Globe’s own Regina Ortega-Leonardi is one of four new commissioners on the Arizona Commission on the Arts, a State of Arizona agency. The Commission announced Ortega-Leonardi’s appointment, along with those of Ash Dahlke (Bisbee), Pats Shriver (Flagstaff) and Kyung-Lim Turrell (rural Coconino County), last Thursday, August 10. In addition to these four, Art Harding (Phoenix) took his oath of office as a commissioner in June.

The agency’s announcement said Ortega-Leonardi, co-founder of the I Art Globe public art initiative and a driving force behind the city’s Stairizona Trail system, is “known for her enthusiasm, contribution to the arts and her dedication to fostering artistic development in rural communities. As the Creative Director of Love Where You Live, a nonprofit organization focused on placemaking, she excels at uniting communities to transform public spaces into lovable places.”

Ortega-Leonardi also completed the Project CENTRL training seminars, a year-long rural leadership development program through the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.

Ortega-Leonardi and her fellow new commissioners, appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs, will replace four outgoing commissioners whose terms expired July 1.

“I’m a small-town girl at heart, so I am humbled to have been given this opportunity to serve as an Arts Commissioner for the state,” Ortega-Leonardi told the Silver Belt. “I’m bringing a positive mindset and a distinct rural viewpoint to the table. I’m confident this will help the Commission in spreading its support for the arts to every corner of Arizona.

“Art comes in many shapes and sizes, and it is a huge economic driver for our state,” she added. “As a new Commissioner, I’m committed to advocating for increased and consistent funding for the agency.”

Of the other new commissioners, Dahlke is a mixed media artist and educator; Harding, appointed by former Governor Doug Ducey in December 2022, is chief of operations for the state Department of Education; Shriver recently retired as regional director overseeing the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff, Page/Lake Powell Community fund, Greater Williams Community Fund and Tuba City Community Fund; and Turrell is an award-winning artist whose work has been exhibited in New York, Scottsdale and Seoul, South Korea.

“I am committed to ensuring Arizona’s diverse communities and cultures have a voice on the Arts Commission,” said Hobbs. “These appointees, who all come from different backgrounds and regions within our state, will each bring with them their own unique perspective.”