MOCA gives a cheer to five local geniuses | Arts & Culture

The Museum of Contemporary Art has unveiled its latest slate of Local Genius awardees for 2013.

They are evolutionary biologist Dr. Anna Dornhaus; architect Rick Joy; ecologist Dr. Gary Nabhan; bioanthropologist Dr. Peter Warshall; and legal scholar Robert A. Williams Jr.

They will be public lauded April 12 at the MOCA Local Genius Award Gala.

The MOCA Local Genius Award honors those visionary and innovative Tucsonans whose activities have a global impact, and whose talents have been internationally recognized.

The Awards are a testament to the rich intellectual diversity of Tucson and a reflection of MOCA's commitment to honoring cutting edge creativity in all disciplines and practices.

The Awards are inspired by the ancient Roman concept of genius loci, or "the spirit of place", the unique sensibility that sets a place apart from others.

What is Tucson's genius loci? A radical landscape that both challenges and awes, magical light that inspires, endless vistas that remind us of the grand passage of time and a complex history and heritage that provides a rich diversity of thought and sensibility.

Only in Tucson could such a diversity of genius flourish – genius characterized by innovation and creativity, a passionate commitment to one's pursuits, and to pursuits beyond oneself. Each of the Local Geniuses are unique contributors to their respective fields and are both a product of and a contributor to Tucson's unique genius loci. 

The contributions of these visionaries to the economic, cultural, and social well-being of Tucson and the world will be celebrated throughout the Spring of 2013 with a series of Local Genius events at MOCA in downtown Tucson, 265 South Church Ave.