The 15th Annual Viola Award Nominees

With more than 40 nominees in 11 categories, the community is widely represented as they showcase some of the most original and noteworthy submissions in recent years, and today, in partnership with Creative Flagstaff, Flag Live is announcing the nominees.

In the following pages, you will have the opportunity to learn a little bit about each of the nominees and their many merits, but more importantly, you will be able to catch a quick yet encompassing glimpse at what makes this place and these awards so special.

And with that, here are the nominees for the 2023 Viola Awards.

Things Not Seen: Art and Healing through Narratives of Hope, Grief, Loss, and Struggles for Self-Acceptance

The exhibition “Things Not Seen: Art and Healing through Narratives of Hope, Grief, Loss, and Struggles for Self-Acceptance” was conceptualized by Edgerton, the assistant professor in the School of Art at Northern Arizona University. The exhibition focuses on the threat that mental health issues related to trauma, grief, isolation, and death can pose.

Náátsʼíilid/Rainbow Light

Bursting with color, this retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Northern Arizona presented the full spectrum of art by Baje Whitethorne Sr., a visual storyteller acclaimed for his colorful paintings full of life and energy.

Art Meets Nature – A Community Pond and Wetland at Elizabeth “Liz” C. Archuleta County Park, A Multicultural Art and Nature Park

Gross’s bronze casting, stonework, carpentry and welding at the Elizabeth “Liz” C. Archuleta County Park interprets the natural world to visitors, cultivates an interest in science and promotes conservation on a subliminal level.

Virga: Beneath the Sierra sin Agua

“Virga: Beneath the Sierra sin Agua” was exhibited at Coconino Center for the Arts in the fall of 2022. Skabelund stated, “’Beneath the Sierra sin Agua’ is my attempt to make sense of these things as I work alone in my studio. The last course I taught at Northern Arizona University in 2011 was a place-based, site-specific installation class titled Ecological & Cultural Genocide in Arizona. This exhibition builds on what I shared with my students that semester.”

Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival

Crumbs from the Table of Joy

“Crumbs from the Table of Joy” is a nuanced look into a Black family’s experience in 1950’s Brooklyn, written by the dynamic and renowned playwright, Lynn Nottage. “Crumbs from the Table of Joy” was produced by Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival in the spring of 2022.

“Miracle on 34th Street” presented by Theatrikos Theatre Company included a cast of 32 actors that brought a holiday classic to the stage. Julie Espisito’s performance as Doris shined as she delivered an exemplary performance.

In 2022 Rulon performed a hysterical female role (Lucille Rubin) in the Theatrikos production of The Cemetery Club. The performance tackled subjects of death, morality and living on after those loved are no longer there.

Monster Universe & Culture Shock Productions

“Robot Apocalypse” was a variety show featuring robot performances, inspiring fantastical art and cosmic comedy held at Yucca North on July 9, 2022. This show brought together an invigorating and imaginative cast of performers from every corner of Flagstaff’s creative community to create a one-of-a-kind robotic, apocalyptic, sultry and sensational experience.

“The Hardy Girls” is an original musical written by Flagstaff native Sara Bendel Ryan. “The Hardy Girls” arrive in Northern Arizona in 1900 to work in a new food joint along the railroad, which serves railway clientele and the cowboys. Each Hardy Girl has her own reason for coming to the wild west.

Master Chorale of Flagstaff

Safe Harbor: Songs of Refuge & Home

Performed on Sunday, November 13th at Coconino Center of the Arts. The performed music built a bridge with cultural and current events in Syria, Ukraine and East Africa and the U.S. and was sung in several different languages.

30th Anniversary Season Performances

In 2022, FCB celebrated its 30th season with a series of outstanding performances directed by Tim McKay. Performances included service events such as the Memorial Day Ceremony at Citizens Cemetery, as well as several performances in Heritage Square, and a collaborative July 4th weekend concert with Master Chorale of Flagstaff at Ft Tuthill Military Museum.

S.E. (Steve) Willis is an accomplished musician with 50+ years of experience performing blues, boogie and Americana music. In 2022, Willis was the headliner for the Flagstaff Music Festival in Heritage Square.

A Dream We Dreamed One Afternoon, Long Ago

In 2022 Yarbrough released and performed “A Dream We Dreamed One Afternoon Long Ago”. He performed these arrangements at the 15th Annual Jerry Garcia Bash at the Orpheum Theater which honored what would have been Jerry Garica’s 80th birthday.

VanSamuel Diggs, also known as BGNFTY, has become a familiar face around Flagstaff. A self-taught DJ, Diggs has advocated for events that promote education around the music scene. In 2022 Diggs collaborated with Gold’n Brown and the Southside Community Association to program a Juneteenth celebration at the Murdoch Center.

Beyond Climate Breakdown: Envisioning New Stories of Radical Hope

Peter Friederici is an award-winning author and freelance journalist who writes about climate change, science, nature and the environment. In “Beyond Climate Breakdown” Friederici argues that to address the prospect of climate breakdown, we must empower ourselves to acknowledge and repair the deep causes of the climate crisis that we tend to ignore.

