2021 Regional Unity Walk shifts its focus to art
For the past 17 years, hundreds of people from across the Valley have gathered on a day in January at Tempe Town Lake to walk together for diversity at the annual Regional Unity Walk.
The COVID-19 pandemic makes such large gatherings unworkable this year, however, so the event has evolved into the Regional Unity ArtWalk: A Visual Journey of Diversity, Culture and Equity.
The celebration takes place the throughout January with a majority of the featured artwork being accessible without going indoors.
Officials in Chandler, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe have compiled a list of art pieces, murals, photos, performances and sculptures for the community to engage with and continue the conversation.
Here’s how you can get involved this year
“We (hear) from residents and people saying ‘how can we be part of the movement and the conversations that are happening in our community?’ This is giving them a tangible way to be able to go and view art and really digest their own feelings and thoughts about what’s happening in our culture,” Mesa diversity administrator Andrea Alicoate said.
“You can bike or you can walk, you can visit a local restaurant and get takeout, you can support a local business and then go and check out the art, too,” added Chandler’s community resources and diversity supervisor, Niki Tapia.
A map of all the art is available online or by visiting participating city websites including Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale or Tempe.
There are dozens of art pieces featured in the event including a 225-footlong mural, “Hum of the Desert,” in Chandler by artist Ariana Enriquez, “Gema” a mural of five women of color by Edgar Fernandez in Gilbert, several murals along Guadalupe Road and more.
“Being able to celebrate the whole month and really be intentional with our community in how we are embracing all of these different conversations and being able to spark interest and gain new positivity towards these conversations is something that we all aim to do as diversity professionals in the municipal realm,” Alicoate said.
The map also has detailed descriptions of each art piece plus suggestions of restaurants and retails businesses nearby.
Chandler’s Multicultural Festival moves online this year
In addition to the month long event,
Chandler will host its 26th annual Chandler Multicultural Festival on the city’s Facebook page 11 a.m. Jan. 16.
“We’re gonna miss this year, of course, the personal face-to-face aspect, but what’s been strengthened is that every city feels like now they have their own input, and we’re encouraging people to visit all the cities,” Tapia said.
“This can be even more powerful and the reach will be even greater than the Unity Walk in previous years.”
Elizabeth Montgomery is Arts and Culture Reporter for The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com. Reach her at emontgomery@azcentral.com or 602444-8764. Follow her on Twitter @emontnews.