Z贸calo Tucson arts and culture / ZOCALOMAGAZINE.COM / february 2014 / no. 49
index February 2014 08. Arts 19. Events 25. Southwest Indian Art Fair 44. Beauty/Health/Wellness 61. Community 62. Garden 66. Books 68. Tunes 70. Life in Tucson On the cover (Zócalo comes in two covers this month)
Cover A - “The Chemistry of Love & Lust”, illustration by Pop Narkotic. Read more on page 7. Cover B - “Avanyu in Color” by Jody Folwell for the Southwest Indian Art Fair. See our special promotional section following page 24.
Zócalo Magazine is a hyper-local independent media organization, focusing on Tucson’s culture.
PUBLISHER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR David Olsen EDITOR Jamie Manser CONTRIBUTORS Craig Baker, Marisa Bernal, Andrew Brown, Jon D’Auria, McKinzie Frisbie, Jimi Giannatti, Emily Gindlesparger, Ashley James, Jamie Manser, Brandon Merchant, Mead Mier, Pop Narkotic, Herb Stratford, Monica Surfaro Spigelman, Kyle Wasson. LISTINGS Marisa Bernal, listings@zocalotucson.com PRODUCTION ARTISTS Troy Martin, David Olsen
CONTACT US:
frontdesk@zocalotucson.com P.O. Box 1171, Tucson, AZ 85702-1171 520.955.ZMAG
Zocalo Magazine is printed in Tucson at Sundance Press.
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from the editor Ah, February. It is a fantastic time in Tucson. Gorgeous daytime weather lures us outside to soak up our vitamin D and join community in a wealth of fantastic events happening city-wide. This month of course means La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, Tucson’s 89th annual rodeo and parade; Monica Surfaro Spigelman scoops us on the details on page 40. February also hosts the UA’s Arizona State Museum Southwest Indian Art Fair. The special section highlights the artists, performers and storytellers participating in the two-day cultural extravaganza Feb. 22-23. Other annual shindigs this month include: Rodeo Days Arts Celebration (page 15), Pascua Yaqui Festival of the Arts (page 19) and the Sonoran Glass School’s Flame-Off (page 38). Happenings special to this year are: Cirque Roots’ “The Conscience of Love” (page 22), Casa Libre en la Solana’s 10th Anniversary Gala (page 42) and Rialto Theatre’s gala (page 43). Two events that shed light on what Southern Arizona’s natural environment stands to lose, possibly forever but certainly for generations to come, should the Rosemont Copper mine be given a stamp of approval are: Lens on the Land: Rosemont, What’s at Stake exhibit (page 10) and Cienega Watershed Partnership’s annual reception (page 20). It is a good time to check out what we have now before it is too late. – Jamie Manser
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Illustration by Pop Narkotic
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The Chemistry of Love & Lust by Craig Baker It all starts with eye contact. Maybe you see each other from across the room at a bar or an office party. There is a tingling in your extremities, a fluttery feeling in your stomach. Your heart beat quickens, your blood pressure rises as you move toward one another and everything else around you disappears. The sparks fly and later, as you recount the story to your friends and family members, you tell them that you can’t explain it, but that there was chemistry between you. It turns out that you are probably more right than you know. According to the 2012 book, The Chemistry Between Us, recently released on paperback by Current Publishing, the entire process of falling in love may be governed by just a few molecular compounds primarily within the limbic system of your brain. The limbic system is an area near the base of the brain made up of several different structures which are collectively responsible for producing emotional responses to external stimulation along with hormone regulation and production. It is interactions between your limbic system and other areas of the brain, for example, that tell you whether it’s time to sit down for a meal, run from a hungry tiger, or get ready to have sex. Donatella Marazziti, Director of the Laboratory of Psychopharmacology at the University of Pisa in Italy says that the activation of the amygdala (a pair of small, almond-shaped structures within the limbic system) during attraction proves that “attraction is a primary emotion, like fear and anxiety,” meaning that it is linked to the survival of the species. This activity in the amygdala (which has been linked to the “fight or flight” response) means that your body reacts to sexual stimuli before the brain can even discern the quality of the input (e.g., is it trying to hug you or kill you?). The reward system in your brain is closely linked. Rewards in the form of dopamine and opioids (the brain’s form of heroin) are what motivate us to eat when we are hungry, find water when we are thirsty, and prime us for procreation while we flirt. Says Larry Young, co-author of The Chemistry Between Us and Director of the Center for Translational Social Neuroscience at Emory University, “dopamine plays an important role in excitement and the anticipation that something might happen.” Not only does this dopamine play a part in your experience of short-term pleasure, but it also effectively mutes the processes of the prefrontal cortex—the area of the brain responsible for rational thought. Men under its influence are less likely to be distracted by loud noises; women’s pupils dilate and they begin smiling unconsciously. We experience the release of this dopamine as excitement; Young calls this “appetitive reward.” But either way, with this reward comes a strengthening of the appetite. In fact, drug users experience the same appetitive
