(Tom) This week on Arizona Illustrated, see one of the many ways that Tucson's African American community celebrates Juneteenth.

(Woody) It's a lot of different points of views, a lot of different artists doing a lot of different things, and I'm definitely grateful to be part of it.

(Tom) We'll introduce you to the funny and charismatic champions of the U of A's Adaptive Golf Team.

(Anthony) I really don't fall down very much.

God blessed me with some crazy balance for some reason.

(Tom) And meet a Native artist who's preserving his heritage through clay.

(Harrison) Probably, you know, it's gonna be very humbling.

Maybe a big pot might turn into several small pots.

Hello and welcome to Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara.

We're joining you from our AZPM studios where it's nice and cool.

And first up, for over 150 years, Juneteenth has been celebrated by African Americans and others.

And here in Tucson for the second year in a row, The Drawing Studio holds their Juneteenth Art Expo featuring African and Pan-African art.

It's their way to show people how they embody the spirit of Juneteenth.

♪ UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING (Maggie) You walk into this space, you see it, it is everywhere.

The color, the joy, the celebration, the heart, the pain, the sorrow, all of it is in this room right now.

(Herman) Juneteenth was the perfect backdrop to put something like this on display, especially with all of the things that are going on right now... [ APPLAUSE ] ..in our cities, across country and even around the world.

this isn't going anywhere and it shouldn't go anywhere.

The day of Jubilee, as it has been playfully known as, will continue to be, and it's been celebrated in this community for over 40 years.

And I'm confident in our ability to continue to celebrate it, regardless of whose pin is in charge.

♪ PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC I am Maggie Rush Miller, I'm the Executive Director of The Drawing Studio.

And we are sitting in an old Circle K, we call it building two.

And this is our second annual Juneteenth Art Expo.

I came into work a year ago May, and Ms. Randiesia they approached me.

They said, "might we use the space?"

It was so moving for me to witness the power of gathering, that power of community.

We were at 25 last year So what can we do next year?

We do 100.

(Randiesia) When I was challenged with 100 Pan-African artists, I'm like, "oh yeah, I can do that" And then I was thinking, "can I do that?"

but I'm like, "yeah, I can do that."

So we have people from up in the Phoenix area and in the greater Tucson area as well.

All the work was worth it.

(Maggie) Last year, it was just in our regular, very small, very small space.

It was very conservative in the way in which we presented it.

Conservative meaning expected.

This is not expected.

(Lin) The space itself has its own artistic piece.

I'm a big fan of the space really enhancing the art and also being integrated with the art that's being presented.

I think this space has accomplished that.

♪ PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC (Jaron) Maggie has a beautiful mind, let's start with that.

The heart and soul that Maggie put into this and how much time and blood, sweat, and tears, so to speak, went into this.

Her passion, you can see how it came to life.

♪ PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC (Raniesia) So when we consider art, a lot of times we consider this Eurocentric perspective of gallery work.

And I did not want to move in that vein.

I wanted us to include the traditional artworks that we brought with us from our families.

And I wanted us as a community to be included in the artwork.

We are the artwork.

(Herman) Black art typically gets a lot of negative label.

And so when people come in here and they see art of all different types of music, dance, there's artificial art, there's oil on canvas, there's watercolor, there's 3D art, all different mediums, all different people.

The range of ages that people are doing are all of one singular color.

I think that's important for people to understand that this is where it came from.

♪ PEACEFUL GUITAR MUSIC (Jameela) So I have two pieces that are not paintings.

They're mixed media.

It's two women, an older woman and a younger child, and they're kind of connected.

It's about legacy and about passing down generational things, not all bad stuff, some good stuff.

And then there's also the connection between everybody having their own story.

And then I made a piece that's door knocker earrings.

And it is about adornment, being like protection and legacy.

And then the third piece that I made is a painting.

And it is all about ancestral wisdom and protection and knowing where I came from and knowing where I'm going.

♪ UPBEAT DRUM MUSIC (Desirée) The first piece is kind of a dreamy piece.

It's got a white background with some texture.

It's very layered, so there's some fuchsia and blues that pop in that piece.

There's some Basquiat, is what one of the other artists said it was like, but a happy Basquiat.

And then the other piece is called Awakening.

This piece was done on acrylic on paper.

And it has an infusion of some shamanic elements where we are infusing some nature with a goddess who is screaming out to the universe to be heard.

♪ UPBEAT DRUM MUSIC (Karl) I have one piece.

It's a handmade jewelry.

Basically, it's a handmade pendant using copper and a crystal called Atlantisite.

♪ UPBEAT DRUM MUSIC For this expo, I've submitted 26 digital works, ranging in four different styles.

I have a euphoria style, which is centered around self-love and realizing your inner light, just kind of cherishing and making sure that you always keep the positives in your mind.

