The editor in chief of The Blue Guitar Magazine, Rebecca Dyer, was nominated for the Governor’s Arts Award in 2012. The inaugural issue of Unstrung magazine was launched in the summer of 2012. Unstrung magazine is solely dedicated to poetry.
Another popular programming is the Consortium’s annual Blue Guitar Festival of the Arts. The Festival features our local musicians, dancers, singers, cultural presentations, and readers from The Blue Guitar Magazine. The audience is treated to a varied program that runs the gamut from theatre and dance to music of all genres and spoken and written word presentations.
In addition to promoting a wide range of programs in the visual, literary and performing arts, The Arizona Consortium for the Arts maintains a varied and growing portfolio of programs, projects and services for artists, audiences, and collaborating organizations.
Since 2007, the Consortium has supported visionary, adventurous and thought-provoking artists spanning all disciplines. During our Annual Blue Guitar Festival of the Arts and our Annual Fall Festival of the Arts, the public celebrates our artists through presentations, exhibitions, readings and performances. Some of the performances feature local arts and cultural groups that partner and collaborate with our Consortium. We have also partnered with area educational institutions and businesses for our events and festivals, such as: Arizona State University, Mesa Community College, the Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park, Artisan Markets, Dog-Eared Pages Books, Desert Ridge Marketplace, the Phoenix Public Libraries and many others.
Our capstone achievement came when we were recognized and received a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and when Rebecca Dyer was nominated for the Governor’s Arts Award in 2012. We also received grants from the City of Tempe and the Arizona Lottery.
Our No. 1 priority is always to support and give voices and visibility to Arizona artists in all disciplines and genres, organizations and audiences, through continuous events and festivals free to toty, while utilizing our magazines, websites, newsletters and social media sites.