Arts

Art Happens in Storied Congress Space

November 1, 2014 | Monica Surfaro Spigelman

The Krikawa Family, left to right: LeCarie Whitfield, Chief of Operations (Patrick’s Wife); Patrick Swartz, Master CAD Modeler (Lisa’s brother and John’s best friend from High School); John Krikawa, Chief Technical Officer; Lisa Krikawa, Founder, CEO, Head Designer. Photo © Balfourwalker.com

Art Happens in Storied Congress Space
Krikawa Jewelry Designs is upping the ante downtown, adding its new design studio, gallery and retail space to an already critical mass of cool on Congress

The eastern end of Congress exerts a gravitational pull downtown – with a steady diet of food and drink phenomena. But it’s time to start walking west, where a faceted flash has been added to the mix…and a long-standing Tucson designer has raised the game along the far reaches of downtown’s entertainment corridor.

Lisa Krikawa – award-winning jewelry designer and the last graduate of the University of Arizona’s metal-smithing program in 1997 ––is moving her studio downtown, the first jewelry house devoted to a mix of contemporary wearable art gallery, jewelry bench, local artisan resource and offices. It’s an ambitious new project launched by her 17-year old Tucson family-operated company, following a year of research and planning. Leasing the 4,200 square-foot space once occupied by one of Tucson’s first jewelers (Daniel’s Jewelers), Krikawa has carefully renovated the historic jewelry store, exposing its brick and tiles, and preserving touches like the Daniel’s mosaic street tablet, under the sparkling direction of Baker-Hesseldenz Design and architect J. Chauncey Meyer, known for their innovative urban modern spaces.

Since opening shop in her garage, Lisa has forged a singular niche in an international arts landscape, where her couture-design custom rings, her extremely detailed layering of the old-world mokumé-gané technique on heirloom pieces, and her high-tech, intricate swirls of gems set in precious metal are renowned. As much at home carving her own jeweler waxes as crafting 3-D CAD-modeled designs, Lisa has built a business showcasing environmentally-clean and ethically-certified pieces, with a mystique unlike anything else you’ll see in Tucson. Krikawa has thrived under Lisa and her family’s symbiotic partnership, growing into an organization of 11 employees and over 5,000 custom designs for clients from Australia to Canada, and from Germany to New York, California and Tucson.

After multiple moves across the city, from garage, to a Sam Hughes studio and most recently to St. Philip’s Plaza, Krikawa says the 21 E. Congress St. relocation, opening November 22, signals that her studio is growing up, a perfect marriage of high art, community vision and unerring instinct for what’s cool.

“We’re artisans who belong downtown,” confirms Krikawa, who notes that everyone working at the company has his/her own art. “All our choices convey our vision of creative expression, and sustain our desire to be part of a dynamic community integral to our customers’ experience.

“When I saw the space I saw it as a possibility for anything,” she continues. “I knew it was right for Krikawa.”

With its tall ceilings and brick walls left raw, the innovative structure is being built out in a multi-faceted layout resembling a small design city. In a bright front exhibition area, visitors will observe handcrafted modern displays showcasing works of top-tier artisans; further into the 1,600 square feet of gallery showroom space will be a congenial lounge area as well “play stations” for customers to visualize and personalize the process of creating custom jewelry pieces. Further back, Krikawa gets even more interesting with window views in to the creative nurseries – the soldering, CAD and tooling stations, as well as the jeweler’s bench. Krikawa offices are in the back.

Lisa Krikawa has a vigorous agenda for her front exhibition space, and has invited approximately 30 premier artisans to be part of the first show, an installation called Local Flavors, on view through January 31. The collection features contemporary jewelry pieces, hats and other wearable art, making for a gallery experience that’s both intimate and communal, spiced up by unusual offerings that mix metals and patterns. Intuitive and diverse, the Local Flavors show is influenced by local design and what feels right. “It’s experimental, it’s fun,” Lisa observes. “It’s thoughtfully curated, but it also has a freshness relatable to everyone.”

Architecturally-styled Erik Stewart jewelry, as well as urban designs by Maureen Brusa-Zappelini and unique silverwork by Sam Patania, are among the works and artists represented. Like a fine digital mix made by a friend, the collection works because of the detail and the quality.

For the opening, Krikawa also is introducing a new line of sterling food-related charms, a whimsical nod to the foodie and fashionista locavorism of her Congress counterparts. A portion of charm sales will support the Food Bank, a philanthropic practice Krikawa routinely provides to local nonprofits.

A hint of Krikawa’s unique downtown programming is evident in its planned extracurricular activities, including DIY workshops, which will allow customers to be involved in the CAD design and even the polishing of their custom pieces. “Art is personal expression and we want those who wish it, to have a hand in their own jewelry,” she asserts.

This type of DIY involvement, although somewhat revolutionary in the jewelry business, is of growing interest, and Krikawa excitedly talks about the creative empowerment planned in her studio.

“I’m a Tucsonan who always has believed in the spirit of downtown,” the metalsmith says. “With this space, I can continue my business as a successful commercial venture, but also open up to new creative options for myself as an artist and for the community as a whole.”

Krikawa’s dynamic sense of possibility is jumping at the chance to explore the less orthodox. “I don’t want to put any limits on what Krikawa might do downtown,” she smiles.

Krikawa Jewelry Design’s new space opens Saturday, November 22, 6-9pm., with its Local Flavors exhibit, 21 E. Congress St., downtown. Showroom and design appointment hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9am-5pm; Saturday, 10am-4pm. (520)322-6090, Krikawa.com.

Auditions: When Actors Fly

September 6, 2014 | Dave Sewell

Diane Schwartz was not one to throw herself into the arms of a man she barely knew. But after a marathon audition session for a community theatre production of Noël Coward’s Private Lives, Diane couldn’t help herself. She had endured reading after reading for the part of Sybil, holding her own opposite a blur of Elyots, Amandas, and Victors. But in the end, when Diane was the last Sybil standing, and the director cheerfully informed her that she was in, she lost it at last. With a whoop of triumph, the normally reserved petite mother of two went airborne.

Diane’s director, unharmed by the impact of his new Sybil’s joyful leap, knew how she felt. Though it may seem irrational, actors invest an enormous amount of time, energy, and emotional capital into competing for what amounts to a temporary job, with little to no compensation (except for a lucky few), and scant opportunity for advancement. But for most actors it’s more than a job: it’s a mission. Preparation is everything, but even the most prepared actor may fumble the execution.

Meagan Jones, a tall, attractive redhead is one of many actors who pursue acting roles throughout Tucson, home to a vibrant community of talented artists. To a director’s eye, Jones is at an optimal age. She can “project” a wide range of characters from a classic ingénue in her twenties, to a worldly but twisted Lady Macbeth. For Meagan, auditions are part of the process, though not one she relishes. Still, she arrives at every audition, ready to compete against a small herd of local hopefuls.

Tony Eckstat and Meagan Jones performing with Golden Age of Radio Theater in August.
Photo: Dave Sewell

“I feel I’m really competing against myself; I don’t compete with other actors,” says Jones, enjoying a cup of house brew on the shady patio of Raging Sage Coffee Roasters, not far from the University of Arizona. She has a regimen that has served her well in a wide variety of audition situations, part of a discipline that includes mastery of short monologues tailored to the type of play she may be reading for. That discipline, combined with eight years of classes in comedy improv, provides Jones with the confidence needed to face unknown situations. Experience helps, but every audition presents a whole new set of challenges.

An actor like Jones may be asked to perform one or both of her monologues (one “up” and one “down,” that is: one from a comedy and one from a drama), and then given “sides”: one or more scenes from the play to read with other actors. Perhaps whoever she’s pared with will have a comparable skill level, possibly a friend she’s worked with before. That’s the best scenario. Or, she may be teamed with a partner who may attempt — without warning — to wow the director by propelling himself off the walls and furniture, thus earning the quick dismissal of both actors. The luck of the draw.

Long time professional stage director Sheldon Metz has seen his share of careening actors. Over an omelet at the eastside Millie’s Pancake Haus, Metz pulls out one anecdote after another, even referring to two pages of typewritten notes to refresh his memory. After more than 45 years in L.A. and six in Tucson, Metz has close to 180 directing credits to his name, which means 180 opportunities to dodge the occasional airborne Sybil, or wonder what to do with the vastly proportioned woman encased in a mega-plus-sized muumuu with her heart set on reading for the svelte and sultry Maggie of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. (He let her read, of course.)

Although Metz has no doubt seen legions of actors who arrive at auditions on-time, well-prepared, and dressed appropriately, it’s the flakes and the blissfully oblivious who stick in his memory. He recalls one actor who only wanted to audition backstage, explaining, “I get nervous in front of an audience.” Another shy actor — or perhaps it was an ill-advised artistic choice — placed a chair upstage and performed his entire audition monologue facing the chair with his back to the audience.

And then there was the young woman who arrived in costume to read for a specific part. When Metz asked if she would be kind enough to read for another part as well, she cheerfully assented by stripping down to bra and panties on stage in front of the stunned director and a house full of actors, pulled a fresh costume out of her bag, and prepared herself for the reading.