Voices of Navajo Mothers and Daughters: Portraits of Beauty

“Voices of Navajo Mothers and Daughters: Portraits of Beauty” is a book in which Navajo grandmothers, mothers and daughters in twenty-one families tell their stories. In a series of intimate, revelatory personal histories prompted by interview questions, the women share about how they have been shaped by powerful cultural and historical forces, the natural world – and by their love for each other.

The San Francisco Peaks and Flagstaff: Through the Lens of Time

Vankat is an ecologist, educator and writer intrigued by this region. Over the last seven years, he has focused on precisely repeating historical photographs taken on and around the San Francisco Peaks in the 19th century and first decade of the 20th. Vankat’s book features over one hundred historical photographs and several earlier drawings, each precisely paired with his modern-day repeat photograph.

Susan Johnson’s “Haunted Flagstaff” is a collection of stories which sheds light on the ghostly shadows of Flagstaff’s past. Johnson recounts many of the longstanding sightings and hauntings claimed by locals and offers anecdotes on the eerie tales that have been passed along through oral tradition.

A Fresh Start Will Put You on Your Way

“A Fresh Start Will Put You on Your Way” is a poetry chapbook by Andie Francis. “A Fresh Strat will Put You on Your Way” was published by Finishing Lie Press in 2022.

Laurel Morales has been sharing the stories of her northern Arizona community for the past 20 years through KNAU, KJZZ and NPR. In June of 2021 the Flagstaff-based storyteller introduced listeners around the world to her community through her podcast “2 Lives” – stories of people who have faced darkness and how those moments transformed them. “We all have two lives. The second begins the moment we realize we have only one.”

Tamara Seaton, DJ Tam Taco

Audio Offerings Season Five

“Audio Offerings” brings you a wide variety of indie shoegaze and electronics, with some true gems in between. Season 5 centered around “Emotions, Space and Music” with each episode focusing in on an emotion and featured an interview with a special guest including DJ LRY, Deidra Peaches and Dapper Dre.

Star Stuff: A Space Poddity

“Star Stuff: A Space Poddity”, by Lowell Observatory, is a conversational podcast recorded on Mars Hill that aims to make astronomical science and space exploration fun and accessible to wide audiences using humor, facts and casual banter. Various members of Lowell’s staff meet to discuss astronomy, planetary science and space exploration via news articles, movie reviews, audience questions, pop culture discussions and guest speakers.

Dawn Kish & Cierra Murrietta

Tad’s Emerging World: Glen Canyon Exposed

“Tad’s Emerging World: Glen Canyon Exposed” is a film from Dawn Kish & Cierra Murrietta. The film tells the story of Kish’s journey documenting Glen Canyon: the hidden treasure of the Southwest. Kish was given Tad Nichols’ 4×5 film camera a few years ago, and in the film, she returns to Glen Canyon to expose what she finds.

The Man in the Dog Park (film)

“The Man in the Dog Park” film (2022) is an innovative animated documentary, based on real-life stories, designed to share a poignant message of empathy and dignity about our homeless neighbors. Based on the Viola award-winning book, the film goes a step beyond text in its storytelling, hoping to reach viewers who might never choose to read a book about homelessness.

Cree is a young Havasupai artist who is currently attending NAU. Her work explores a vast selection of subjects but mainly, portraiture. She has started other endeavors besides painting, and performed all over Flagstaff this year as a drag queen and has made an impact on the nightlife.

As a creative artist, Kamberg is highly skilled and versatile in her craft, working in both digital and fine art mediums. Her work is not only visually striking but also thought-provoking and challenges audiences to think differently. This is especially apparent in her recent project, “Trauma and the Time Traveler”, which is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of mental health that is both accessible and creative.

Merryman is a 24-year-old Native and African American Poet and a great contributor to the literary and arts community in Flagstaff. She has founded Sonder Zine, an independent magazine which covers historically underrepresented or unconventional magazine topics, hosts the monthly reading and music series “Off the Rails” at Late for the Train, is a board member of the Northern Arizona Book Festival and is now the first Flagstaff Youth Poet Laureate and coordinates the Northern Arizona Youth Poetry Council.

Debra Edgerton is an Assistant Professor at the School of Art & College of Arts & Letters at Northern Arizona University. In the wake of the pandemic, mental health awareness has become increasingly important and prevalent. The student-driven exhibition “Things Not Seen: Art and Healing through Narratives of Hope, Grief, Loss, and Struggles for Self-Acceptance” was conceptualized by Edgerton and was exhibited in 2022. This exhibition focused on the threat that mental health issues related to trauma, grief, isolation and death can pose.

Hennes is currently teaching multiple concepts in art education at Northern Arizona University, from a children’s art course to current trends in art education. She has taught at multiple Flagstaff schools, and after receiving her Master’s Degree in Education continued to encourage her students in service learning and the arts

For over 30 years London-Hall has been involved in many aspects of education, including science, music, adult education and ELL instruction. Sonja is currently the band and theater director at Northland Preparatory Academy. London-Hall works hard at blending her love of art with her love of education.