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