Over the years Metz has compiled a list of dos and don’ts he wishes all actors would keep in mind when they come to auditions. He avidly recites some of his favorites:

Don’t tell me your life’s story.
Slate yourself. (That is, tell me your name and what monologue you’re going to do.)
Don’t apologize for being late. In fact, don’t be late.
Don’t say this: “Do you mind if I go first? I have an appointment for another audition.”
Don’t say this when your phone rings in the middle of your audition: “Excuse me a minute.”

Classes, workshops, and books galore provide tips, techniques, and admonishments that actors ignore at their peril. Most heed the wisdom gleaned over 2,500 years of theatre practice. Innovation, such as bouncing off of walls to emphasize key moments or stuffing a pillow under one’s shirt to simulate a character’s portly build, is risky and likely to blow up in the actor’s face. For one thing, the pillow may suddenly shift to the left mid-reading. Cue a roomful of people trying valiantly not to erupt in hysterics.

Like Meagan Jones, Tony Eckstat believes in relentless preparation for every audition. Eckstat, an energetic, personable man in his 40s, has been acting for more than 15 years. His résumé not only includes numerous plays of every type, but also several films and TV ads for Vantage West Credit Union, Basha’s Bakery, Eegee’s, and Hyundai, among others. Eckstat almost never walks into an audition cold, having researched every aspect of the production he can gather. He arrives with contrasting monologues rehearsed and ready to go, tailoring his approach to the type of job and time allotted.

According to Eckstat, the differences between auditioning for film or commercials and reading for a play are few, but some adjustments need to be made for the intimacy of the camera.

Tony Eckstat
Photo: Dave Sewell

“An actor must be much bigger for a play, much more of a presence,” says Eckstat, noting that actors have to be seen and understood in the back row just as well as they can be in the front. For filmed performances, Eckstat says, “information and energy must be conveyed with smaller movements because the camera picks up and magnifies everything. Performances must be more nuanced. A raised eyebrow might be a significant movement on film. A raised eyebrow might be invisible on stage.” Wall bouncers please take note.

Both Eckstat and Jones were asked if going into an actual job interview was the same or different than going to an audition. Both actors were quick to mention a malady common to both endeavors: jitters. Eckstat notes that he never gets nervous before performing onstage, but he definitely gets butterflies before an audition. He assumed that his extensive auditioning experience would make non-theatre job interviews less nerve-wracking, but “that hasn’t been the case for me.”

Jones draws a greater distinction between interviewing for a job and auditioning for a role. At an audition, she says, “I’m more nervous in the sense that acting is my passion. I take it more seriously. I put 110 percent into it.”

What makes it all worthwhile, of course, are those moments when the director calls with good news: the part the actor really, really wanted. Then the audition marks the pinnacle of the actor’s career, at least for a little while. But most of the time, as Meagan Jones says with a wink and a wry grin, “Auditions suck. I hate them!”

Tucson Women on the Mic: A FST! Storyteller’s First Year

September 5, 2014 | Melanie Madden

This September, FST! Female StoryTellers observes its second birthday on Wednesday, Sept. 10, and I’m so happy to celebrate with them.

When FST! (pronounced “Fist!”) began in September 2012, I wasn’t aware of it. I didn’t know any of the women involved. I’d only been in Tucson a month, a California transplant newly arrived to work on a two-year graduate degree at UofA. I had no ties to the local community, no connections outside the insular world of my MFA cohorts. I had no idea that right across Downtown, somewhere beyond all that street car construction, the girl gang I’d been looking for all my life was being conceived and born.

I wouldn’t learn about FST! until June 2013, when the guy I was dating invited me to my first show, “A Letter to Anyone” at LoveSmack, a warehouse gallery on Toole Avenue next to the railroad tracks.

“You’re going to love it,” he said. He was right. I was immediately delighted, and confused. An open forum, just for women to tell their stories? An at-capacity paying audience who listens? When James described it to me as “feminist storytelling,” I imagined the most sparsely attended poetry readings I’d ever uncomfortably sat though. When we arrived, and I saw so many folding chairs set up, filling the empty gallery space, I worried these poor gals were kidding themselves. Then people came and claimed all those seats, and I wondered if I had stumbled into a dream.

Comic Lauren Wiggins founded FST! for a simple reason: she likes doing stand-up, but was getting tired of rape jokes. As a middle finger to the stand-up world’s open hostility to women, Wiggins set out to create an alternative space where women could take the mic, and only women (on the gender spectrum, not as half of a binary—transwomen and transmen are FST!ers, too) would be invited onto the stage.

Two years later, FST! has featured 44 unique storytellers, hosted 22 shows, and raised over $5,000 for local nonprofits and community organizations. It is independent, all-volunteer, grass-roots, and community-based. It has moved from LoveSmack in the Warehouse Arts District, to (now defunct) Beowulf Alley Downtown, to its present longstanding 4^th Avenue venue, The Flycatcher (formerly Plush). There is a website: Fstorytellers.com. I proudly show my affiliation with a bright pink FST! button I wear on my purse, and FST! T-shirts are designed by local artist Donovan White. What I’m trying to say is this: FST! is legit.

As I watched the seats at LoveSmack fill up on that sweltering Saturday night in June 2013, and not with the gray-haired second-wavers in tie-dyed sundresses that I expected (no disrespect, I’ve got mad love for the tie-dyed second wavers, some of whom are great supporters of FST! – thank you! Please tell stories with us!), but with punks and hipsters and bright-lipped, tattooed chicks. Where were the NPR tote bags? Where were the Birkenstocks with organic cotton socks? What were these cool people going to do when the women got on stage and started telling stories?

It’s like I said: they listened. And we laughed. And we were moved.

I knew right away I wanted in.

I submitted my first story for the August 2013 show, “Shameless,” at Beowulf Alley Theatre. In the year that followed, I took the stage six more times, telling stories for “Never Say Never,” “Next Chapter,” “I Fought the Law,” “Best Summer Ever,” “ . . . And I’m an Adult!” and celebrated my first FST!iversary in August, with “More than Meets the Eye.”

I’ve grown a lot as a performer, and as a writer, thanks to FST! My fellow FST!ers are so good they inspire and challenge me to get better. Recently, I joined FST!’s storytelling committee, helping to give feedback on the story drafts we see each month. FST! provides more than just a platform for women to share their stories – it offers resources to make those stories more powerful. At rehearsal, when FST!ers give each other tips on how to tweak a story or its delivery, the conversations are always constructive and supportive. We encourage one another, believe in one another, and always leave rehearsal pumped about our next show.

As the organization celebrates its second birthday this September on Wednesday, Sept. 10, there are still people in Tucson who’ve never been to a FST! show, or still aren’t sure what it’s all about. It isn’t about any one thing, except this: women’s lives. Since women’s lives are made up of all kinds of different experiences, it’s tough to summarize just what kind of stories will show up on the FST! stage on any given month. But here are some traits that FST!’s most moving and memorable stories have in common.

Truth
Sure, we may change names to protect the innocent. We may embellish, exaggerate, and employ hyperbole – it’s not like we’re being held to the same standard of truth as witnesses in federal court. But the power of FST! stories comes from the fact that they are based on our storytellers’ lived experience.

Humility
Of course none of us would be standing under the spotlight with a mic in our hands, demanding the attention of a roomful of people, without some measure of ego – but the best FST! storytellers understand that a good performance serves the story, and the goal of the story is to share some little measure of wisdom that can benefit the audience (even if it’s just to make them laugh). On the FST! stage, storytellers check their egos at the door.

Life
The best stories teach the audience something, but they aren’t lectures. They are smart, but don’t talk down to us. They are enlightening without preaching, vulnerable without self-pitying, touching but unsentimental.

Underrepresented Voices/Breaking Stigma/Confronting Taboos
FST! strives to be a diverse and inclusive space for women and transfolk. To become a space that better represents all women’s stories, we would like to welcome more FST!ers who are 40+, women of color, queer and/or genderqueer, and disabled. FST! storytellers are often incredibly courageous, telling stories that the mainstream media and culture thinks we should be ashamed of. We want more of the voices that aren’t being heard.

On the FST! stage, topics have included sex, chronic illness, mental illness, plastic surgery, domestic violence, abortion, teen motherhood, and sex work. It might sound, on the whole, like a lot of uncomfortable material, but the stories come with humor and personality and presence, and every time, I am amazed to see audiences go there with us and leave just a little bit wiser having been part of the journey.

I suppose “community” is the word for what we have – this space where we support each other and work so hard to craft our stories into an experience we can laugh about together – but I prefer “girl gang,” because there’s something edgy about us gals on the mic, fists in the air, challenging the status quo. Being funny, and feminists, at the same time. FST! shows always entertain, and the audience always has our back – no judgment. It’s a beautiful thing.

The next event happens at Flycatcher, 340 E. 6th St., on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. Get more information at FSTorytellers.com.

Performing Arts Season Spotlights 2014-2015

September 2, 2014 | Zocalo Staff

Tucson’s theatre scene is the opposite of bland. Eclectic, exciting, lively, raucous, serious, hilarious, heartbreaking, sweet, sensual, over-to-top, and down-to-earth, the blend is more wide-ranging and diverse than the current line-up of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors. The variety speaks to the amazing amount of creative energy in the Old Pueblo, with performance companies that cater to both affluent patrons and audience members on a budget. The breadth truly is remarkable, so buy some tickets and embrace your town’s artistic, dramatic flair this year!

