In a splendid mix designed to stir the souls of art enthusiasts and curious minds alike, the Goodyear Arts & Culture Commission has laid out its 2024 Hot Coffee Lecture Series, featuring talks from valley art leaders spanning disciplines that range from record labels to cake artistry. On the menu, you'll find monthly servings of creative insights at Goodyear City Hall, with the series running through October.
Opening the series, Michael Zimmerlich, a record label owner, took the stage on March 26 to dissect what makes "Why Creatives Prevail" in a wildly fluctuating artistic landscape. Zimmerlich's talk stemmed from a trove of over 100 interviews with various artists, and according to a Goodyear Arts & Culture Commission release, climbed deep into the heart of what turns passion projects into thriving communities.
On the horizon for April 30, photographer Ernie Button is set to focus his lens on "Vanishing Spirits: The Dried Remains of Single Malt Scotch," illuminating his latest foray into photography that captures the ephemeral beauty of whisky residues—an art surprisingly potent for the eyes. Button's earlier work graced the pages of Chronicle Books' "The Art of Whisky," in 2022, chronicling a strikingly unique perspective on a centuries-old spirit.
Illustrating the cultural and technical intricacies of printmaking, Veronica Verdugo-Lomeli will press the details of this timeless craft during her May 28 presentation, "The Art of Printmaking." Guests can expect to see not only finished pieces but also the stages that bring such art to life. Meanwhile, the P.W. Litchfield Heritage Lecture on May 16 pivots to a taste of regional history as John Medley, a historian with a specialty in Arizona's agricultural past, discusses the once crucial artistry of produce crate labels.
Each lecture promises to pull back the curtain on the creative process, be it through the stories encapsulated in a dessert or the tumultuous beauty of nature's wrath captured by photographers like Mike Olbinski, whose October 29 talk on storm chasing is highly anticipated. In contrast to chasing storms, the P.W. Litchfield Heritage Lecture on March 21 dug into the ground beneath with archaeologist Robert Wegener, sharing insights from the Luke Air Force Base Solar-Power Array Archaeological Project. Wegener's findings echo millennia of indigenous land-use and hammer home the lessons unearthed from 44 acres of history.
Those eager to stir their intellect over a morning or evening of provocative discourse are encouraged to join any of these free lectures, detailed at the Goodyear Arts & Culture official website. It's an opportunity to brew fresh perspectives and get a jolt of inspiration, much like the series' namesake beverage.
