Priceless Nature

Tzasná Pérez Espinosa is a Mexican American designer and artist. A graduate of ArtCenter College of Design, they have worked on visual projects around equity, sustainability, health, and LGBTQIA+ rights.

For their Zócalo Sketchbook, Pérez Espinosa has rendered images of California flora and fauna on top of local store receipts. The vibrant colors and undulating lines of the art joyfully overwhelms the substrate of humdrum commercialism.

Of their work, Pérez Espinosa says, “I’m delving deeper into understanding systems of care and Indigenous knowledge in regard to nature, and how essential they are to healing ourselves. …

Where I Go: My Teacher, the Tomato

How This Beautiful Plant and Its Magic Fruit Guides a Professional Chef in the Kitchen, and in Life

Food can connect us to the earth, our community, and ourselves. But first, we need to open a space to listen to and be in exchange with the ingredients.

As a …

The Aerospace Corporation’s Malissia R. Clinton | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

The Aerospace Corporation’s Malissia R. Clinton

I Had to Take the CIA Polygraph Test Twice

Malissia R. Clinton is the senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary of the Aerospace Corporation. Previously, Clinton was the senior counsel for special projects at Northrop Grumman. In advance …

The Long, Hard Road to Fast, Fun Vegetarian Fare

For the Co-Founder of Veggie Grill, Going Plant-Based Required a Major Lifestyle Conversion

Truth is one, paths are many. That was the motto of Swami Satchidananda, a popular spiritual guru from India. His philosophy, which I grew up hearing, was that God can …