Cahokia, Roosevelt Row, and Xico Arte y Cultura partner to keep downtown Phoenix UNCONTAINED

News Release

Cahokia Socialtech + Artspace

Cahokia, a female-owned, Indigenous-led SocialTech + Art Space, in collaboration with Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation (RRCDC) and Xico Arte y Cultura, announced UNCONTAINED, a mural project featuring emerging Latinx and Indigenous artists.

Beginning tomorrow, February 4, 2022, four aspiring artists will rotate their design aesthetic and vision on a shipping container located adjacent to the Roosevelt Row Welcome Center at 918 E 2nd Street in downtown Phoenix. Each artist will have the opportunity to share their murals during a seasonal window of time.

The 2022 UNCONTAINED mural calendar and selected winners include:

Spring: February 4 – April 22, 2022, featuring Chadwick Pascal (Akimel O’odham)

Summer: May 1 – July 22, 2022, featuring Liv Barney (Diné)

Fall: August 1 – October 21, 2022, featuring Angelo Cortez (Akimel O’odham and Chicano)

Winter: October 31 – January 20, 2023, featuring Chelsie Begody, (Diné)

Cahokia is providing each muralist a stipend to produce their work, Xico is donating the art supplies and RRCDC is hosting the container that will debut the first live stream of Pascal’s mural titled Art Til Death this Friday, February 4, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. on Roosevelt Row’s Instagram Live.

“We want to amplify artists’ visual stories and encourage creative activation and entrepreneurship,” Cahokia cofounder Eunique Yazzie said. “It’s important to keep the social fabric of our art spaces dynamic and accessible for future generations.”

Former UNCONTAINED Muralist Jesse Yazzie (Diné) is leading the project with Community Exhibition and Workshop Liaison Esai Calles from Xico. The UNCONTAINED project is a celebration of cultures, heritage, and history with many themes ranging from light-hearted fun to more thought-provoking imagery.

“We are excited to be a part of the UNCONTAINED project because it underscores the need to create artistic space for our Latinx community members,” Xico Executive Director Donna Valdés said. “Indigenous and Latinx creatives have a unique perspective that can be told in urban spaces like the Roosevelt Row Arts District.”

The UNCONTAINED project will also be featured as part of Artlink’s Art Detour happening in the month of March 2022. Art Detour features more than 300 art activities and “Articipants,” defined as arts venues, arts and culture organizations, arts-supporting businesses from across the Valley, and visual and performing artists from the entire state.

“Roosevelt Row is rooted in the visual arts and serves as home to many galleries and activated spaces with works by local and internationally renowned artists,” Acting Executive Director Adan Madrigal said. “One of our signature events, First Friday, continues to see approximately 15,000 visitors per month and is one of the most vibrant places for culture, food, and Instagrammable places in downtown Phoenix.”

You can learn more about each artist and their work by visiting www.rooseveltrow.org and following Roosevelt Row on Instagram at @rooseveltrow. Photos of all winning muralists can be downloaded here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1EvtDSu8HTjPGRl4yd7fHgl7sWg8jLMDw

Cahokia is a female-owned, Indigenous-led Social Tech + Art Space in downtown Phoenix. On the ancestral lands of the O’odham and Piipaash, Cahokia is an established enterprise between social entrepreneurs and community-based organizations whose mission is to support and revitalize underrepresented communities through capacity building, place-making, place-keeping, workforce training and collaboration.

Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation (CDC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, whose mission is to advance arts-focused initiatives for artists, entrepreneurs and residents, cultivating creative space within a sustainable Roosevelt Row Arts District. For more information, please follow Roosevelt Row on Facebook and Instagram.

Xico Inc. is committed to maintaining an inclusive environment that is welcoming and accepting of people of all races, ages, sex, religions, colors, national origin or ancestry, disability or medical condition, pregnancy, childbirth, marital status or veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status. Located near downtown Phoenix, Xico’s primary focus is the Latinx & Indigenous community whose voices we aspire to amplify through programming and opportunity for growth.