Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Celebrating excellence in Maricopa County nonprofit leaders. pipertrust.org/piperfellows © 2024 Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Ken Schutz, Desert Botanical Garden 2003 Piper Fellow Jeri Royce, Advance Community 2021 Piper Fellow Jared Kittelson, Foundation for Blind Children 2022 Piper Fellow Carmen Guerrero, Cultural Coalition, Inc. 2023 Piper Fellow Pedro Cons, Adelante Healthcare 2022 Piper Fellow Mary Mitchell, Girl Scouts of Arizona Cactus-Pine Council 2017 Piper Fellow

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 13 BY ABBY PETERSEN Arizona is a one-of-a-kind place. It’s blessed with beautiful weather, awe-inspiring scenery and booming industries. But what makes Arizona truly special are its people and rich culture. In the heart of downtown Phoenix lies an arts organization with a narrative uniquely its own. Xico (pronounced “she-co”) is one of the oldest ethnic arts organizations in the United States. Started in 1975 by a group of Chicano and Indigenous artists in the East Valley, the organization’s members sought to showcase their art while keeping the tradition of printmaking alive. Mexico was the first Latin American country to embrace printmaking, an art form dating back thousands of years. The technique involves carving an image on a piece of wood or linoleum, placing ink on the raised edges, and transferring it to fabric or paper, similar to how stamps work. Xico preserves and celebrates Latino & Indigenous creativity Drawing on Tradition CREATING CULTURE Agustín Vargas, Xico’s director of cultural services and programs BY ABBY PETERSEN