Public Information

Name

Fontana, John B.

Class

2017

Biography

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1938, John Fontana served as a machinist petty officer in the US Navy, 1957-1962. John worked in sales and marketing, and co-founded a multimillion-dollar California printing company. In 2000, John founded the Arizona Art Alliance, a 501©(3) nonprofit visual arts organization, and participated in and sponsored numerous veteran art exhibits. In 2013, John, acting on his awareness of veterans diagnosed with PTSD and TBI, developed a veteran outreach program offering a pathway to healing – free art classes in a friendly and non-judgmental environment. The veteran outreach program benefiting 90 men and women veterans each month, has grown to 9 locations: Surprise, Peoria, Cave Creek, Phoenix, Tempe, Apache Junction, and 3 locations in Mesa. John Fontana continues to bring together thousands of Arizona artists, including veterans, to enrich people’s lives through art.