♪ UPBEAT DRUM MUSIC (K.A.V.E.T.É) I write poetry.

A lot of my pieces were really about empowerment, was really about being a black African-American girl, being just a woman in general, and being a single mother, and having our ancestors by our sides.

So I did it on a cassette tape, which was very unusual for me, because I've never done that.

But I enjoyed every bit of it because it was different.

I was able to just kind of go off script and also just be in the moment of it.

And I think that's what was really special to me.

Before the world was carved into countries, before maps and borders, there were thrones made of sunstone and crowns kissed by the cosmos.

There were queens, not just in name, but in purpose, regal minds and radiant flesh whose beauty could halt wars.

Yet, it was their wisdom that moved nations.

It's a lot of different points of views, a lot of different artists doing a lot of different things, and I'm definitely grateful to be part of it.

(Karl) Seeing that not only Juneteenth is a celebration of the ancestors, but everything I do is a celebration of my ancestors.

And to be a part of this, it was just like, you know, basically like adding to that connection.

(Desirée) The wisdom and energy and the creative expression of my ancestors flowing through me to be a part of this exhibit has really helped elevate my confidence and what I can do as an artist.

(Devin) It's empowering.

Like I can definitely say already, I've already got my sketchbook in my backpack, and I've been writing down notes about new textures and thought about some of these changes.

And I'm just like, "oh, let me go ahead and add that to my toolbox."

So it's been magnificent so far.

(K.A.V.E.T.É) I was overwhelmed with the arts that I saw.

I barely knew which way to go.

And it was just like, they're all different.

And they made me feel like you guys inspired me to now go write and also make art to go along with it.

(Maggie) We had Juneteenth before there was a Juneteenth.

We celebrate ourselves before it is acknowledged.

That has been the history of ourselves.

It is a joyful, truly joyful moment for all of us.

It is a celebration.

They are the mirror through which I more clearly see myself as my children see themselves through me.

Our backs to their fronts, to their backs to their fronts, to their backs to their fronts.

Steady, we go onward, balanced.

(Tom) While the 2025 Tucson Juneteenth Festival may be over, their organization holds a variety of community events year round.

For more information, check out tucsonjune19.org.

Last week, we introduced you to the inspiring athletes of the University of Arizona Para Swim Team.

Well next, get ready to meet the funny and charismatic crew from the very first collegiate-based adaptive golf program in the United States.

(Dennis) One size does not fit all.

We're all built differently, we all have different tendencies, we even think differently, right, so the mentality of how you play is different, but it's not like we can say, "Here's the only way you can do this" Five years ago, I had some health issues.

Never had a health problem in my life.

I made a promise that If I got a chance, I would give the people I was involved with my best, and it may not be as good as somebody else, but I'm going to give it my best, and I'm going to study like crazy to give that.

I just think that's what I'm here for.

♪ UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC We're at Tucson Country Club today, and my team here is just hitting some balls, and we're going to chip and put.

Adaptive golf is one of those things that anyone with any disability can be a part of.

Any adaptive sport in general, but adaptive golf especially, because it's so diverse.

There are people of all ages, all disabilities that are playing in our tournaments.

(Jim) I bet you couldn't believe that a young man with one leg could shoot par, and another lady who was legally blind could also shoot par.

These students are amazing.

We're all kind of equal when it comes to the course, because we're all playing the same course.

(Anthony) You still got to read the same putts.

You still got to make the same shot.

You got to hit all the same piece of water.

I mean, it's all a challenge, regardless of who you are That golf course is the equalizer.

-Very good.

I was born in Kazakhstan and went out to Hawaii at nine months old and I was adopted.

I have no central vision and I have a condition called Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, which basically is slowly damaging my optic nerve.

Oh, there's a green up there?

-Uh-huh.

-Oh, nice.

-There's a bunker in front of it.

There's a flag.

(Amanda) I was declared legally blind in August of 2021.

It made me more reliant on myself and just my instincts and intuition.

It's honestly all the small things that are hard.

People think that if they wave to me in public or if they smile or do a little nod that if I don't do it back, then I'm a jerk.

I played golf since I was a little kid.

I was like five years old.

So I had the muscle memory, which was good.

But lining up my ball and then having to go find the ball and getting the yardage was all the hardest parts.

My dad thankfully joins me on all of my tournaments.

He will line up behind me and I'll address the ball.

It kind of is like as if it were a 2D photo.

So I can see some of the trees and some of the mountains if they're very distinct, but I can't see any of the greens, flags or bunkers.

I will basically get ready to hit, but then right before I'll be like, okay, double checking, am I good?

And he's like, yep, swing and then we go find our ball.

She's a doer.

She gets things done.

She's very organized.

