CELEBRACIÓN ARTÍSTICA DE LAS AMÉRICAS
CALA Alliance is an Arizona community-based
organization dedicated to educating and inspiring all
Arizonans about the richness of our Latino cultural
heritage. Through festivals, performances, exhibits,
in-school activities, food, music and events, we will all
share in the joy and beauty of the cultural life of the
Americas. The life we live throughout Arizona.
WHAT IS CALA ALLIANCE?
CALA ALLIANCE MISSION:To create shared arts experiences that encourage cultural understanding
between the people of the Americas.
CALA ALLIANCE GOALS:• Use arts and culture to educate and inspire Arizonans of all demographics
about the richness of our Latino cultural heritage.
• Form collaborative partnerships with arts and cultural organizations across
Metro Phoenix to celebrate, in a single voice, our Latino cultural heritage.
• Establish educational opportunities for school age children to better understand
and appreciate Latino arts, culture and history.
• Engage Latino artists and arts organizations in CALA activities and offer them
opportunities to have their work professionally presented to the community.
• Develop alliances and partnerships with arts and culture organizations in
Mexico, Central and South America.
LATINO AND MAINSTREAM ARTS GROUPS JOINED TOGETHER
C E L E B R A C I Ó N A R T Í S T I C A D E L A S A M É R I C A S 3
The cornerstone of CALA Alliance is Celebración Artística de las
Américas, CALA, a biannual 8 week festival of Latino arts and culture
launching in fall 2011. Latino artist collectives including Xico, New
Carpa Theater and the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center (ALAC),
large established arts organizations like the Phoenix Art Museum and
the Phoenix Boys Choir, cultural institutions like the Desert Botanical
Garden and the Musical Instrument Museum, along with Valley
presenters Mesa Arts Center, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts,
and Chandler Center for the Arts are all planning to offer their patrons
Latino work during CALA. Never before has Latino and mainstream arts
groups joined together in a joint initiative to reach out and bridge the
gaps created by cultural misunderstandings in our community.
Multiple street festivals will also occur during CALA. These will include
Mexican Aztec pole dancers flying through the air off fifty foot poles in
a traditional dance to welcome and open the CALA festival; Tempe’s
Tardeada Festival, Phoenix’s First Fridays, and other activities where
people can share food and live outdoor performances as they wander
through mercados with folk and contemporary art. The CALA Festival
will culminate with traditional Day of the Dead celebrations in Mesa,
Chandler, Phoenix and Avondale followed the next weekend by the
Heard Museum’s Spanish Market.
CELEBRACION ARTISTICA DE LAS AMÉRICAS
QUOTE
“CALA will draw artists from all of the Americas to present in one place at
one time the very best of the performing arts of this 21st Century. In
doing so, we will brand Greater Phoenix as a center of creativity, and a
region committed to strengthening relationships among neighbors and
across geographic boundaries.”
JOSÉ CARDENAS
General Counsel, Arizona State University
TARGET
WHY CALA?
“We’re proud to support the CALA Alliance’s in-classroom learning experiences
celebrating Latino arts and culture. Target believes that art, music, dance, drama and
visual arts are all part of the well-rounded education our kids deserve.”
education outreachOne of the most fundamental aspects of the CALA Alliance involves its
commitment to educational experiences for Arizona’s youngest citizens
– its school children. To that end, CALA Alliance will continually
develop in-classroom learning experiences celebrating Latino arts and
culture throughout Valley school districts. In 2011 this will include
Childsplay’s The Sun Serpent residency and the Diego Rivera project, a
CALA collaboration with BookPALS, the Phoenix Art Museum and Latino
artists that will take place in area Title 1 schools.
C E L E B R A C I Ó N A R T Í S T I C A D E L A S A M É R I C A S 5
presented by
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JOSÉ CARDENAS is Senior Vice President and
General Counsel of Arizona State University. He serves as
ASU’s chief legal officer and is responsible for management
of ASU Audit & Advisory Services. He also serves as a
University representative on and to the boards of directors of
ASU affiliated and related entities.
MYRA MILLINGER is Principal of Millinger and
Associates, LLC, a firm dedicated to counseling individuals
and families on impactful charitable giving, and to assisting
community leaders build regional distinction in the global
competition for talent and industry. Ms. Millinger served 21
years as Associate Director of the Flinn Foundation; and was
President and CEO of the Metro Phoenix Partnership for Arts
and Culture from 2003-2010. In 2011 she was appointed
co-chair of the Arts & Culture Committee of the
Arizona-Mexico Commission.
GRADY GAMMAGE, JR. is a part time
academic, a practicing lawyer, an author, a sometime real
estate developer and a former elected official. Mr.
Gammage is a Senior Fellow at ASU’s Morrison Institute.
He also teaches at the College of Law.
MARGIE EMMERMANN was appointed by
Governor Jan Brewer to serve as the Policy Advisor Mexico
and Latin America, Executive Director Arizona Mexico
Commission (AMC) in March 2009. In this role, Ms.
Emmermann works to help shape and implement Governor
Brewer’s policy initiatives as they relate to Arizona's
international agenda.
TODD SANDERS became the president & CEO of
the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce in May 2009
after more than three years as the GPCC's Vice President of
Public Affairs and Economic Development. In that role
Sanders worked on behalf of the business community on
important issues such as immigration reform, tax policy
and health care. He oversees a staff of 30 and works with
the Board of Directors to develop and implement
long-range goals and strategy for the state's oldest and
largest business organization.
RUBÉN ALVAREZ is co-founder and Managing
Partner of the Molera Alvarez Group, named by the Arizona
Business Journal as “one of the state’s best government
lobbying firms.” The Molera Alvarez Group represents a wide
range of Fortune 500 companies, non-profit groups and
governmental entities. Last year, Rubén Álvarez and his
business partner, Jaime Molera, received the Arizona
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Entrepreneurs of
the Year award.
CALA ALLIANCE
6617 N. SCOTTSDALE RD. SUITE 103
SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85250
T 480.313.9922 | F 480.751.5570
www.CALAalliance.org
C E L E B R A T I N G T H E L I F E W E L I V E T H R O U G H O U T A R I Z O N A