Goodyear exhibition invites artists to ‘Make Believe’

By Steve Stockmar
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For Sydney Storment, the invitation to “Make Believe” sounded almost as if it had been written for her.

The 22-year-old Tempe artist and Arizona State University student gravitates toward fantastical imagery, vividly rendered figures, bold colors and patterns. So when she discovered Goodyear’s call for artists for its new “Make Believe” exhibition, the connection was immediate.

“I thought it was a perfect fit,” Storment said. “Things that are a little bit out of the ordinary, kind of fantasy inspired. That’s right up my alley.”

The exhibition opens Oct. 7 at the Georgia T. Lord Library and runs through Jan. 20. It features 42 works by 29 artists, according to Goodyear Arts and Culture Coordinator Layne Ruiz.

The city-created theme encourages artists to let imagination take over. Its call for entries suggested everything from “castles in the sky” to talking animals and creatures of the artists’ own invention.

Storment, a Tempe native and 2022 Marcos de Niza High School graduate, has been making art since childhood. She now studies art education at ASU and works primarily in oil, though she also incorporates acrylic and mixed media.

Her work frequently celebrates bright colors and femininity, which she describes not as frivolous but as “bold and strong and powerful.” She also rejects the notion that meaningful art must necessarily be dark or somber.

“I love making happy, joyful artwork because you spend so much time with an art piece, and that’s what I want to invite more into my life, and that’s what I want to invite into the lives of the viewers,” Storment said.

The exhibition also arrives during a milestone year for Goodyear as 2026 marks 20 years since the city established its Arts & Culture Division.

Ruiz said the anniversary has prompted the city to consider how its arts programming has developed and where it might go next.

“We really are trying to tell our story right now of how important arts and culture is, how much we’ve grown,” Ruiz said.

That growth is visible beyond gallery walls. Goodyear now has 62 artist-designed traffic cabinets and 11 Hearts of Goodyear public-art pieces, Ruiz said. The city also offers programs for young artists and adults 55 and older.

Ruiz said accessibility is central to the library exhibitions. Artists do not have to be established professionals to participate, and there is no fee to display accepted work.

For Storment, that kind of public access gets at something fundamental about art itself. She first understood its impact while painting murals as a student at Marcos de Niza and hearing from classmates who enjoyed seeing them while walking to class.

“Public art was a means to make something really ordinary become a little extraordinary,” she said.

Its effect does not have to be monumental, she added. Sometimes public art simply provides “something small but uplifting to everyday life.”

Steve Stockmar can be reached at sstockmar@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Steve Stockmar
News Editor | Sun Life Magazine & Arts & Entertainment YourValley.net

sstockmar@iniusa.org

Meet Steve
Steve Stockmar joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, and has been an Arizona journalist for almost 30 years. He serves as editor of Sun Life Magazine and contributes to West Valley communities where he focuses mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference.

Community: Every season Steve serves as a “buddy” with the Miracle League of Arizona in Scottsdale, has volunteered his time with Family Promise in Glendale, and previously served on the Ghostlight Theatre board in Sun City West.

Education: Graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a Journalism major and English minor.

Random Fact: Steve once won a 50-player live Texas Hold ’Em poker tournament.

Hobbies: Anguishing over his beloved Chicago Cubs and Bears; listening to Beatles and Grateful Dead music.