Sit back, relax, peruse Zócalo’s season snapshots and start booking some dates. We hope to see you at the show!

– Jamie Manser

The Rogue company of actors reprising some of their favorite roles.
Photo: Tim Fuller

Stage/Theatrical

Arizona Onstage Productions
Coming off of its highly-lauded rendition of Les Misérables, which ran Aug. 9-17, the company dedicated to musical theatre has three productions scheduled for this season. Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings offers Christmas standards that have all been “Plaid-erized.” The boys are back to do their Christmas Special. At first Francis, Jinx, Smudge and Sparky don’t know why they’ve returned to Earth for another posthumous performance, but the heavenly Rosemary Clooney lets them know that they’re needed to put some harmony into a discordant world. Shows are Dec. 5-20. Come Feb. 8-9, AOP presents Broadway Musicals, A Jewish Legacy. Based on the PBS Documentary, this show examines the unique role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical and features the work of Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim. AOP closes its season with And the World Goes ‘Round March 20-April 5, a musical revue showcasing the songs of John Kander and Fred Ebb. The revue takes its title from a tune the songwriting team wrote for Liza Minnelli to sing in the film New York, New York. The show consists of an eclectic collection of love songs, torch songs, and acerbically witty comic numbers. All performances are at the Temple of Music and Art’s Cabaret Space, 330 S. Scott Ave. See ArizonaOnstage.org for details and tickets.
– Zόcalo

Arizona Opera
Our fine state’s opera company is again delivering an impressive season of performances for audiences in both Phoenix and Tucson. With six operas spread out over the 2014-2015 season and a mixture of classics and lesser-performed works to choose from, this season is quite exciting. Most anticipated in many circles are two classic works: Verdi’s Rigoletto, (Nov. 22/23) a dark tale set in 16th century Italy featuring a court jester with revenge on his mind, and the Mozart classic The Magic Flute (March 7/8) which features some of the composers most famous music and wonderful sets and is always a crowd favorite. However, it is the company’s first performance of the year that is of historic significance. Cruzar la Cara de la Luna is the world’s first mariachi opera to hit the stage, with only two Tucson performances (Oct. 18/19). Featuring Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, the story “revolves around a modern immigrant family struggling with issues of home, family and identity.” Visit AZOpera.org for more information and tickets or ring (520) 293-4336. All shows take place at the Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. – Herb Stratford

Arizona Rose Theatre Company
The home-grown, family-run company lists three productions on its website for the 2014-15 season, including: Robin Hood – The Musical (Oct. 10-12); Crazy For You (Feb. 20-22) and Steel Magnolias (April 18-19). The first two shows are at the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd., and the last performance is at Temple of Music and Art’s Cabaret Space, 330 S. Scott Ave. Visit ArizonaRose.cc or call (520) 888-0509 for updated information. – Zόcalo

Ian Lowe and Joe Kinosian in Arizona Theatre Company’s “Murder for Two.”
Photo: Joan Marcus

Arizona Theatre Company
Tragedy, love and art appear to be the central themes of the 2014-2015 season at the Arizona Theatre Company. With thrillers like Wait Until Dark (Oct. 18–Nov. 8) and tragedies like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Feb. 28–March 21) on tap we’ll like need the respite of the madcap comedy Murder for Two (Nov. 29–Dec. 20) to lighten the mood with its 13 characters played by just two actors. Another season highlight is the world premiere of Five Presidents (Jan. 10–Jan. 31) that imagines the scene when five past presidents are all gathered in a room prior to Richard Nixon’s funeral. Productions take place in both Phoenix and Tucson. The local digs for ATC are at Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. More details and tickets available by calling (520) 622-2823 or online at ArizonaTheatre.org. – Herb Stratford

Borderlands Theater
Celebrating its 29th season, Borderlands was formed as an official non-profit in 1986 and its “mission from the start was to present the diverse voices of the U.S./Mexico Border region.” Continuing with that goal, the company brings to the stage three plays for 2014-2015, two of which are world premieres. They Call Me a Hero, by Guillermo Reyes, starts the season and is based on Daniel Hernandez’s memoir of the same title. Hernandez, credited with saving the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords during a 2011 shooting spree, was thrown into a whirlwind of publicity after he became a national hero. Reyes examines how, “as his private life becomes public, Daniel’s family and upbringing in South Tucson provide the backbone that empowers him.” The show runs Sept. 25-Oct. 5. Absence/El Ausente is a drama about three generations of a Mexico City family who endure the absence of a son, husband, and father who have left for the United States in search of work. As the family’s situation deteriorates, a sighting of their absent loved one catapults the play to its surprising ending. Performances alternate between English and Spanish, Feb. 12-March 1. Closing the season April 9-19 is the world premiere of River City by Diana Grisanti. Shaken by her father’s death, Mary sets off to uncover three generations’ worth of secrets buried in the West End of Louisville, Kentucky. All performances are at ZUZI’s Theatre, 738 N. 5th Ave. Call the box office at (520) 882-7406 for tickets or go to BorderlandsTheater.org for more details. – Zόcalo

Hilary Maiberger as “Belle” and Darick Pead as “Beast” in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” presented by Broadway in Tucson Dec. 12-14. Photo: Amy Boyle

Broadway In Tucson
Since relocating from the Tucson Convention Center’s Music Hall to UA’s Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., Broadway in Tucson continues to present world class Broadway productions for the Tucson market. This season again features a mixture of revivals; Guys and Dolls (Feb. 24–March 1), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Jan. 7-11), and hot current Great White Way favorites like Once (March 31-April 5) and Flashdance (Nov. 4-9). But perhaps the most anticipated show may be Beauty and the Beast, on stage Dec. 12-14. Further information and tickets are online at BroadwayInTucson.com or call (520) 903-2929. – Herb Stratford

The Community Players
Previously located at the Red Barn Theatre on Main Street south of Speedway Boulevard, as of this past summer The Community Players have a new location and a new name. The group strives to provide affordable, quality plays, musicals and revues for the community, by the community. This season brings several productions: 6 Rms Riv Vu (Sept. 12-28), Gypsy (Oct. 31-Nov. 23), A Community Christmas: A Holiday Revue (Dec. 12-21), Guys On Ice (Jan. 9-25), Duets Revue (Feb. 13-22), The Complete History of America (abridged/March 6-22), and Rumors (May 8-24). The new location is at 1881 N. Oracle Rd. Get more details by calling (520) 887-6239 or visiting CommunityPlayersTucson.org. – Zόcalo

Gaslight Theatre
This is, without a doubt, Tucson’s home for melodrama and old-fashioned theatre hi-jinks. The 2014-2015 season features a few not-to-miss shows like Cronan The Barbarian from Sept. 4–Nov. 9 and The Secret Santa from Nov. 13–Jan. 4. The Gaslight’s interactive theatre experience is a real family treat with excellent writing, acting and performances; their innovative stage design is not to be missed. It also hosts concerts throughout the year, so keep an eye on their website for those. This is one Tucson institution that never gets old, book tickets for the Christmas show months ahead or be left out in the cold. The theatre is located at 7010 E. Broadway Blvd., by phone at (520) 886-9428 and online via TheGaslightTheatre.com. – Herb Stratford

Invisible Theatre presents award winning pianist and storyteller Richard Glazier in “Broadway to Hollywood” on Dec. 7 at the Berger Performing Arts Center.
Photo courtesy Invisible Theatre

Invisible Theatre
This Tucson institution is celebrating its 44th season with a slate of six different shows and two special events. IT’s unique mixture of comedy, mystery, drama and unique storytelling is unmatched by any other theatre company on local stages. Highlights this year include four Southwest premieres and two Tucson premieres as IT presents tales of family guilt (Cannoli, Latkes and Guilt), murder mystery (Sheer Madness) and family comedy (A Kid Like Jake). Performances take place at with the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd., or at IT’s stage, 1400 N. 1st Ave. Visit InvisibleTheatre.com or dial (520) 882-9721 for details. – Herb Stratford

Live Theatre Workshop
For two decades, LTW has worked to provide “performance and education to entertain, enlighten and uplift our community and to develop theatrical talent.” It maintains a year-round schedule, with the 2014-2015 starting this past June and running through June 2015. Mainstage productions include: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged and revised, Sept. 4-Oct. 6), 9 Parts of Desire (Oct. 16-Nov. 15), The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays (Nov. 20-Dec. 28), The Savannah Disputation (Jan. 8-Feb. 14), Move Over Mrs. Markham (Feb. 19-March 28), Enchanted April (April 2-May 10), and The Columnist (May 14-June 13). LTW also hosts a family series, All Together Theatre, with four performances running from September through June 2015. It all happens at 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. Details are available by calling the box office at (520) 327-4242 or visiting LiveTheatreWorkshop.org. – Zόcalo

The Rogue Theatre
This season marks the company’s tenth anniversary, which has developed a reputation for presenting classic stage works with a unique twist. This year includes plays by luminaries such as Clifford Odets (Awake and Sing, Sept. 11-28), Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot, Jan. 8-25), Virginia Woolf (The Lady in the Looking Glass, Feb. 26-March 15) and William Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice, April 30-May 17). The Rogue’s intimate space at 300 E. University Blvd. in the Historic “Y” is an ideal location to re-experience the classics. Go to TheRogueTheatre.org for more information or ring (520) 551-2053. – Herb Stratford

