Hozhoni is please to have presented Senator Sylvia Allen with the “Hozhoni Hero” award for her efforts to increase State funding for people with developmental disabilities. For her time and determination, we proudly call her our Caped Crusader! Thank you so much for your dedication!

Hello again everyone!

We have lots of fun stuff happening in the Hozhoni world this summer. Perhaps the biggest thing we have going on right now is the first ever Flagstaff Urban Flea Market.

The Flagstaff Urban Flea Market is an awesome, eclectic mix of artisans and peddlers who make and sell a unique variety of goods. The various vendors sell items such as records, antiques, books, bicycles, food, gems and minerals, handmade woodwork and leatherwork, ceramics, soaps, vintage clothing, used tools, comics, toys, household goods, jewelry, upcycled goods, flowers, and any other sort of funky/flea market type treasures. Flagstaff Urban Flea will be held  second Saturdays of the months June through October right on Historic Route 66 in the heart of downtown Flagstaff!

We already had our first flea market this last Saturday, and with a great turn out! But fret not! We will be there through October, so if you missed us this time, you have more opportunities to visit.

We are also excited for Sharin Jonas in her new illustration adventure. She was contacted to help a local writer, Art Scott,  bring some color to his short story series he is producing.

She has already completed the first illustration for the first installment of the story, titled “Awakenings”.

Each installment will be in the NOISE newspaper, which is published once a month. They are available at several locations in downtown Flagstaff, as well as the public library and online.

Thank you once again for all your continued support!

Spring 2016 Desert Oracle

Hozhoni’s presence in the media continues to spread all across the country, and now it has landed in the pages of a book of stories called the Desert Oracle. Based out of Joshua Tree, California, the Desert Oracle is described as “a pocket-sized field guide to the fascinating American deserts: weird tales, ghost towns, wonderfully bizarre animals and plants, mysteries and folklore, national and state parks, slickrock arches, legends of lost mines and ships on the sand dunes, beloved authors and artists, and plenty of oddball desert characters from the past and the present.” In the Spring issue of this year, an article was included that featured our very own Robert Zappanti, and it tells the narrative of his trip to Roswell with a former art instructor. Written by that very same former Hozhoni art instructor, it gives a very raw look into the inspiration to one of Rob’s favorite subject matters, and shows the perspective of what it is like to work with artists with disabilities.

This zine can be purchased online at their website, http://www.desertoracle.com, for a very reasonable fee, if you wish to read this story and many others from the deserts of America. Its a great read, and gives a unique perspective into art, inspiration, and aliens.

After a long absence, the Hozhoni Art Gallery is selling prints again! We have a small selection to start, with popular pieces from Sharin Jonas, Edward Haswood, Robert Zappanti, and other artists from the program.

They sell for 10 dollars each, and come with a matte and plastic bag for protection. We unfortunately cannot sell items online, so please make a visit to the gallery sometime and pick one up in person.

If you would like to request a print to be made, please contact the art gallery attendant Rachel Greig for any questions.

Have a happy May everyone!

We were blessed to have Charlie Moran, a journalism student at NAU and a reporter for NAZ Today, visit our gallery during the Autistic Expressions Show. He did an interview with Ms. Sharin Jonas, and here we have the clip that was aired on NAZ Today. We are honored that Sharin was able to get this exposure, and hope that she, and the Hozhoni Art Program as a whole, continues to move more and more into the public light.

This month has so far started off great for the artists at Hozhoni. Lots have happened, and we have more fun and exciting endeavors on the horizon as well.

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we had our opening reception for the one-woman Sharin Jonas show “Autistic Expressions”. It was great to see some familiar faces and some new ones see the wonderful work on display in the gallery. This show runs until April 29th, so if you were unable to attend the reception, we would love to have you check it out before the end of the month.

Congruently with the Autism Awareness Show, the annual Recycled Art Exhibition happened at the beginning of April. The reception was great, and the art looked spectacular in the new space in the Flagstaff Mall. The art gallery in the mall is open every day, and the exhibit will run through the end of the month. There is still time to vote for the people’s choice award, so make sure to see all the incredible talent this city has to offer!

Lastly, at all of the locations, Late for the Train is selling bags of a Hozhoni blend coffee. For each bag purchased during the month of April, Late for the Train donates $2 dollars to the Hozhoni Foundation. What a great way to enjoy a great brew and support the people we work so hard to care for.  Also, if you happen to visit the downtown location to purchase that bag of beans, you’ll get to see more artwork from our artists! As previously mentioned, April is Autism Awareness Month, so all of the artists with ASD are featured in the downtown cafe location.

Thank you so much for your support!

Hozhoni has been fortunate to pair with Late for the Train on a coffee collaboration.  For every bag of Hozhoni Blend sold during the month of April, Hozhoni will receive a $2.00 donation.  The coffee goes on sale April 1st at all three Late for the Train locations at the price of $14.50/lb.  Please help us spread the word!

In addition to selling bags of coffee for the month of April, we will also be adorning the walls of the downtown Late for the Train cafe with art from our artists. In celebration of Autism Awareness month, and the Light It Up Blue campaign by Autism Speaks, the artwork showcased here is produced by Hozhoni artists with ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder. The artists featured are Tammy Smith, Krissi Schott, Richard Rapley, Sharin Jonas, and Amber Ensley.

April is right around the corner, and with April being Autism Awareness Month, its about time for a new exhibit showing off some unique talent from our art program.

From March 21st until April 29th, the Hozhoni Art Gallery will be presenting “Autistic Expressions with Sharin Jonas”. This one-woman exhibit features selected visual and poetic works centered around the concept of major emotions and the part they play in the life our Ms. Jonas.

The opening reception for the show is Saturday March 26th, from 12 to 2 PM.

We are proud to say that Sharin Jonas is apart of our art program, and are excited to continue to see her and her creations soar.

For about a year now, we have been working with local aerialist Joan Garcia at her studio. The artists have been learning about expressive movement, both on the ground and in the air in various aerial apparatuses. Our aerial arts experiences at the Circus Arts Studio have been nothing but exhilarating and eye-opening for both the artists and the instructors. The new world has given our artists an amazing opportunity to use their bodies as paintbrushes, using movements in place of paint.

We would like to give a big thank you to all the staff and supporters of the Circus Arts Studio, who have been so accommodating to us and provided this incredible venue for a new form of creativity. We would also like to thank 4Flag TV for the exposure, to show the public just what we are capable of. Be on the lookout for more info and updates about our times with aerial arts, as we plan to have another performance later on in the year. Until then, let’s keep on flying!

Earlier in the Fall of 2015, a group of Engineering students from NAU came to Hozhoni to observe our artists at work. Their homework assignment was to develop adaptive equipment to assist in the artistic endeavors of our clients. After working and testing their prototypes, their creation was given to us.

The biggest issue that they have noticed was the difficulty in using our easels. For some of the artists that use wheelchairs, or prefer to be seated, the easels we had stood too high. They were also not very portable or stable. The product that the engineer students created for us was an easel made from a repurposed camera tripod. The height is adjustable, and is fitted with a paint dispenser above the canvas, and a tray below to hold pencils, brushes, etc. They even made a mini canopy for working outdoors in the sun.

As you can see, the clients already got some use out of this nifty new easel, and we look forward to using it more in the future. We want to give a huge thank you to the NAU Engineering students who worked on this project. Its great to see equipment being made to make it possible for all our artists to express themselves in all avenues.