dopamine surge when looking at photos of drug paraphernalia as when looking at pictures of potential sexual partners. Dopamine is great for that initial rush, says Young. And it is probably responsible, along with alcohol (also a dopamine releaser), for the majority of one-night-stands. But as far as love is concerned, dopamine will only take you so far. Our propensity for monogamous pair bonding—what regular people might call a loving relationship—comes from another chemical: oxytocin. Oxytocin is the chemical released en masse in new mothers when they meet their babies for the first time and is present in breast milk, helping mother and child to bond. As it turns out, it is also responsible for bonding in relationships between lovers. Young explains that oxytocin is released during conversation, periods of prolonged eye contact, and when we make physical contact—all bedroom prerequisites with respect to the art of flirting. As the night goes on, a few more drinks, some dancing, and the oxytocin and dopamine are flowing. Now real bonding is possible. Young explains that the “oxytocin is making social cues more salient—basically it’s linking the cues of your partner… with the reward system, which is dopamine.” Men experience a spike in testosterone. The medial preoptic area (MPOA)—part of the limbic system—signals the nervous system to send blood to the genitals in both sexes. When stress is low enough and all of the environmental cues fall into place (are you alone in your bedroom yet?) a couple can really get to know each other. “Sex is the best releaser of oxytocin,” says Young. With orgasm comes an immediate drop in dopamine (hence the falling motivation in men to get more sex after orgasm) and oxytocin is released into the blood and brain in greater quantities along with endocannabinoids, opioids, and serotonin— all of which produce a feeling of calm satisfaction. Much like with drug addiction, all of this stimulation can lead to a need for more. Says Brian Anderson, Young’s co-author on The Chemistry Between Us, “once that bond gets formed, our brains literally change; physically, our brains change to help maintain that bond.” Essentially, people in love become “addicted” to their partners, Anderson says. This is why love may spur us to do the myriad of wacky things that love makes us do (do we need to provide a list?). Marazziti performed a study which linked the serotonin levels of individuals in love to those of people suffering from OCD. “When you are in love,” she says, laughing slightly, “you are a little bit crazy.” Probably not something we needed science to tell us. n February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 7
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“Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement” photos by Danny Lyon at Etherton Gallery. © dektol@wordpress.com, courtesy Etherton Gallery.
Images That Moved a Nation
by Herb Stratford
In the modern era, prior to the internet and the 24-hour news cycle, photographs alone had the power to galvanize public opinion around an issue, movement or story. From Jacob Riis’ How The Other Half Lives in 1890, which depicted the dire conditions of New York slums, to the 1948 Life Magazine photo essay Country Doctor by W. Eugene Smith depicting a vanishing way of life, these works moved a nation. However, one of the most significant examples of photojournalism took place in the early 1960s, capturing the civil rights movement. Images circulated, showing a way of life in the southern United States that was so different from life in other parts of the country, and were hard to fathom. Beset by journalists from around the globe, the news photographs depicted a nation in crisis and a tinderbox ready to explode. But a fascinating thing happened when an artist, as opposed to a news organization, turned his eye towards the political firestorm. The work of renowned photographer Danny Lyon has always explored boundaries and made viewers think differently due to his subject mater and total immersion into a way of life. Lyon's images between 1962-63 remain a staggering document of the era. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, and as February is also Black History month, Etherton Gallery has staged an exhibition of 50 photos from Lyon’s body of work on the subject. Lyon has continued to examine hot-button topics in his long and fruitful career. His most famous works include The Bikeriders in 1967, that documented an outlaw motorcycle gang and Conversations with the Dead, which chronicled inmates in Texas in 1971. His work depicts a way of life at that specific moment in time which still resonates today regardless of the time elapsed. It remains hard to fathom the discrepancy in the way of life in America during this time. Lyon’s work, much like that of acclaimed photographer Robert Frank in his The Americans, captures a world unvarnished and unapologetic. In images that are as simple as a depiction of a water fountain or an entrance divided for use by different races, to images that depict the movement of unrest, arrest and civil disobedience Lyon is an observer and 8 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | February 2014
chronicler of a sad chapter in American history. An ironic dignity is imbued in the images of what so recently shamed our country, and the fight to change it that was so hard fought. While much will be made of the 50th anniversary of the landmark legislation this month, it remains somewhat easy to forget what the world looked like prior to its institution. Lyon, fresh from college and anxious to capture the world around him traveled from New York to the south at age 20 and managed to create defining and staggering works that retain their power to move an audience more than 50 years later. While many of the images appeared in a civil rights book entitled The Movement, the work may not be as familiar as his other works which he self published later in his career. The sense of grace in the face of oppression is remarkable and even more so now that many of the people depicted in Lyon’s images are senior citizens or may have died. These images may be the only catalog of their type in the capturing of the faces and events as they happened, as Lyon was surely the only photographer on site when the photos were taken. It’s doubtful that a contemporary group of images, even on the same topic, could carry as much weight as this body of work does in the modern world. The act of revisiting them or even discovering them for the first time is quite remarkable. Gallery owner Terry Etherton has had a long history with Lyon and he “jumped at the chance” to show the work following the successful showing of the Bikerider series in 2012. This show’s images were curated by Lyon from the larger body and printed in 2006 as one of 10 complete sets. Etherton plans to tour the show much like a museum would, following the exhibition here. Look for a Lyon talk at the UA Center for Creative Photography this spring as a companion piece to this staggering show. n Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement is on display at Etherton Gallery February 8 though April 19. The gallery is located at 135 S. Sixth Ave. More details at EthertonGallery.com or by calling (520) 624-7370.