UA Repertory Theatre
An often overlooked gem on the local theatre scene, the University of Arizona’s Repertory Theatre program presents an annual season of shows that are excellent in their execution, and that also provide a chance for the public to see the next generation of professional stage talent right here in town before they make their way to the Great White Way. This season they will present six shows, including: Frankenstein (Oct. 19–Nov. 9), The Full Monty (Nov. 9–Dec. 7), and Othello (March 8–April 5). Shows take place on the UA campus in the intimate Tornabene Theatre black box space and in the Marroney Theatre, just off Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue. Find the full season’s schedule, and tickets, at Theatre.Arizona.Edu. – Herb Stratford

Winding Road Theatre Ensemble
According to its website, “WRTE has a particular commitment to developing new work by American playwrights. We fulfill our mission by producing seasons of contemporary and classic works representing diverse styles, themes, and perspectives; and by presenting readings, workshops, and full productions of new plays.” This season it brings three productions. From Nov. 6-23 is Arthur Miller’s classic Death of a Salesman; United, by Toni Press-Coffman,hits the stage Feb. 5-22 and “explores the lives of the passengers and crew members of United Flight 93, who came together on September 11, 2001 in an attempt to take back the plane from terrorists, and saved the lives of an incalculable number of people.” Rough Magic, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, rounds out the season April 16-May 3 with its “hilarious contemporary riff on The Tempest, it presents a Caliban who has escaped Prospero’s island and is on the run from his powerful master. He finds himself in modern-day New York where he joins forces with a dramaturg with magical powers and a love-struck lifeguard who might just be the child warrior fated to save the world.” Performance locations, tickets and more details are available at WindingRoadTheater.org or by calling the box office at (520) 401-3626.
– Zόcalo

Dance

Artifact Dance Project Company Dancers.
Photo: Ed Flores

Artifact Dance Project
Artifact Dance Project begins their 2014-2015 season on a high note, having relocated their home base over the summer to a historic Downtown warehouse at 17 E. Toole Ave. While most of their performances will still take place at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1713 E. University Blvd. on the UA campus, one season highlight is sure to be the fundraiser performance Wearhouse, which is taking place at the troupe’s headquarters on Oct. 24. The warehouse is the company’s home for classes and business operations and will no doubt be inspiring many works to come in the future. As in the past, Artifact continues to offer unique collaborations this year with local composers and artists to create performances which are unlike any other group in town. Collaborative concerts this year include: Down In Town (Dec. 13), An Artist’s Proof (Jan. 9-11), Until (Feb. 6-7) and the return of Speak Easy (April 3-5). Get specifics and tickets at ArtifactDanceProject.org. – Herb Stratford

Ballet Tucson Company Dancers
Photo: Ed Flores

Ballet Tucson
Tucson’s only professional ballet company kicks off its season with a triple bill premiere performance of the Phantom of the Opera along with Joplin and Boler-O. The Phantom piece is an original piece inspired by the 1925 silent film, and should be a real treat when it hits the stage at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1713 E. University Blvd., Oct. 17-19. Two other highlights of the 2014-2015 season, its 11th as a fully professional company and the 29th overall, include the presentation of The Nutcracker at the TCC, 260 S. Church Ave., on Dec. 26-28 and the group’s presentation of Sleeping Beauty on May 2-3 at Centennial Hall. See BalletTucson.org for complete details and tickets. – Herb Stratford

University of Arizona School of Dance
Photo: Ed Flores

University of Arizona School of Dance
This year the UA Dance Ensemble celebrates 10 years of performing in the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1713 E. University Blvd., with six productions slated for the 2014-2015 season. First up is JAZZ in AZ, featuring a fast-paced show with a sampling of jazz, tap and contemporary dance from Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Following is Premium Blend, an amalgam of several pieces being presented Oct. 23-26 and Oct. 30-Nov. 2. Next is In Focus–Student Spotlight, concerts showcasing student creativity through choreography and performance, on stage Dec. 4-7. Color Wheel is another presentation with a fusion of dance performances happening Feb. 18-22. Another student spotlight, titled Boundless, takes place April 23–May 2. Spring Collection offers new multi-genre works by faculty from April 24-May 3. Get more information at Dance.Arizona.edu. – Zόcalo

ZUZI! Apprentice Company “Powerful Women” Concert Spring 2014.
Photo: Larry Hanelin

ZUZI! Dance Company
The non-profit community arts organization is a professional dance company, a school for dance and movement arts, and a theater for the performing arts community. The group is committed to “affirming diversity and collaboration through educational programming, community participation, and local and national outreach and exchange,” according to their website. Three events of note are on its calendar this fall. First up is the annual No Frills-Cheap Thrills Dance Happenin’, set to take place Oct. 24-25 at 7:30pm. The yearly Family and Friends Sharing event is Dec. 6 and the Solstice Celebration happens from December 19 to 21. All shows take place at the ZUZI! Theater, located in the Historic Y, 738 N. 5th Ave. Find out more at ZUZIMoveIt.org. – Herb Stratford

Music

Arizona Friends of Chamber Music present Artemis Quartet on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Photo courtesy Arizona Friends of Chamber Music

Arizona Friends of Chamber Music
According to its press release, AFCM has, since 1948, “brought internationally renowned musicians to Tucson, presenting exquisite chamber music in the comfort of a small concert hall — one where the audience becomes part of the performance. It is intimate, engaging, and friendly…..a world-class experience!” Performances happen at the Tucson Convention Center complex’s 511-seat Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave. AFCM offers a three-part season: the Evening Series, Piano & Friends and the 22st Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival. The 67th annual Evening Series features six concerts, the 20th season of the Piano & Friends series hosts four concerts and the Winter Chamber Music Festival runs from March 15-22. Affordable season and individual concert tickets are available online at ArizonaChamberMusic.org or by calling the box office at (520) 577-3769. – Zόcalo

Tucson Pops Orchestra hosts Rob Wright, one of the premier four-string banjoists in the world, on Sept. 21. Image via TucsonPops.org

Tucson Pops Orchestra
This season, Tucson Pops celebrates its 60th Anniversary of Music Under the Stars™. The 2014 Fall Concert Series takes place on Sundays in September at 7 p.m. at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, Reid Park. Sept. 7 hosts the Conductor’s Choice with Music Director/Conductor László Vere presenting a wide-range of favorites; Sept. 14 sees Orchestral Favorites, again with László Vere at the helm and Sept. 21 features Rob Wright, one of the premier four-string banjoists in the world. There is a limited amount of seating at DeMeester, which fills up quickly. Bring folding chairs or a blanket. The Parks and Recreation Department runs three shuttles from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. from the parking lot at El Con Mall. Find out more at TucsonPops.org. – Zόcalo

TSO presents Pinchas Zukerman, a virtuoso violinist, with his wife, Amanda Forsyth, Principal Cellist with Canada’s National Arts Center Orchestra on March 31, 2015.

Tucson Symphony Orchestra
Each year the Tucson Symphony presents an ambitious mix of programs for the community that combine classics, pops programs and innovative new work. This year is no exception as their 2014-2015 slate features works by Gershwin and Copland (Sept. 26/28), Tchaikovsky and Greig (Oct. 24/26), Brahms and Mozart (Jan. 10/11) Ultimate Symphonic Rock (Feb. 7/8), Texas Tenors (Feb. 28/March 1) and The Canadian Brass (March 21). Also not to miss this year is a performance by Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth on March 31. With performances at the Tucson Convention Center and other Tucson locations there’s no excuse not to have a symphonic art experience this year. See TucsonSymphony.org for the full schedule, ticket and location information. – Herb Stratford

Variety

Lela Rose of Black Cherry Burlesque.
Photo: Hannah Gaber

Black Cherry Burlesque
Tucson’s longest running burlesque production hosts a live, theatrical production involving the art of striptease. Many performers pay homage to the extensive history of burlesque with vintage style costumes and classic 30s and 40s music of burlesque’s heyday. Headquartered at the Surly Wench Pub, 424 N. 4th Ave., BCB was started by the pub’s owners, Inga Kaboom and Stephka von Snatch, in 2006 after they fell in love with the art of burlesque. The show features a wide variety of performers, styles, themes and music. Performances are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. On Sept. 19, BCB debuts a new production, Burlesque For The Soul, a benefit for Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault. Doors are at 7 p.m., the show is at 8 p.m. with an encore at 10 p.m. $10 cover at the door, $20 VIP seating available for advance purchase at BlackCherryBurlesque.com. Call (520) 882-0009 for more details. – Zócalo

Carnival of Illusion
One of the hottest tickets in town for the past three years has been Carnival of Illusion’s intimate parlor magic experience. Having sold out the last three seasons in a row, the Tucson-based magic duo of Roland Sarlot and Susan Eyed have expanded their base to include performances in Phoenix and Mesa. Their sixth season opens locally at the Doubletree by Hilton, 445 S Alvernon Way, on Sept. 26. It is a not-to-be-missed show due to its intimate and fun nature as well as the quality of the stage work. Tickets and dates are online at CarnivalOfIllusion.com. – Herb Stratford

