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Rock Art Center anthropologist named one of Phoenix’s 100 creative forces


Casandra Hernandez speaking into microphone at Deer Valley Rock Art Center
May 20, 2014

Arizona State University anthropologist Casandra Hernandez has been named one of Phoenix New Times’ 100 Creatives for 2014.

The interpretation and programs coordinator at the ASU Deer Valley Rock Art Center is known for her influence in the creative and Latino communities, as well as her work at the center.

She says her job there “has to do with making connections between our desert environment, history and contemporary issues through public programming.”

Hernandez has worked hard to not only preserve the center’s legacy, but to also make the location relevant to contemporary audiences from all walks of life. In addition to playing host to youth programs and archaeology festivals, the center has recently been the setting for outdoor performances by the legendary modern dance duo Eiko and Koma, and Columbian street theater troupe Nemcatacoa Teatro.

This fall, the center will produce cultural events that address the theme of connecting ideas and politics across borders.

A native of Mexico who came to the U.S. at 18, Hernandez has been selected as one of only 28 fellows of the 2014 National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute.

The ASU Deer Valley Rock Art Center is a 47-acre archaeological and cultural site and nature preserve that is home to over 1,500 ancient petroglyphs. It is part of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.