Critical Action Plan
Bringing Awareness to Local Artists in Yuma, AZ
Morgan Evans
Contemporary Issues in Art Education
ARE6641
University of Florida
Issue
As the saying goes, Art is all around us. This is especially true in my hometown of Yuma,
Arizona. For a city of 90,000 people, Yuma has a very large art community. Every year the city
of Yuma hosts various Art Shows that feature local, regional, and international artists. These
artists bring a variety of artistic mediums and styles to Yuma such as sculpture, painting, jewelry,
graphic design, glass, ceramics, and photography. Yuma has an Art Center, an artist Co-op, two
local pottery shops, and a historic theatre. Yet not everyone is aware of this. My critical issue is
that my Ceramics students are unaware of their local art community. They have not been
exposed to what their town has to offer. In class when I discuss a certain ceramist or potter, I
refer to potters from all over the United States, but rarely do I ever discuss any local artists. My
students are completely unaware of the talent in their hometown. I propose to extend my
ceramics lesson outside of the classroom so that my students can have a better understanding of
contemporary art in their community.
Proposal
To resolve this issue, I created a presentation for my students about local ceramicists and
potters in Yuma. I intend to introduce a different artist each month to my students. The first step
was to go out in Yuma and interview artists who use the clay and kilns like we do in class. Some
of the artists I interviewed were close friends, some were artists that I had met previously, and
some were artists that I had never met before. I asked about how they got their start, why they
continued to create art, and what inspires them.
Findings
Throughout the interview process, I was surprised to learn a great deal that will help me as an
artist. I interviewed three local ceramicists who sell their ceramic artwork on the side, and two
ceramicists who own pottery studios/shops and make their living selling their pottery. I also
interviewed a local glass artist. I wanted my students to see how she uses kilns similar to the
ones used in our class. In addition, I included information about the Yuma Art Center.
The Yuma Art Center is located in Downtown Yuma on Main Street. It hosts a wide variety of
special events and offers classes for adults, children, and families. The Yuma Art Center has four
visual art galleries, a few classrooms and art studios, a pottery studio, a renovated historic
theater, and a gift shop. The Art Center helps local artists by selling their work in the gift shop.
Judy Phillips is a full-time glass artist living in Yuma, Arizona and she is a part of the
public art community. Now that she is retired, Judy spends her time promoting the arts in Yuma.
She has worked with glass for 30 years and has been fusing glass for 12 years. Judy uses kilns to
fire her glass just like a ceramicist does. She began working with glass when she made glass
beads. This led to fusing glass and she has been hooked ever since. Judy has a home studio and is
self-taught. (J. Phillips, personal communication, March 9th, 2015)
Jane Bentley is the owner of Colorado River Pottery. Jane earned a BA in Fine Arts at the
University of Oregon. She learned how to fire a kiln and mix glazes at Arizona Western
College. Jane has owned and operated Colorado River Pottery for twenty years. Her shop is in
the front of the building and her studio where she works is in the back. (J. Bently, personal
communication, March 21th, 2015)
George and Neely Tompkins are the owners of Tompkins Pottery. The couple met at
Arizona State University and they are artists who co-create. Neely likes to make the pottery and
experiment with different techniques, and George enjoys glazing the pieces and firing the kilns.
They have owned Tompkins pottery since 1979. People can come in and place an order for a
custom made piece of pottery or they can pick out a piece from their store in the front. (N
Tompkins, personal communication, March 21th, 2015)
Holly Hendrick is a high school Art and Ceramic’s teacher. She has a degree in Studio
Art and Counseling from Northern Arizona University. She sells her ceramics at a local Co-op
downtown as well as at various art shows and local gift shops. Many of her pieces are figurative
and larger scale. Holly says ceramics gives her purpose and joy. She uses ceramics as a tool to
unlock deep feelings that would be hard for her to verbally express. (H. Hendrik, personal
communication, March 12th, 2015)
Rebecca Taylor earned a Bachelor of Art Education from Grand Canyon University in
1981. She has been an art educator in public schools for 33 years and has taught every grade
level from Kindergarten through college. Becky is well known in Yuma for her abstract
ceramics masks and her raku chickens. Becky said she finds herself doing art for herself rather
than for others, even if it means that most people might find her work too different or unusual.
(R.Taylor, personal communication, March 17th, 2015)
Larry Yáñez earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in sculpture, from
Arizona State University in 1977. He says that his work is a reflection of growing up Mexican
and American. Larry grew up in the Southwest, and he enjoys being part of the Chicano
community. Larry uses his work to share images of his culture whether it is Mexican-American
or Southwestern-American (Arizona) heritage. (L. Yanez, personal communication, March 21st
2015)
Presentation
The final step was to take the information and create a presentation that I will show my
students. Each month I will introduce a local Yuma artist with a PowerPoint that I created and I
will showcase their work and studio space, and discuss why they create. The students will
discuss the meaning behind their artwork and any connection that they may have felt. By
presenting these artists I will provide living, breathing, art role models, who will inspire my
students and offer possibilities for future careers.