The intimate setting of the Carnival of Illusion show.
Photo: Open Lens

Comedy
We admit we haven’t been hipped to the local comedy scene, and we hope the 2014-2015 season changes that! A few local comedy troupes are currently on our radar. Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed, online at UnscrewedComedy.com, hosts weekly improv shows at its new mid-town digs at 3244 E. Speedway Blvd. every Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The LaughingStock Comedy Company, Laughing.com, brings their unique brand of improvisational comedy to two Tucson venues in October. On Oct. 3 at Tanque Verde High School, 4201 N. Melpomene Way, LaughingStock performs at 6 p.m. to raise money to benefit the TVHS Theatre Department in their efforts to purchase new curtains. The Saturday, Oct. 4 7:30 p.m. performance at St. John on the Desert Presbyterian Church, 2695 N. Houghton Road, to raise funds for the church’s missions and outreach. Tucson Improv Movement (TIM, TucsonImprov.com) recently moved to a location on 4th Avenue, click here for the Zócalo story. Of course, we can’t cover comedy without mentioning Tucson’s mainstay Laff’s Comedy Caffe! Running continuously since 1988, Laff’s has live stand-up shows by nationally touring comedians every Friday and Saturday night – with two shows a night. Laff’s also hosts a weekly “Open Mic Nite” every Thursday, “where you can get a glimpse at some of the Southwest’s up and coming stars in the comedy world and even jump on stage yourself.” Laff’s is located at 2900 E. Broadway Blvd., online at LaffsTucson.com and by phone at (520) 32-FUNNY.
– Zócalo

Mavis Staples performs at Fox Tucson Theatre on Fri, Sept 5. A benefit show for KXCI 91.3FM community radio. Photo: Chris Strong

Fox Theatre
Dubbed as Downtown’s crown jewel, the historic Fox Theatre (17 W. Congress St.) is offering a robust line-up of heavy hitters in the live music events category, several variety shows and classic films for its 2014-2015 season. Highlights include: Mavis Staples, Sept. 5; Last Comic Standing, Sept. 16; La Musique TYP annual Fashion Show, Sept. 19; Stand Up to Stop Violence IV, Sept. 21; Get The Led Out/Led Zepplin Tribute, Sept. 28; Kansas, Oct. 3; Nils Lofgren, Oct. 4; Paul Reiser, Oct. 9; Girls Night: The Musical, Oct. 11; Asia, Oct. 13; Lee Ann Womack, The Way I’m Livin’ Tour, Oct. 16; Tucson fashion Week, Oct. 18; Ray Lamontagne, Oct. 23; David Broza, Oct. 30; Darlene Love, Nov. 2; David Sedaris, Nov. 6; James Van Praagh, Nov. 7; Senegal Gospel Choir, Nov. 9; Late Night Catechism, Nov. 22; Judy Collins, Dec. 2; Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood, Dec. 6; Dr. John, Dec. 7; Merry-Achi Christmas, Dec. 18; The Fab Four: Ultimate Beatles Tribute, Jan. 17; Dianne Reeves, Jan. 18; The Hot Sardines, Jan. 23; Roger McGuinn, Feb. 13; Audra McDonald, March 15; Ladies Sing the Blues, April 18. Specifics on the events are available at FoxTucsonTheatre.org or by calling the box office at (520) 547-3040. – Zócalo

Odyssey Storytelling
Every month, this Tucson institution hosts community storytellers bringing their slice of life to local audiences. As its website states, “The act of sharing stories about our journey connects us to other people and in this way, the audience is a vital part of the event. Odyssey Storytelling provides the container to bring together a collection of diverse tellers.” Topics on the docket for the fall are: Sept. 10, Out of this World: Amazing, Supernatural or Unforgettable (at the University of Arizona’s Flandrau Science Center); Oct. 2: Peer Pressure; Nov. 6: Breaking Bread; Dec. 4: OMG! The Cringe Show. All shows are at 7 p.m. at Fluxx Studio and Gallery, 414 E. 9th St., unless noted. Learn more at OdysseyStorytelling.com or call (520) 730-4112. – Zócalo

UAPresents
UApresents’ season is again full of different and interesting offerings this year with a few familiar returning shows mixed in as well. Back for a third year is the family-friendly Zoppe Family Circus (Jan. 9-18), along with other perennial favorites Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre (April 12) and the KODO drum group (Feb. 8). Other shows of note include singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega (Feb. 22 at Fox Theatre), A Conversation with Alec Baldwin (Nov. 15), Comedian Jay Leno (Oct. 25) and perhaps the hottest ticket of the season Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly (Oct. 26). Shows are at the Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. on the UA Campus, and at other locations around town. Find further details at UAPresents.org. – Herb Stratford

UApresents “An Evening with Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly” on Oct. 26.
Photo courtesy UApresents

Living on the Fringe

September 1, 2014 | Jim Lipson

Being an average middle class, culturally enriched, baby boomer (formerly a euphemism for middle aged but now just a way to say older) white male, I like theater as much as the next guy of similar background and demographic. When I was a kid, my parents took me to see Hello Dolly on Broadway (sans Pearl Bailey—she was sick) and I even got to see a Noël Coward play which, by the way, was terrible. My mom said it was his only flop. I know, who the hell is Noël Coward? (First rate example as to why Google was invented). And finally, at Centennial Hall, I saw Jersey Boys the summer, which anyone can tell you was great (whether they’ve seen it or not).

So, I was excited when my editor gave me the assignment of doing a theater piece — Tucson’s fourth annual Fringe Festival. Say what? Oh, you know, the local version of a semi obscure international theater phenomenon that produces various performance and performance art pieces where anyone can do virtually anything, provided they get their application in on time and pay the nominal application fee.

"Burlesque Vanguard – Advice from a Homeless Stripper/Clown" written and performed by Paco Fish. Photo by Stereovision Photography

“Burlesque Vanguard–Advice from a Homeless Stripper/Clown” by Paco Fish.
Photo by Stereovision Photography

Seriously, it’s that easy. No complex juried application processes to sweat through where you have to hope someone will really get your vision and inspiration, or understand your bizarre sense of humor or unique take on the world. Instead artists have the freedom to be as creative as their imagination and resources will take them. In a world of reality TV where we are constantly judging or being judged, it’s both freeing and refreshing to have an institutional platform that will support the creative spirit in this way.

How creative and how freeing? Hah! Well, non-juried also means uncensored which also means anything goes. And before your mind goes to that place that equates uncensored with some kind of inappropriate video montage, allow yourself to consider the following brief synopses of performance pieces which are being offered up in this year’s Tucson Fringe Theater Festival.

“In a cinematic collage weaving storytelling, painting, music, and dance, Jeanmarie Simpson reflects upon the death of her father in this one-woman show.” Multi-dimensional, heartfelt – nice; and then this, courtesy Maryann Green: “Four old college friends reunite for a wedding. Over drinks they discover that what they think they want may not in fact be what they need. Irrevocable choices are made and bombs are dropped. Turns out The Rolling Stones were right.” An ensemble performance and good use of the Stones as a cultural metaphor. And then my favorite blurb…”Crazy Standup By a Grownup, by Hillary Pursehouse. 10 minutes of hand written strange realities of life in Southern Arizona.” Best part about this, perhaps, is that it’s short and it’s free (unlike all the other Fringe performances, which require a mere $5 cover).

Other offerings will include a performance of Slideshow Fairytales where returning Fringe performer Catfish Baruni adapts The Facts in the Case of the Great Beef Contract by Mark Twain. It has something to do with Civil War General William T. Sherman, 30 barrels of delivered beef and a bill that still has yet to be paid.

Catfish Baruni presents "Slideshow Fairytales" adapting Mark Tawin's "The Facts in the Case of the Great Beef Contract" at this year's festival. Image courtesy Tucson Fringe Theater Festival

Catfish Baruni presents “Slideshow Fairytales” adapting Mark Twain’s “The Facts in the Case of the Great Beef Contract” at this year’s festival.
Image courtesy Tucson Fringe Theater Festival

Another performance is an experiential and partially improvised one act play by Hilary Bluestein-Lyons about a boy with severe ADHD who uses computer games to cope; then there’s comedy from the four members of the Christopher Walken Club who will take impersonating Walken to a whole different level. There’s even a show by the venerable performance artist/musician Fish Karma sub-titled, “A musical celebration of the end of human civilization.” And there is more, nine pieces in all, none of which will be like anything anyone has ever seen before.

For the record, Fringe is not a fly by night anomaly but a festival and concept with roots overseas that date back to the mid-1940s. Co-organizer Sara Tiffany says she and Yasmine Jahanmir, her friend and co-producer of Fringe, are excited to think that the festival can be a part of the ever evolving face of Downtown. “Art history and performance art give us an opportunity to take something we are passionate about and connect that with the community.”

All performances are limited to 60 minutes (or less) with discounts available for viewing of multiple shows. If you like performance art and theater you will undoubtedly find something here that will tweak your fancy. But just so you know, Jersey Boys this ain’t.

The Tucson Fringe Theater Festival is Friday, Sept. 12–Sunday, Sept. 14 with multiple performances at various times at Club Congress (311 E. Congress St.) and Fluxx Studio (414 E. 9th St.). For a complete schedule visit the festival website at TucsonFringe.org.