Her game's gotten better, but it's equally exciting to me to see her blossom and how she's developing as a person The Florida State Adaptive Open, that was my first win that I've had that I felt really proud of.

Amanda was winning after day one.

It's a two-day tournament and she says, "You know what guys?

I'm very nervous.

I don't like having the lead."

We come up the idea that we're gonna go to an alligator farm.

We walk in there and they said, "Do you want to feed the stingrays?"

And she didn't want to do it, and I don't think I did either.

At the end of it, the kid comes say, "I got a special treat.

We're bringing on an alligator.

Anybody wants to hold it can."

I'm going, "Oh God, here we go."

Amanda says, "I do."

She runs right up there, grabs this thing.

She said, "You know what guys?

I don't think I'm gonna freak out tomorrow."

I was like, "I held an alligator".

Like, you can't really do worse than that.

-So now you're hitting greens, you're driving in the fairway, you're gonna have six putt.

-I feel you, yeah.

-I hope so.

It's better than I said.

-That way we've got plenty of room to improve.

-Oh, of course.

(Amanda) Just the way he's able to coach all of us and adjust his coaching style for each of us, it's really awesome.

Like with Will, he's super chill with him on the course, but he's also still helping.

-There might be a good looking girl over there you might wanna meet.

-Oh, of course, yeah.

-Watch this, I can shank it.

My number one goal always is to not make him worse.

-Shoulder.

-Yes, and chest, turning.

(Jim) Will's from Colorado.

He has cerebral palsy.

I said Will, you were born with cerebral palsy?

-I was, yep.

-Yeah, but then you didn't let it hold you back, did you?

-Absolutely not.

(Will) I'm Will Volkner.

I was born with cerebral palsy and we moved out to Colorado and I had a back surgery when I was five, a partial dorsal rhizotomy.

I think, I should know that, that's pretty brutal, I don't.

When I was like four years older, so I was a huge baseball guy, but then my dad started bribing me with five guys like cheeseburgers to give me outgoing golfing.

Golf has definitely taught me a lot of discipline, like just being patient and waiting for things to come to you.

Communication skills and all that, because when you're out of course, you're gonna want to be more formal.

Know what you're gonna say, be smart about it.

So that's definitely what golf taught me, rather than be like this erratic kid.

(Dennis)He said the darndest thing to me in Philadelphia.

He said, "look at what God did to me.

How can I be positive?"

If we can just turn that around and explain, "look at the vehicle he's given you through adaptive golf."

Maybe that was what it was all about.

(Anthony) I got in a car accident.

I lost my leg in 2020.

I was 18 years old.

The first year was pretty tough.

I was, it was a lot of recovery.

I mean, I just had to learn everything brand new.

I had to learn how to go to the bathroom to, you know, shake somebody's hand, open a door, everything.

I really thought, "oh, I'm never going to play a sport again."

My family finally dragged me out on the golf course, and I hated it, because I was like, "oh, I got to throw these sticks on the ground.

I got to hop around.

It's not the same as how I used to golf."

But I kind of just embraced it, looked at the bright side of things, and fell in love with it again.

-Oh, yeah.

-Look at that.

(Anthony) I'm pretty ambitious, and it's God-given.

I mean, how aren't you ambitious whenever you've been so much taken from you?

I don't want to let this define who I am.

Balance is like my entire game.

You know, I'll get my club and I go up into the tee box and I just throw my sticks.

Like "get rid of these things."

And I figure out my balance, find my line and hop up to the ball and I swing the club.

I really don't fall down very much.

God, like I'm saying, God blessed me with some crazy balance for some reason.

(Dennis) When I get in the car to come down here and I'm on my way back, it's like I fly.

It's like not work.

I'm 72 years old doing this, and it'd be real easy because a lot of my buddies sit on their butt, on their couch, and do nothing, and they play their own golf game, which is fine.

But the way I view it is, my golf game doesn't make a damn to anybody except maybe me, and now it really doesn't make that much difference to me.

But these kids that I'm teaching, their golf game might really make their lives different and better.

And that's where I need to be spending my time.

They're gonna teach you how to live.

(Tom) Like what you're seeing on Arizona Illustrated?

Then connect with us on social media for even more Arizona Illustrated.

Meet our team, go behind the scenes of Arizona Illustrated location shoots, see exclusive bonus content from our segments and find out the stories behind the stories.

Got an idea for the show, a comment or question?

Let us know.

Like, follow and subscribe to Arizona Illustrated on Facebook, Instagram and X. Harrison Preston is a Wa:k O'odham basket weaver and potter.

His work bridges the past and the present.

And he creates both traditional and contemporary art always dedicated to preserving his heritage through every weave and curve of clay.

[ PLASTIC BAG CRINKLING ] (Harrison) Pottery is just experimenting.

