On Friday May 15 and Saturday May 16, participate in a "hackathon-style" program that will bring the community together to write, act, direct, and perform a series of plays that explore ethical dilemmas. Examining the idea of "What Would You Do?" groups will produce a 10 minute play to share their work. Through discussions, play productions, and intergenerational discussions on ethics and literature, participants in this project will have the opportunity to explore ethical dilemmas and discuss those problems in a civil and compassionate environment.

Participate in events and programs throughout the two days, or you can attend Saturday evening to view the final plays.

 Read More About the Sedona 24 Hour Theater.

The 25th annual Zuni Festival of Arts and Culture takes place May 23-24 over Memorial Day weekend at the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) in Flagstaff.

MNA received a Project Grant from Arizona Humanities that helped fund the Heritage Insights Programming focusing specific programs led by tribal educators and elders that will allow visitors to learn about the language an history of the Zuni people. Watch the 1923 Shalako Film Remake and participate in a discussion, check out a demonstration of Zuni Waffle Gardening, and finally listen to the story of Zuni Emergence in the Grand Canyon, their migration and settlement.
 
We also want to congratulate MNA on receiving the prestigious 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service! Hear the story about the award and all the museum's exciting programs.

Take a trip to Prescott and visit the Smoki Museum this month to check out an Arizona Humanities funded exhibit. An Essential Relationship: Amateurs and Professionals in Central Arizona Archaeology examines the historical relationships between amateur and professional archaeologists who have worked together in the Prescott region to gain an understanding of the prehistoric peoples who once inhabited central Arizona.

The Smoki Museum website explains, "From the 1920's until today, groups of individuals have pursued archaeological activities in the Central Arizona region. While professional archaeologists can bring a unique level of sophistication to these explorations of the past through the science-based work they perform in the field, in the lab and in the library; amateurs have often led the way in prehistoric research."

Do you have an interesting topic to share?

As an Arizona Humanities AZ Speaks presenter, you deliver presentations that inform, enlighten, challenge, and delight audiences of all ages. From Arizona history, archaeology to architecture, folklore to film, linguistics to law, technology to transportation, economics to environmental sustainability, globalism to gender studies, we are looking for speakers to share their humanities scholarship with communities across the state of Arizona.

Apply online to be a Road Scholar, History Alive, or Speaker in the Schools presenter. The new roster begins November 1, 2015.

Speaker Highlight:

Matthew Goodwin holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and teaches in that discipline at Northern Arizona University. His current research interests lie in aesthetics, environmental ethics, and how these areas overlap in and around the Grand Canyon region. For NAU's Philosophy in the Public Interest Program, Goodwin facilitates community discussions at the Sedona International Film Festival, as well as for Hot Topics Café, a program that brings together the public for civil and informed discussion of various topics of community concern.

See Matthew's presentation, Sustainability Issues in Arizona: A Moral Responsibility? at the Copper Queen Library (6 Main St., Bisbee, AZ 85603.)

Whether you enjoy Arizona history, poetry, performances, art history, or the culture of the West, we have a packed calendar of programs. May offers a lot of different programs from our grantees, including theater style performances, lectures from Zuni elders and scholars, and an exhibition exploring archaeology in central Arizona. We also have AZ Speaks programs happening at libraries, museums, and communities across the state.

Eshe Pickett is a Cloud Automation Engineer at the Intel Corporation in Chandler, AZ. In her role, Eshe is responsible for architecting, developing, deploying and supporting Internal, External and Hybrid Cloud computing for Intel Data Centers. Eshe participates in STEM outreach, specifically targeting women in engineering. She received her Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Northwestern University and her Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Chicago. Eshe is an active community member who strongly advocates for civic and civil engagement.