The Christopher Walken Club presents “Walken in his Shoes” at the Fringe Fest. From left to right: Brandon Howell, Michael Howell, Stephanie Howell, Ruben Rosthenhauler, Luke Howell.
photo courtesy Tucson Fringe Theater Festival

Comedic Improv on the Ave

August 31, 2014 | Craig Baker

Justin Lukasewicz and Mishell Livio during an improv sketch.
Photo: Patrick Moore

Ever seen someone hit in the face by an imaginary pie or chased through an imaginary forest by an invisible flying purple people-eater? Well, neither have I, but if this sounds like something that could be your cup of, er, imaginary tea, a comedy show at the Tucson Improv Movement (TIM) is your perfect prescription. And come the middle of this month, a night of laughing your butt off will mean nothing more than an easy jaunt down 4th Avenue.

Though they are the youngest improv comedy troupe (and probably the youngest performance troupe in general) in Tucson, the TIM crew is rising quickly to the forefront of the local funny-folk scene, and their new location next to D&D Pinball on 7th Street promises them even more visibility — and more regular shows — than ever before.

TIM’s Producer and Founding Member Justin Lucasewicz came to Tucson in 2012 by way of North Carolina, where he performed and trained future cast members with a comedy group called DSI Theater. In October of that year he taught his first local improv class to a group of five students in the back room of Lotus Massage and Wellness Center (“so, lots of good jokes there,” he says) and by May of 2013, he and his first ensemble players were performing weekly shows and holding regular classes at the Red Barn Theater on North Main Street just south of Speedway. But, as enrollment in TIM’s workshops continued to increase, Lucasewicz and team saw that the small theater was not going to be able to meet their needs indefinitely.

“We’ve outgrown our digs at the Red Barn Theater,” says Lucasewicz. He explains that TIM has had to work around the schedule of the house performance troupe there, meaning severe limitations on the number of shows that the comedy troupe can put on, as well as limits to the availability if the space for teaching classes. The new space, he says, will allow TIM to bump the number of weekly performances from one to upwards of five right off the bat, and will also allow for much greater flexibility with respect to catering to improv students.

Since June, cast members have been working to get the new space ready (soundproofing the wall shared with the neighboring pinball arcade, building a stage, getting the lighting and sound systems up to snuff, painting) to prepare for their “Backers-Only” soft open on Saturday, Sept. 6, which will feature performances for the fans that contributed to their $10,000 Kickstarter Campaign toward renovations. The following Friday, though, performances will open to the public for the first time and needless to say, the TIM comedians are jazzed for the big day. Not only will TIM be the best (and, often, only) place to catch a live theatrical performance on 4th, but Lucasewicz says that being on the Avenue means that the crew is “getting a lot of really good buzz, which,” he asserts, “is cool.” Super cool.

If you’re looking to have your gut-busted on a Friday or Saturday night or are searching for a way to sharpen your funny bone, 4th Avenue is now officially Tucson’s primary proprietor of the world’s best medicine. No, I’m not talking about medical marijuana — I’m talking about laughter. And when it comes to that good stuff, I think we could all afford to up our dosage.

The new TIM location can be found at 329 E. 7th St. The grand opening is Saturday, Sept. 13. Showtimes and information on registering for improv classes are available at TucsonImprov.com.

Carly Quinn’s Business & Artistic Acumen

August 31, 2014 | Jamie Manser

Carly Quinn at the front counter of her production studio/gallery.
Photo: Jimi Giannatti

It’s mid-August and Carly Quinn is summarizing her summer; a lot has happened since we first got together in June. In a mere couple of months, she’s garnered coverage in Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine, was an exhibitor at the Dwell on Design L.A. convention, scored editorial coverage in an upcoming issue of Dwell magazine, expanded her production department – both equipment and bodies, picked up new clients, and has been working on opening a satellite gallery in the Foothills this month.

What’s all the hubbub about?

Tile. Beautiful, ubiquitous, functional, artistic tile. Carly Quinn Designs offers custom, hand-made glazed tile – produced at 403 N. 6th Ave. in Downtown Tucson – and has gone international.

“I got into a gallery in Israel and they bought a bunch of my Arabesque designs,” Quinn says. She slightly shakes her head of curly blonde hair, with a smile that seems somewhat perplexed by the adventitious happenstance.

“Arabesque?” I have no idea what that means in the design world, but it sounds cool. Her striking blue eyes refocus, explaining, “Arabesque is a Moorish-based design, a curvilinear design.”

Getting into an Israeli gallery and into a forthcoming issue of Dwell magazine both stemmed from her participation as an exhibitor at the 2014 Dwell on Design L.A. convention. The mid-June event ran three days. “It’s a show for buyers, architects and designers,” Quinn details. “We didn’t make a ton of sales but we made a lot of contacts.”

Networking is a method that has worked well for the 30-year-old artist/business owner. Gathering contacts, taking chances, knocking on doors, good ol’ perseverance and the gorgeous high-quality product has kept the doors open for over three years and is growing the business steadily – a business she started with $800 and a folding table.

“We’re getting more orders, orders for galleries and a couple wholesale people we have, like Mexican Tile & Stone Company, their orders started to increase pretty significantly and I think that’s why I started hiring more people.

“Beyond our custom work, which has been increasing every month, our big thing is we got an account with this company called Avila Retail. They’re based in Albuquerque, and that just happened in February. They own 40 retail shops in six different international airports. And that was when things started to get really nuts over here. So we’re shipping out hundreds and hundreds of tiles to them every month. Right now, we’re in three shops at Sky Harbor (International Airport), we’re in one shop in Albuquerque, and they are putting us in San Francisco International and Denver International. So, that’s pretty sweet!”

Curious about her connection creating process, I inquire: “How did they find out about you?”

Carly chuckles, her face lights up, and she explains: “Well, I, on a whim… I got a wild hair up my ass in late January when (husband) Anthony and I had a day off. ‘Let’s drive to Albuquerque, I want to see these people.’ I saw their shop at the Phoenix airport – we were waiting for our flight to Austin for Thanksgiving I think – and I walked into one of their shops and noticed there was a lot of handmade stuff. And it took me a little bit of time to kind of work up the courage to just do it, to go up there (to Avila Retail in Albuquerque) and see what they would say, and it went really well. They were kind enough to let me present my work to them. And then they placed an order for four of their stores right there in their shop.”

Finding and expanding the number of distribution shops is perpetual, she says, “I’m always in work mode no matter where I am or what I’m doing. For instance, when we were in Austin, I had my iPhone out writing down every single store I thought my stuff would be good in, and I’d take the list and I’d email people and I’d call them, doing a lot of marketing stuff for myself. And two thirds of the time, people are not interested, one third of the time, they are.” Her shrug says c’est la vie. “I’m constantly thinking about it, it can get a little annoying. I’m very driven to take care of the business end, and I like it.”

Quinn’s laid-back exterior belies her ambition. As they say, still waters run deep. For a small business to survive, the leader must be driven, but it doesn’t mean one has to be Type-A. With mellow measure and artistic acumen, Carly is at the helm with artists and musicians Keli Carpenter, Lisa Lemke, Katie Carr and Dani Hawley helping Quinn keep the ship afloat and running smoothly. The staff keeps the kiln fires lit, firing tiles that get shipped out several times a week at a rate of 20 to 50 boxes weekly. It is work that must be done both quickly and accurately; the process of silk screening and glazing the tiles takes skill.

“We have to train everyone extensively. It takes a lot,” Quinn says. “We can’t just hire anyone. You have to be artistic, you have to have a steady hand, you have to have an eye for color. And, you have to know what you are doing with the glaze.”

Quinn glazes a tile sky. photo: Jamie Manser

Glaze. To the untrained eye, the pre-fired glazed tiles look like blobs and swirls of brown and grey, green-grey, brown-grey, light grey, dark grey, but just hues of brown and grey. It is the chemical reactions taking place in the kiln that bring the array of colors to life.

“It’s my favorite thing ever, watching those colors develop and blend and the chemistry behind it all. And I’ve never taken any kind of ceramics class ever, so, largely self-taught when it comes to firing and figuring out what is going on with glazed colors. Which can be really frustrating. It doesn’t look like anything before you fire it, but over the course of nine years of making tile, now it is really easy for me to discern what the glaze I put on is going to look like,” she explains.

“Do you still get surprised?”

Her response is an immediate, “Oh yeah, almost every day! Constantly problem solving, finding new glaze combinations that work really well together. I think one thing, over the course of playing around with these colors for nine years is figuring out what colors blend well together, what colors work in the kiln – under our firing circumstances – and what colors don’t. I’ve been able to source and mix some really amazing reds, orange and yellow colors that no one else has. I think that developing a painterly quality in my work also sets us apart from other people that make tile. It’s pretty hard.”

Quinn is no stranger to hard work. Her art education took five and a half years, resulting in a Bachelors in illustration, a Bachelors in fine art, a minor in graphic design and website design, and a minor in art history. The last couple years of her college career, Quinn worked with a tile artist, which set her on her tile-paved path.

She says it is the functionality of tile, “that had a big draw for me because going into college, knowing I was getting the degrees I was getting I was really scared about finding a job, but art was the only thing I wanted to do, ever, with my life. So I was going to do it, but I had to find a way to not be starving all the time. So I thought that tile would be a good way to maybe not be starving all the time because people love tile and it is functional.”