Sometimes the clay just doesn't want to do what you want.

Maybe a big pot might turn into several small pots, you know?

I am a multimedia artist.

I refer to myself as a Wa:k O'odham artist.

That's part of the larger Tohono O'odham Nation.

For the Tohono O'odham community, there's about 33,000 members to our tribe.

But there's probably less than 20 full-time potters.

And that's working today.

This is my full-time job.

I also advocate and demonstrate at different places.

I always like doing things with my hands.

Growing up, it was just me and my mom for a long time in Tucson.

She was always working to try to provide for us.

There wasn't a lot of kids around.

She would buy me craft stuff.

So that's kind of where I got my practice down.

For about 28 years now, I was a basket weaver.

I learned it during high school, and I always just jumped right in.

And so that's what I got well-known for.

Roughly about eight years now, I've actually been doing traditional Tohono O'odham pottery, which is Paddle and Anvil style.

This is a red clay that comes from the main reservation in an area called Topawa, just west of the Baboquivari Mountains.

This is a little added step where I'm just trying to marry these coils.

But because I'm not sure about this clay just yet, I just want to make sure that they're really stuck together well.

♪ AIRY GUITAR [ PADDLE-KNOCKING NOISE ] So really, I'm just looking and trying to get a uniform thickness.

Traditionally, Tohono O'odham pottery, we're well-known for having like an evaporative effect to it.

So you can see this pot here, the water has actually started to slowly come out to the surface, and it will keep it cool during the summer— especially in the desert, you know, it gets so hot, it would help keep that water cool.

It also gives it a better taste, and more of an earthy kind of taste to it.

Right here, all I'm doing is again thinning out that wall, but also trying to slowly start shaping it.

Especially water pots, you have to kind of treat the inside a little bit different, so that way you're trying to close up the pores and make sure that there's no big holes.

I like to shape as I grow, and so I usually then start working on the outside.

Traditionally, Tohono O'odham pottery was all plainware, because it was meant for cooking and water storage.

There was only a few instances where you had painted pottery that was usually for ceremonial use.

So the paint that I use is hematite paint.

So this is hematite that comes from an area southeast of Patagonia, so down more towards the border.

And so you can see here— [ HEMATITE SCRAPING ON STONE ] this one just really breaks down easy.

Sometimes it's a little softer, sometimes it's a little harder.

And this is maybe about—maybe about a good hour, hour and a half of grinding it on a stone, yeah?

So this is hematite mixed with a little bit of clay to kind of help it stick to the pot.

And then a little bit of mesquite sap— the clear sap— as a binder.

And so this is what they call dip and drag.

You just dip it in your paint and then drag it along the surface.

This clay here, it's a pink color; it actually comes from Magdalena in Mexico.

This is another one of those clays where for about two, three years I just could not get it to work.

It seems like it's going to work now, hopefully.

I kind of have to figure it out as I go along, you know?

So that's a quick design, you know?

This is agate—kind of come in and start to burnish it down.

And I'm just letting the stone do the work.

I'm not even applying any pressure.

A basic design, you know?

♪ SPAGHETTI WESTERN MUSIC Pottery, you know, it's going to be very humbling.

Early years you're going to lose probably about, I'd say, maybe 50% of your pots to cracking— to, you know, sometimes you can put them in the fire and they explode from the heat.

I always say, you know, it has to be fun.

If it's not fun, I don't want to do it.

It safeguards me from, like, the stresses in the world and things that are going on that are going to, you know, worry me, you know?

I always tell the, like, little kids, you know, you get to play with mud.

If you do it safely, you get to play with fire.

♪ SPAGHETTI WESTERN MUSIC CONTINUES ♪ Before we go, here's a sneak peek at a few stories we're working on.

That there are lots of granites in Southeast Arizona.

There was not a tectonic explanation for why the granites were here until plate tectonics emerged in the early 70s.

When oceanic crust was subducted underneath North America 50 million years ago, it didn't go down its normal steep angle.

And so it slid under Southeast Arizona.

And only when it came this far East did that slab, as we call it, penetrate the 100 kilometer depth required for a granite to form through crustal melting.

The granite oozed its way up, granite cut by very regular fractures.

If we can explore our way through the granite, we'd be exploring through cubes of granite.

One of the first things I told my therapist in the hospital, she had asked me, "What are your goals?"

And I think the first thing out of my mouth was I have to go back to my job.

All right, today your reporter is seat number four.

I was encouraging her to go back when she was ready.

I knew mentally and emotionally that would be the best thing for her.

Once you open up the simulation, this is what the screen's going to look like, okay?

We do donated sick leave in our school district and the amount of people that stepped up and donated days to me kept me getting a paycheck the entire time that I was in recovery.

Thank you for joining us here on Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara.

We'll see you again next week.