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BUSINESS EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT MEDIA / Modified jun 18, 2025 4:02 p.m.

The art of "Kindred Spirits: Honoring Animals in Death".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Katrina Kerstetter shares how she brought back things she learned in South Korea to help make Southern Arizona a better place. by Mark McLemore

Kindred Spirits Coyote hero Animal memorial by Amanda Stronza.
Amanda Stronza

Arizona Spotlight

June 19, 2025

NPR
(Download MP3)

Featured on the June 19th, 2025 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:

  • Get a closer look at an exhibition at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. “Kindred Spirits” is a collaboration between Amanda Stronza, Rachel Ivanyi, and Hannah Salyer, three mixed-media artists who pay tribute to the contributions made in life and in death by wild animals, many of whom lose their lives as a result of human activity. By inviting others to witness this often unseen stage in the cycle of life, the artists hope to build connections and catharsis.

Kindred Spirits Studio hero Rachel Ivanyi (left) and Amanda Stronza (right) of Kindred Spirits in the AZPM Radio Studio.
AZPM / Zoe Juliano

Kindred Spirits Porcupine hero Animal memorial by Amanda Stronza.
Amanda Stronza

Kindred Spirits Squirrel hero Animal memorial by Amanda Stronza.
Amanda Stronza

Kindred Spirits Lion Painting unsized VIEW LARGER Painting by Rachel Ivanyi.
Amanda Stronza

Kindred Spirits Wall Art hero "STOP: In the Name of Love" series by Rachel Ivanyi.
Amanda Stronza

Kindred Spirits Sculpture unsized VIEW LARGER Sculpture by Hannah Salyer.
Amanda Stronza
Kindred Spirits Wall Sculpture unsized VIEW LARGER Sculpture by Hannah Salyer.
Amanda Stronza
  • And, meet one of four local artists who is getting a welcome boost from Artists At Work, by way of an 18-month salary with benefits so they can concentrate on their work. Tony Paniagua has an interview with Katrina Kerstetter, Tucson resident and world traveler, who is also this month’s storyteller.

In addition to working at the Iskashitaa Refugee Network’s Garden Art Program, Kerstetter also founded and operates the KORU Multicultural and Diverse Library in Tucson and travels frequently to South Korea, where the idea was born.

The other southern Arizona artists being recognized by Artists At Work are Shane Beeshligaii, Porfirio “Pilo” Mora, and Harrison Preston.

Katrina Kerstetter hero Katrina Kerstetter, this month's storyteller, outside AZPM.
AZPM / Tony Paniagua

Katrina Reading hero Katrina Kerstetter reading to children at the KORU Library in Jeju, Korea.
KORU Library, Jeju

Katrina and Barbara hero Katrina Kerstetter with Barbara Eiswerth, PhD, the founder of Iskashitaa Refugee Network.
Iskashitaa Refugee Network

Katrina Outside hero Katrina Kerstetter with Charles, a lawyer from Burundi, who has been volunteering at Iskashitaa since 2022.
Iskashitaa Refugee Network

Arizona Spotlight
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Friday at 8:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.

Webpage by Zoe Juliano.

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