State of the Artz

Nazafarin Lotfi: Carving a Space to Belong Nazafarin Lotfi is an Iranian-born, multi-disciplinary artist who lives and works in Tucson. She focuses on the notions of self and identity formation in relation to architecture, landscape, space, and place. Lotfi’s art practice is rooted in her experiences of growing up in post-Revolutionary Iran. She continued her education and artistic career as an immigrant in the United States. For Lotfi, the body, the house, the garden and the nation are enclosures that define the self and the other, inclusion and exclusion, access and belonging. Charles Mingus at 100 Charles Mingus is one of the most influential figures in 20th-century American music. He was born in Nogales, AZ to a father who was a Buffalo Soldier stationed at Camp Little in 1922. He later became known as a virtuoso jazz bass player, band leader, and composer. Although Mingus' time in Nogales was brief, his Southern Arizona roots are still a sense of pride and celebration for the community. His 100th birthday was celebrated with concerts in Phoenix, Tucson, and Nogales by the quintet Mingus Dynasty before being finalized with the unveiling of the Charles Mingus Memorial in Nogales. The Violinists Fadi Iskandar and his family are refugees. They fled Aleppo, Syria to find sanctuary when the ongoing civil war became too dangerous for them to stay. They, along with millions of Syrian refugees, fled their homes to find safety for their families. Fadi and his wife Tamara have started a new life in Tucson, Arizona.