By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Bruce Kirkwood studied accounting at the University of Southern Mississippi, but something else was tugging at his heartstrings. Music. “It was hard to pass up my passion,” Kirkwood says about pursuing a music career. “I knew I’d have a lot of regrets if I chose accounting.” A professional violinist, the North Phoenix resident is set to release his debut album, “Passion,” on No ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Kathleen Sabol comes to the door of her parents’ Carefree Ranch home in North Scottsdale. The glamorous blonde is wearing subtle-yet-glistening jewelry — pieces she made herself. Sabol founded Mila + Stevie, a modern bohemian glam jewelry line she handcrafts herself. She mixes natural gemstones and metals to create dainty to statement pieces. The company is named after her fluf ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski After Ralph Marchetta graduated high school, he worked his way through ASU at Veterans Coliseum. He served as a parking attendant, a merchandise vendor and janitor. His life changed in 1992 when he was offered the chance to move with the Phoenix Suns to Downtown Phoenix. Thanks to that opportunity, he has witnessed the evolution of America West Arena to what is now known as Pho ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Susan Morrow Potje has a motto for this year’s Celebration of Fine Art: Celebrate art 6 feet apart. “I think it’s a good, happy place for people to come to,” says Potje, who helms the event with her husband, Jake. The 31st annual festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Sunday, March 28, with strict rules in place. Masks are required, and patrons who are ill must stay home. Potj ...

By Connor Dziawura When it came to the timing of last year’s Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival — considered the longest-running film festival in the Valley — organizers were lucky. The event, which drew nearly 13,000 visitors to Scottsdale, Tempe and Peoria theaters across two weeks, came just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing many businesses to temporarily halt operations and future events to ca ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Gary Spaniola was in the successful Detroit band Bitter Sweet Alley, when he just decided to call it quits. For 25 years, the new North Scottsdale resident avoided music and instead invented a high-end software system for home automation. “I was in love with that,” he says. “I taught myself computer language and code. That’s how I designed that program.” Now—much like music 25 ...

By Connor Dziawura With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, the film industry was quick to adapt. Theaters found themselves shuttered, while some renowned events canceled this year’s festivities. Still, some festivals made the jump to a virtual format, allowing films to be seen from the comfort and safety of viewers’ own homes. Now half a year later, the 20th Scottsdale International Fi ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski For as long as Paula Pruett can remember, her son, Stefan Pruett, was obsessed with two things—basketball and music. His heart condition pushed him out of basketball, so his mother persuaded him to pursue music. The Carefree musician was just about to turn music on its head as The Guidance when he was found unresponsive in his Downtown LA apartment at age 35 in June. He died of ...

By Jacqueline Robledo Amelia Joyce moved to the Valley five years ago in hopes of turning her musical passion into a career. Twenty-four years ago, Joyce was born in Jackson, Michigan, with five siblings, all of whom would perform together. She took piano lessons throughout middle school and high school. “Growing up in a small town, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for me to stay and try and develop my ...

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Vince D’Aliesio has, admittedly, done a little bit of everything. He’s worked with the courts, hosted radio shows and coached high school and college football. Now he’s the Cave Creek Museum board of directors president. The Cave Creek Museum recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. “Vince brings a combination of academic and civic experience that shapes and guides our institu ...

Southwest Shakespeare Company hosts Naked Shakes at Taliesin West By Niki D’Andrea William Shakespeare’s history plays dramatize five generations of Medieval power struggles. If someone were to watch stagings of all of them in a row, they would be sitting still for almost 24 hours straight. That sounds like Medieval torture. Thankfully, professor Irwin Appel has taken eight of the Bard’s historical plays an ...

Jake Potje and Susan Morrow Potje connect artists and collectors By Lauren Wise For almost 30 years, the Valley has hosted one of the country’s premier art events: the Celebration of Fine Art. Sprawled under white tents in Scottsdale from January to March, this juried, invitational show and art sale showcases over 100 artists from around the country, who continuously create and sell their pieces from within ...

Exhibit of Barry Goldwater’s photos captures rarely seen sides of Arizona By Niki D’Andrea Ali Goldwater remembers flying in a plane over the Grand Canyon with William F. Buckley, Jr. and her grandfather, Barry Goldwater, when she about 5 years old. “We flew up there, and he would always have a camera,” she recalls. “He usually had a couple cameras with him, because he’d be shooting black and white and colo ...

A stroll through Cave Creek Museum reveals the area’s rich history By Lauren Wise In 2019, Cave Creek is seen as a rugged, charming gem, nestled up against Scottsdale for easy access to a day of rodeos and cowboys, gorgeous hikes and ranching. But did you know about its storied history of artists and minerals—like how Cave Creek onyx was used to decorate buildings at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair? Or the on ...

Beth Hyatt unveils new work at Arizona Fine Art EXPO   By Sue Kern-Fleischer   In some ways, Beth Hyatt has come full circle. She loved to draw as a child and even moved to Chicago to pursue an art career at the Art Institute of Chicago, but she was swept into the world of fashion, where she worked as a model. Several years later, she and a friend started Model Image Center, Inc. to help new models lea ...