As some of you may know, we like to kick off our annual awards by recognizing a member of the arts community that has gone above and beyond when it comes to supporting said community. And, although we had a few recommendations for the recipient of our Spirit Award this year, Steph Carrico was the undoubted winner in our eyes.
For more than a decade, Steph has been a tireless champion of burgeoning musicians and artists in Phoenix and beyond as the owner/Mama Bear of The Trunk Space. And, for a brief moment, it looked as if 2016 just might claim our Valley’s own DIY sweetheart of a space when The Trunk Space closed the doors on its Grand Avenue location, but Steph refused to let this venue fall by the wayside like so many before it.
Instead, she set out on a hunt to find The Trunk Space a new home and THEN she proceeded to revamp the venue’s new locale in proper TS-style with the help of her trusty team of volunteers. If you popped over to The Trunk Space during the renovations, then you probably caught sight of Steph in work pants wielding a hammer or a paint brush or whatever tool the task of the day called for.
The Trunk Space is a home for many of the weirdos and art freaks and musicians trying to break-free from the confines of convention. And that, my friends, is the beginning of real art. Because of Steph, we continue to have a place where we might convene and share the fruits of our ongoing artistic labors; a place that gives voice to emerging artists; a safe place that encourages self-expression rather than mocking it.
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Previous Spirit Award Winners:
2015: DaDadoh
2014: Andy Warpigs
2012: Robbie Pfeffer
2011: Bryant Vazquez
