AZ(LAND) is an organization that connects communities to co-create environmentally and racially just futures. Formed in 2023, the Arizona-based group uses arts, culture, research, and advocacy to deepen awareness of historical and current environmental injustices in the state. This includes Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities being disproportionately affected by lack of investment, heat islands, and lack of green spaces. Monique Franco, the organization’s co-founder, says: “We localise and prioritize where we grew up and worked in, focusing on south and central Phoenix. We want to be connected and embedded in the community.” Franco and founder Reggie Carrillo, who both have a background in education, have pioneered the “Barrio Innovation” framework, which guides students through the history of a place, engages them in research and data collection, before aiding them to “design the community they want”, she says.
AZ(LAND) stall at its TierrArte event in 2025. Photo: courtesy of AZ(LAND)
Counting on a team of between seven and eight, depending on the project, and a board of four, Franco says AZ(LAND) puts diversity front and center of its work. “We are very diverse, and I think that happens because our prioritization is around Black, Brown and Indigenous and also feminine-presenting people,” she says. “We can’t talk about historical context and historical injustice without recognizing that these are the folks that have consistently been not heard.” While primarily focused on south central Phoenix, AZ(LAND) has also worked collaboratively in Tempe and Scottsdale, and hosts “TierrArte” workshops that pair artistic practice with field experiences on public lands. The Barrio Innovation Initiative has won grants for its participating students, with one group of students focused on green space receiving funding in order to plant native seedlings, increasing biodiversity and shade. Such projects aim to have lasting results on students as well as their environment. “We foster youth leaders by creating alongside them,” says Franco. “They should be at the table.”
AZ(LAND) and partners taking part in a TierrArte workshop in 2025. Photo: courtesy of AZ(LAND)