2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the historic Ellis-Shackelford House, home to Arizona Humanities. Built in 1917 and renovated in 2013, the historic house was designed by local architect R.A. Gray and built by prominent physician William C. Ellis. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and in the Phoenix Historic Property Register in 1986. 

Join the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office and Planning and Development Department for a birthday celebration in conjunction with National Preservation Month. Activities include: house tours, a look at the architecture and history, stories from the Shackelford family, historically dressed guests, music, refreshments, and future plans for the area. The free program takes place Thursday, May 11th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 1242 N. Central. RSVP via facebook or eventbrite at https://ellis-shackelfordhouse100.eventbrite.com.

Image courtesy of Stephen Marc

	Stephen Marc

Explore the history of the Underground Railroad (UGRR), the legacy of slavery, and contemporary issues of race in the United States in a community conversation May 10th at 1:30 p.m. at the Sedona Public Library with Stephen Marc. Marc is a photographer, digital montage artist, and ASU Professor of Art whose research and publication, Passage on the Underground Railroad, is a registered interpretative program of the Network to Freedom division of the National Park Service. This program is in partnership with the Sedona Public Library and is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Legacy of Race and Ethnicity in the United States Initiative.

Join Dr. Jerry Garcia from Northern Arizona University on Tuesday, May 16th and learn about the Japanese experience in Mexico. Dr. Garcia will look at the distinct space of the Japanese within Mexican culture, and during the turbulent and transformative period of Mexican history. Garcia will also examine U.S. policies on Japanese immigrants throughout the Americas. The free event is also part of the Legacy of Race and Ethnicity in the United States Initiative.

5:30 - 6:30 p.m. - Small Group Discussion (limited to 12 RSVPs)

6:45 - 8:30 p.m. - Presentation and Q&A (light refreshments included)

RSVP to Dr. Jerry Garcia's Author + Talk through eventbrite: http://authortalkjerrygarcia.eventbrite.com

Congratulations to the selected host sites for Water/Ways, the next traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution. The tour will kick off in Bisbee in June 2018 and travel across Arizona through 2020.

Brenda Thomson, Executive Director of Arizona Humanities shared, "We are very excited to bring the Water/Ways exhibition to Arizona. Water is not only a critical resource, but it has shaped American society from our nation's early history to modern-day politics and economics. This exhibit will allow us to explore that history and the complex issues we face now about conservation, reclamation, access, sustainability, and so much more for this vital resource."

Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum Bisbee, AZ Brought to you by the Bisbee Council on the Arts & Humanities Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt School National Historic Landmark Fort Apache, AZ Brought to you by the Fort Apache Heritage Foundation, Inc. Bullion Plaza Cultural Center and Museum Miami, AZ McFarland State Historic Park Florence, AZ Brought to you by the Town of Florence Henry F. Hauser Museum Sierra Vista, AZ Brought to you by the City of Sierra Vista Amerind Museum Dragoon, AZ Brought to you by the Amerind Foundation, Inc.

Central Arizona College - Aravaipa Campus Winkelman, AZ Brought to you by the Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition Carl Hayden Visitor Center at Glen Canyon Dam Page, AZ Brought to you by the Glen Canyon Natural History Association Camp Verde Community Library Camp Verde, AZ Brought to you by the Friends of the Verde River Greenway Tubac Presidio State Historic Park Tubac, AZ Caņon Elementary School District Black Canyon City, AZ Brought to you by the Black Canyon City Community Association - Black Canyon Heritage Park The Lake Havasu Museum of History Lake Havasu City, AZ Brought to you by the Lake Havasu City Historical Society

Sheep herding is an integral part of Arizona history, and indigenous communities have long-standing traditions of herding sheep and using their wool to create beautiful textiles. At the Flag Wool and Fiber Festival festival, held June 3-4 at the Pioneer Museum in Flagstaff (2340 N. Fort Valley Rd.) wool growers, artisans, and demonstrators come together to connect the history to the art through their textiles and fiber arts creations. The public is invited to attend educational demonstrations on both Saturday and Sunday. 

Jay Cravath is a friendly face on the AZ Speaks roster. He has made presentations in communities across Arizona for over 25 years. You may be familiar with his Ballad of Arizona program which combines Arizona history and music. We even dug up a photo from an old catalog! Check out Jay's album titled, Songs for Ancient Days. He will be touring this summer with his band, Dr. Jay and the Botanicals. Jay will continue to serve on the AZ Speaks roster during this time. We send him best wishes on this exciting adventure!

Congratulations to the University of Arizona Press in Tucson! In April, UA press received a $73,000 grant from NEH and the Mellon Foundation to digitize out-of-print books that highlight experiences of indigenous and Latino groups in the Southwest, and bring these books back to life as ebooks. The grant program was created out of concern that the vast majority of humanities books are not available to the general public. In addition to ebooks, the grant will support a custom website, engage instructors and researchers in use of the texts, and support public events.

Click here to learn more from UA News or click here to learn more about the Humanities Open Book program from NEH.

Our friends at the Arizona Commission on the Arts have exciting news to share with Arizona communities. They are seeking applications from teams representing Arizona cities/towns and neighborhoods to participate in the inaugural AZ Creative Communities Institute.

The AZ Creative Communities Institute (AZ CCI) offers small teams, made up of diverse members of your community, a unique opportunity to explore the many ways creativity can be put to work for positive community impact. AZ CCI teams will become members of an active learning network, with opportunities to learn from and with local and national experts, as well as peers from other Arizona cities/towns and neighborhoods.

Click here to learn more about AZ CCI. The deadline is May 24th to apply.

Ryan Bruce* Joan Burtnett Tina Clark* Anne Doyle Rebecca Gurbaugh Rita Hamilton* Sharon Hoblit Arnold & Penny Horwitch

Dr. Ruth Jones Erik & Mary Anne Larson Mary Lu Nunley* Richard Smith Dr. Christine Szuter* Emerson Yearwood* Northern Arizona University

• May 29 - Memorial Day Office Closed

Mission: Arizona Humanities builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.

Arizona Humanities is a statewide 501(c)3 non-profit organization and the Arizona affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Arizona Humanities supports public programs that promote understanding of the human experience with cultural, educational, and non-profit organizations across Arizona.