PIXEL PIXIE
Making difference out of the details

By day, Alison King is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Phoenix. By night she's an artist and runs ModernPhoenix.net, an active online community that is reshaping the face of Phoenix one building at a time — and in some cases, rescuing them from total destruction.

You might mistake her for any other minivan-driving mama on the freeway, but then you'll receive one of her 3 am emails, or stumble upon her stories on ModernPhoenix at midnight. You could even be flipping through the pages of Desert Living magazine and then realize it's THAT PixelPixie: the one standing behind you in line at AJ's or picking up bread at Pané Bianco. She's out in the community and fighting hard for its preservation through writing, education and documentation.

Fierce, focused and mad about Phoenix.

Everyone wants to know: Does she ever sleep?

If you have passion you
don't really need sleep.

It's hard to hush a wildfire.

— Alison King

SELECTED WRITING + RESEARCH SAMPLES

Arizona at Midcentury: Photographs by Julius Shulman in Modern Phoenix
Remixing Phoenix in 944 magazine
Jazz Standard: The Lorna House in Desert Living magazine and Modern Phoenix
Restoration Yardware in Desert Living magazine [PDF] and Modern Phoenix
Research Your Midcentury Modern Home using Primary Sources in Modern Phoenix
Al Beadle's Executive Towers in Modern Phoenix
The Madole-Sedona West Studio in Modern Phoenix

SELECTED EDITING + INTERVIEWS ON MODERNPHOENIX.NET

The Cedar Street Residence by CoLab
Growing up Haver by Bucky Haver
Holy Houses! by Walt Lockley and Alison King
The Scoville House: Requiem in Shades of Gray by Walt Lockley
Banking on Progress: The Valley National Banks by Walt Lockley
Contemporary Landscaping with Xerophytic Plants by Thomas Park
20 Questions with Environmental Designer Troy Bankord

RECENT AWARDS

The New Times Best of Phoenix Award 2009
WebAwards Standard of Excellence, Architecture Category 2009
AIA Arizona Chapter President's Commendation 2008
The Art Institute of Phoenix Vanguard Award 2007
The New Times Best of Phoenix Award 2006
944 magazine Platinum Award 2006

RECENT LECTURES

The Haver + Nunn Partnership in Phoenix 1952 - 1982
Julius Shulman: Progress + Preservation Through the Lens
The Ranch Home in the Valley of the Sun
Get Found on Google: SEO for Smarties

RECENT WEBSITE DESIGNS

The Modern Phoenix Neighborhood Network
Bill Tonnesen, Landscape Architect
Iteon Consulting

RESUME

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TESTIMONIALS

"I take my hat off to you. You are one of the few who authentically walks the talk."

Eddie Jones
Principal Architect
Jones Studio

"Modern Phoenix has truly become an indispensable cultural resource."

Thomas Martens

"Many thanks for your passion and interest in understanding, excavating and preserving the legacy of modernism in one the 20th century's most important regions."

Anthea M. Hartig, Ph.D.
National Trust for Historic Preservation

"Every time I go to your site, I get really jealous. It's perfect!"

Margaret Foster
National Trust for Historic Preservation

"I've been frying my brain reading and watching the Modern Phoenix website for the last 3 1/2 hrs. It's like a book I can't put down. Seriously addicting."

Marc Patlan
Nostalgic Alley