We look around her studio/gallery/shop in the historic Old Market Inn, surveying the different types of tile on display. There’s the previously mentioned Arabesque designs, along with her new Alhambra-inspired mural, a bevy of flower tiles, Sonoran desert scenes, Día de los Muertos skulls colorfully adorned, and even house numbers and field tiles – all in various sizes to suit any purpose. They are presented on tables or hanging from the walls of exposed brick, illuminated by natural light that comes through the floor-to-ceiling front windows.

Carly Quinn Designs is located in the 1880-built Old Market Inn on 6th Avenue.
Photo: Jimi Giannatti

She points out the second kiln that’s been brought in to keep up with demand, and gestures over the area that will be re-allocated to production. “Everything is going to move up, ” she says, motioning towards the front/east end of the shop.

It’s a great place to have a little tile factory/gallery – the 1,000 square foot space is sandwiched between Exo Roast Co. and Tap and Bottle on 6th Avenue at 7th Street, in another pocket hub of the hopping Downtown scene.

“I love it. I love that I was the first one in this building and I used to have to lock my door when I was here by myself and since then, over the course of three years, Exo has come in with their specialized amazing coffee, and then Tap & Bottle opened and it’s like – when there’s a food truck here – I don’t have to leave the shop. It’s perfect and it’s very Tucson, to me. I really love my neighbors. And we’re all designing, all four of us in the building – along with Design Collaboration in the back, and that’s Margaret Joplin – all four business owners are working to build Tucson’s first parklet, which is happening right now. We are having design meetings every week, we’re submitting our designs to the city. And, that’s kind of a big deal, so it’s cool to be a part of Tucson’s first anything and something that’s so cool like a parklet and something that we actually can all come in with our own designs and ideas and make this thing that’s going to be out there that people can enjoy.”

“What else is going on?”

She pauses for a minute, adding. “I’m going to start doing tiles for Disney. An animator that has been working for Disney for 50 years can reproduce the characters she has specifically drawn, but the license only allows her to reproduce them onto tile.” A minute later, her co-worker reminds her of another project.

“Oh yeah, thanks! I’m also doing the All Souls Procession 25th Anniversary tile, taking the artwork Mel Dominguez did and truncating it into six inch tiles. And donating half the proceeds to All Souls. I’ll start with a run of 100, it will be a limited edition, cost $25. Starting in September, people can buy them here, online on the All Souls Procession website and at local businesses downtown.

“It’s my favorite event,” she says as we wrap up our chat. “I wanted to help it somehow, and be a part of the community.”

September also sees Carly Quinn Designs expanding its Tucson footprint to the Foothills, with a satellite gallery opening in Gallery Row at 3001 E. Skyline Dr. Sample the designs online at CarlyQuinnDesigns.com, visit the downtown space at 403 N. 6th Ave. or ring (520) 624-4117 with inquiries.

Galleries Sept 2014

August 30, 2014 | Marisa Bernal

“Desert Cutlass” by Bill Colt featured at Wilde Meyer Gallery

ART HOUSE CENTRO From Tucson, With Love by Gavin Troy opens Sat, Sept 6 with a reception from 7pm-9pm. Old Town Artisans Complex, 201 N. Court Ave. 620-1725, OldTownArtisans.com

BORDERLANDS BREWING COMPANY Pueblo de Colores by Dan Chavez continues through Sun, Sept 14. 119 E. Toole Ave. Wed- Sat, 4pm-9pm. 261-8773, BorderlandsBrewing.com

CENTER FOR CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY Performance: Contemporary Photography from the Douglas Nielsen Collection continues through January 2015. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat & Sun, 1pm-4pm. 1030 N. Olive Rd. 621-7968, CreativePhotography.org

CONTRERAS GALLERY In The Distance by Jeff Litvak runs Sat, Sept 6-Sat, Sept. 27. Reception Sat, Sept 6, 6pm-9pm. Tues-Fri, 11am-5pm; Sat, 11am-4pm. 110 E. 6th St. 398-6557, ContrerasHouseFineArt.com

DEGRAZIA GALLERY IN THE SUN Degrazia Paints the Signs of the Zodiac and Degrazia’s Greatest Hits continues through January 2015. Daily, 10am-4pm. 6300 N. Swan Rd. 299-9191, DeGrazia.org

DESERT ARTISANS GALLERY Rivers of Light continues through Sun, Nov 9. Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, 10am-1:30pm. 6536 E. Tanque Verde Rd. 722-4412, DesertArtisansGallery.com

DRAGONFLY GALLERY Abstract Men: The Art of Phil Hastings, Bob Kray, Bart Mahoney and Photographs of Rod Mullen continues through October. 146 E. Broadway. 628-3164 x210.

ETHERTON GALLERY Without and Within: Keith Carter and Kate Breakey opens Tue, Sept 2. Reception Sat, Sept 13, 7pm-10pm. Tue-Sat, 11am-5pm. 135 S. 6th Ave. 624-7370, EthertonGallery.com

FOUR CORNERS GALLERY Refreshing, landscapes by Michael Drury, opens Wed, Sept 3. Tucson Desert Art Museum, 7000 E. Tanque Verde. 202-3888, TucsonDart.com

“Light on Shadows” by Abigail Gumbiner shows at the Jewish History Museum.

JEWISH HISTORY MUSEUM Temple of Shadows continues through November. An exhibit of photographs before the museum’s renovation in black and white and afterwards infused with color. Professional photographers Abigail Gumbiner, Annu Palakunnathu Mathew, and David H. Wells collaborated over the years to capture the 1910 “Stone Avenue Temple.” Reception is Sun, Sept 14, 2pm-4pm. Wed-Thu; Fri, 12pm-3pm; Sat-Sun, 1pm-4pm $5 non-members. Free for members. 564 S. Stone Ave. 670-9073, JewishHistoryMuseum.org

JOSEPH GROSS GALLERY The Map Is Not The Territory by Ted Lawson opens Thu, Sept 11 with a reception from 6pm-9pm. Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 626-4215, CFA.arizona.edu/galleries

LOUIS CARLOS BERNAL GALLERY Southwest Observed opens Tue, Sept 2. Reception Thu, Sept 11 from 4:30pm-6:30pm. Mon-Thu; 10am-5pm. Fri; 10am-3pm. 2202 W. Anklam Rd. 206-6942, Pima.Edu/cfa

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART IUD: Bakerman, Blueprint and Sebastiaan Bremer: MOCA Bas-Relief continue through Sun, Sept 14. $8, adults; free, children under 12, members, military; free to all last Sunday of the month. Wed-Sun, 12pm-5pm. 265 S. Church Ave. 624-5019, MOCA-Tucson.org

PHILABAUM GLASS GALLERY & STUDIO See website for information. Tue-Sat, 11am-4pm. 711 S. 6th Ave. 884-7404, PhilabaumGlass.com

SOUTHERN ARIZONA WATERCOLOR GUILD WOW #4 continues through Sun, Sept 14. WOW: Watch Our Walls Show #5 opens Tue, Sept 16. Reception Fri, Sept 19, 5pm-7pm. Tue-Sun, 11am-4pm. SAWG Gallery, 5605 E. River Rd. 299-7294, SouthernAzWatercolorGuild.com

TUCSON DESERT ART MUSEUM
The Dawn of American Landscapes opens Mon, Sept 15. 7000 E. Tanque Verde Rd. 202-3888, TucsonDart.com

TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART Rose Cabat at 100: A Retrospective Exhibition of Ceramics continues through Sun, Sept 14. The Circle Game continues through Sun, Sept 7. Welcome to Beveldom: Mat Bevel’s Museum of Kinetic Art continues through Sun, Sept 28. Trails to Rails: John Mix Stanely and the Pacific Railroad Survey of the 1850’s continues through Sun, Sept 28. Tue-Wed & Fri-Sat, 10am-5pm; Thu, 10am-8pm; Sun, noon-5pm. $10, adults; $8, seniors; $5, college students w/ID; Free youth 18 and under, members, veterans and active military. Free to all the first Sunday of the month. 140 N. Main Ave. 624-2333, TucsonMuseumofArt.org

UA MUSEUM OF ART Cultivating Treasures continues through Mon, Sept 8. A Continuing Legacy: Gallagher Purchase Part 1 continues through Sun, Sept 21. Designing Line and Space: The Art of Sara Wallach continues through Sun, Sept 28. Ongoing: The Altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo, Jacques and Yulla Lipchitz Foundation: Models & Sketches.Tue- Fri, 9am-5pm. Sat-Sun, 12pm-4pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 621-7567, ArtMuseum.Arizona.edu

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF TUCSON Photographs by Pete Velonis open Sun, Sept 14 with a reception from 11:45am-1pm. Tue-Fri, 9am-1pm; Sunday, 11:30am-1pm. 4831 E. 22nd St. 748-1551 UUCTucson.org

WILDE MEYER GALLERY On The Road opens Thu, Sept 4. Mon-Fri, 10am-5:30pm; Thu, 10am-7pm; Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, 12pm-5pm. Wilde Meyer Gallery, 3001 E. Skyline Dr. WildeMeyer.com

WOMANKRAFT ART GALLERY Falling Into Fall opens Sat, Sept 6. Reception Sat, Sept 6, 7pm-10pm. Wed-Sat; 1pm-5pm. 388 S. Stone Ave. 629-9976, WomanKraft.org

YIKES TOYS AND GIFT-O-RAMA Bugs, Bones, Butterflies- original gouache and ink paintings by Wil Taylor opens Sat, Sept 20 with a reception from 6pm-8pm. Mon- Sat, 10am-5:30pm; Sun, 10am-3pm. Yikes Toys and Gift O-Rama, 2930 E. Broadway Blvd. 320-5669, YikesToys.com

To the Seas!

