurrection through his photographs and his linked collection of short stories, mourning and celebrating loss, gratefulness, and forgiveness. Blood in the Asphalt: Prayers from the Highway is published by Tolsun Books.

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Excellence in Visual Arts

Julie Comnick: Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra

[ultimate_modal modal_title=”Excellence in Visual Arts” btn_bg_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_hover_color=”#212322″ modal_on_align=”left” btn_text=”Read More” modal_size=”medium” modal_style=”overlay-fade” overlay_bg_color=”rgba(240,233,222,0.9)” overlay_bg_opacity=”” content_bg_color=”#ffffff” header_bg_color=”#212322″ modal_border_style=”solid” modal_border_width=”3″ modal_border_color=”#212322″ modal_border_radius=”0″ init_extra_class=”violamodalbutton” img_size=”40″ close_icon_position=”popup-top-right” header_text_color=”#ffffff” content_text_color=”#212322″ btn_txt_color=”#212322″ header_font_size=”desktop:22px;” content_font_size=”desktop:17px;” button_text_font_size=”desktop:17px;” css_modal_box=”.vc_custom_1623628899429{margin-top: 20px !important;}”]Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra is a painting and video project which explores the gradual dissolution of culture in contemporary society through the symbolic ruin of a personal and cultural icon,the violin. Using the violin as a metaphor, Flagstaff artist Julie Comnick raises questions about the relationship between advancing technology and diminishing cultural heritage. Comnick invites the audience to consider what makes the instrument precious in his or her own experience, and the impact of its loss.

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