August 22, 2014 | Monica Surfaro Spigelman

The Autumn Fest combines modern dance and historic facts with mythological elements.

Martial arts Master Junming Zhao is featured in the TCCC’s Autumn Moon Festival performance.
Photo: Leigh Spigelman

Tucson just may be the world’s only desert city to have giant giraffes, martial artists and modern dancers all show up en force for a community party about a sea journey. This unusual fête happens Friday, Sept. 5 and Saturday, Sept. 6, when the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (TCCC) and the Barbea Williams Performing Company meld ancient inspiration into a seamless creative pulse for the TCCC’s Autumn Moon Festival, called Autumn Fest.

This year’s festival (celebrated throughout most of East Asia and a traditionally big, annual event at the TCCC’s 1288 W. River Rd. complex) intends to test the conventional bounds of Tucson performance by blending storytelling with explosive ballet choreography and martial arts.

“In a theatrical, contemporary way we’ll craft an original dance-drama that incorporates both African and Chinese traditions,” says Robin Blackwood of the TCCC’s History Committee.

History Leaves A Trace
Set in a 15th century milieu, this Autumn Fest performance retraces the actual recorded journeys of Ming Dynasty Sea Captain Zheng He to Africa and beyond. Independent educator and historian Gloria Smith researched and produced the script.

As Blackwood explains, the voyages occurred 70 years before the time of the sea-faring Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus. The Chinese Emperor, known now as the Yong Le Emperor, commissioned seven voyages, sending mariners far from home for years at a time. It is a particularly apt story for the Autumn Moon Festival, says Blackwell, which is when Chinese far from home all over the world look up at the moon and imagine their families far away watching the same moon.

In three acts, the Sea Captain begins a voyage from China, traverses southern Asia to African cities of what is now modern-day Somalia and Kenya, and in a dream sequence finale, a great storm takes the mariners all the way to the Sonoran Desert. Only the dream sequence is not based on recorded fact.

“The true history of Zheng He and his voyages of diplomacy as far as Africa strike a chord with both Chinese and African-American groups,” says Blackwell. “For Chinese, it is a re-affirmation of a history suppressed until recently in China. For African-Americans it is a recognition of important African history long-ignored.”

Giant giraffe puppet by artist Mykl Wells. Photo: Libby Reed

Giant Giraffes
One gift brought back to the Chinese Emperor from the African voyages was a giraffe. According to Blackwood, Chinese paintings created at the time of the voyages illustrate how the giraffe made quite a stir in China, where initially the giraffe was believed to be a qilin – a benevolent horned creature in Chinese mythology. So, to dramatize the creature in the Autumn Fest performance, a giant giraffe puppet has been constructed. This summer, sculptor artist Mykl Wells built the 14-foot tall puppet, covered in muslin, intricately detailing it with cabling and over 2,500 feet of steel wire to allow movements in the jaw and eyelids and throughout the puppet. Community participants helped put the skin on the puppet at TCCC-held workshops over the summer.

“It’s a collaboration of history, education, performance and visual arts,” says Blackwood, who indicated that the TCCC received a People, Land, Art, Culture, Engagement (PLACE) grant from Tucson Pima Arts Council (TPAC) for this project. PLACE grants, funded entirely by private foundations, have been awarded on an annual basis for the last several years, to around a dozen artistic projects per year .

Creative Pairing
The Barbea Williams Performing Company – Tuscon’s African-centered performance troupe founded in 1975 – is part of the collaboration, with Williams choreographing both Chinese and African-American dancers in an advanced dance interpretation for the Autumn Fest.

The Barbea Williams Performing Company in rehearsal this summer for the TCCC Autumn Fest Performance (left-right): Joy Broussard, Barbea Williams, Keisha Smith-Spears, Patricia Panaligan and Kiara Krystal Lloyd. Photo: Leigh Spigelman

The Barbea Williams Performing Company in rehearsal this summer for the TCCC Autumn Fest. Dancers (left-right): Joy Broussard, Barbea Williams, Keisha Smith-Spears and Patricia Panaligan. Photo: Leigh Spigelman

After another successful PLACE collaboration in 2013 with the Barbea Williams Performing Company, TCCC asked Williams if she would like to collaborate again to explore a common narrative discovered during the 2013 PLACE project, when a “rolling history” bus visited historic Chinese groceries in various neighborhoods. With her dance troupe headquarters at the Dunbar Cultural Center, Williams (and her artistic direction in both the performing company and in her UA dance teaching assignment) is well known for advocacy of arts as essential to well-being.

Martial arts Master Junming Zhao Photo: Leigh Spigelman

Master Junming Zhao, a visiting scholar from the Songshan Shaolin Vocational Institute in China to the UA’s Confucius Institute, will perform as the Sea Captain in the Autumn Fest. Winner of numerous international martial arts and Tai Chi competitions, Master Zhao has over 18 years of experience in Wushu practice, including five years of strict training in the Songshan Shaolin Temple, the mecca of Chinese Wushu. He will lead the Tucson Sino Martial Arts group participating in the performance, with TCCC’s Lion Dancers, under the direction of Kevin and Ben Lau, debuting the Northern Lion Dance in Tucson for the Autumn performance. The paired artistry of Williams and Master Zhao – combining dance fluidity with the precision poise of the martial arts and Lion Dance movements – all promises to manifest the story in unexpected ways.

“There will be dialog, dance, drums, large-scale puppets, colorful scenery, and a celebration of cartography that puts another historical spin on the orchestrated work,” says Blackwood, who sees the Autumn Fest as a way to make multicultural collaboration visible, both within Chinese community and city-wide. The audience will be invited to make traditional Autumn Moon lanterns before the performance and then join the final procession.

Performances are at Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Rd. Admission is $10 adults, $5 all students (age 6 and above). Attendees also may purchase food voucher tickets for various items available at the multicultural feast. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. For reservations, call (520) 292-6900, and learn more at TucsonChinese.org.

Wildest America

July 8, 2014 | Herb Stratford

Detail of 07004-6-10 (2010) pigment print in "Wilderness" series © Debra Bloomfield

Landscape photographers are an entirely different breed than most other photographers. This is primarily due to the dedication required to get to many of the places they shoot, but it is also their ability to be patient – waiting for the right moment to click the shutter – and being alone for extended periods of time. Let’s call it a healthy obsession. Many of photography’s earliest images were of landscapes and early landscapes remain interesting for their nostalgic essence. Contemporary landscape photographers face a much harder audience for their images today, given that most people carry some sort of camera phone in their pocket and there are few unseen locales left on dry land. Photographer Debra Bloomfield, in her new show at the Etherton Gallery, demonstrates why she is among the genre’s most interesting and dynamic artists working today, with the work from her Wilderness series.

Bloomfield spent seven years on Wilderness, from 2007 to 2014 in Alaska, which is actually shorter than her usual time commitment on a single body of work. Bloomfield began her artistic career in 1972, and her earlier bodies of work have been well received due to their poetic and majestic qualities as they capture the world around us.

Bloomfield feels that her work is always “in tune with the other senses,” that is, her images speak to more than the eyes when seen. The work is designed to have “a visceral, emotional response” when viewed. This has never been made more possible than with the Wilderness project. All of the images have been collected in a book, which has an accompanying CD of audio that was recorded in the same place where the photographs were captured. It is designed to be played while viewing the work. The book and sound/image layout took two years to map out for the artist who may be the only person doing such interactive projects. Bloomfield also feels that the work is “not just about the destination, but about the journey,” and the experience of the place, which is hard to convey, even with her large, striking images. Bloomfield shoots on film, but produces digital prints, making her an artist with feet in both worlds of photography.

38996-8-09 (2009) pigment print in “Wilderness” series. © Debra Bloomfield

This body of work was previously on display at the Phoenix Museum of Art and will travel this fall to New Mexico. The opening event, last month at Etherton Gallery, was presented as a celebration of sorts of the modern environmental movement with representatives from local entities like the Sky Island Alliance and others, hoping that Bloomfield’s rapturous images will help to instill greater appreciation for our endangered wilderness.

Gallery owner/director Terry Etherton has paired Bloomfield with renowned photographer Ansel Adams for this show, seeing a duality in their images. However, while Adams’ work served to reintroduce wilderness to the general public, much like early photographers Timothy H. O’Sullivan and others of that era, Bloomfield is truly more after capturing and conveying an emotional response with her multi-media approach. While Etherton has been showing Bloomfield’s work for many years, this body of work has “really excited” the gallery owner and he can’t wait to share it with his gallery’s viewers.

The wilds of Alaska. With so much open sky and water, this show should be a great respite for anyone in Tucson this summer.

“Wild America: Photographs from America’s wild lands by Debra Bloomfield and Ansel Adams” is on display at Etherton Gallery, 135 S. 6th Ave., through August 20. The gallery is closed July 1-7, but normal hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment by calling (520) 624-7370. Visit EthertonGallery.com for more information.