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Lens on The Land Environmental Photography of the Santa Rita Mountain Range by Jon D’Auria The beautiful Santa Rita Mountain Range in Southern Arizona is a tranquil and serene stretch of land that harbors a diversity of rare animals, plant species, water resources and communities that have inhabited the area for generations. Currently, the area is facing a threat in the form of a proposed copper mine that would cost $1.23 billion to dig the mile wide and a half mile deep area that will likely jeopardize the ecosystem and all of its regional inhabitants. To help combat this, photographer Josh Schachter and Brian Forbes Powell teamed up with the Sonoran Institute and Save the Scenic Santa Ritas to compile a collection of stunning photographs of the region from 30 photographers of the area to be presented at the exhibit, Lens on the Land: Rosemont, What’s at Stake. Over the past two years, Schachter and
Forbes Powell have narrowed over 500 photographs down to 50 for this special showcase to raise awareness of the need to save the area and its endangered species. “Two years ago we went out there and started photographing and decided that we had to use art to help people understand how important the ecological resources are in that region,” says Schachter. “We decided that it would be more effective to partner with the organizations that were already working to protect that land of the Santa Ritas and surrounding areas. So we contacted them and then put a call out to photographers in the region and compiled hundreds of photographs. For me, it’s also exciting to have all of these artists come together and use their talents to explore and represent this landscape.”
Photo: Josh Schachter
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phoito: Gooch Goodwin
Photo top:
The Rosemont Valley within the Coronado National Forest is a place where you can feel an indelible connection to nature. Spending even a few moments there, you begin to understand the deep, spiritual relationship that people of the Tohono O’odham Nation have with these ancestral lands. Walking among the majestic oaks, looking down into the valley from the ridge, you are overwhelmed by the vastness of the landscape. Despite its close proximity to Tucson, the land is only minimally disturbed by signs of civilization, and the sounds of rustling leaves and grass are seldom disrupted. This is nature: diverse, raw, and breathtaking. If the mine is built as planned, most of the land in each of these images would be forever altered. What is now a landscape of undulating hills and rocky mountains would be replaced by steeply terraced mountains of tailings standing about 700 feet above the valley floor.
Photo bottom left: Although they tend to garner less attention than plants and larger animals, invertebrates nevertheless represent over 90% of the terrestrial species on the planet. The Sonoran Desert region is particularly rich in invertebrate species, and in fact, is thought to host the highest diversity of bees in the world. The number of invertebrate species that might be impacted by the mine is unknown, but based on estimates from nearby areas, there could easily be over 5,000 species of invertebrates living on the Rosemont site alone. Despite this diversity, only one group of invertebrate species, the talus snails, has received any attention as part of the environmental review for this project.
Photo bottom middle: Ofelia Uya Rivas has been an advocate for the cultural and ecological heritage of her people and land for many years. She sits by the proposed mine site after performing what she describes as “a ceremonial offering to the land and ancient ancestors in recognition of the sacredness of the significant O’odham legacy of survival since millennia.” Behind Ofelia rest dozens of significant prehistoric sites, including an ancestral ball court site, traditionally used for games and ceremonies. Most of these sites, including much of the area shown in this photograph, would be buried under hundreds of feet of mine waste.
Photo bottom right: The western yellow-billed cuckoo spends most of its life in Latin America, but some individuals migrate to the western United States to nest in cottonwood and willow gallery forests. This shy and secretive bird, which feeds primarily on cicadas and horned caterpillars, has become increasingly rare since the early 20th century as a result of habitat loss. Today, some the largest populations of the species are found in Arizona, including along Cienega Creek, habitat that would be adversely impacted by the mine. Photo: Steve Baranoff
If the mine is allowed to proceed, it would operate for at least 20 to 25 years and could jeopardize nine endangered species, Southern Arizona’s $2.4 billion dollar tourism industry, the availability and quality of water for the area; it would darken the skies for the thriving astronomy industry, damage many cultural sites that reflect thousands of years of Native American habitation and could harm the rural economies including vineyards, pecan orchards and ranching. “Throughout history, art has played a role on shaping our understanding of landscapes. Stories and visual stories can help solidify our community’s view of issues and policy maker’s perspective on these issues,” says Schachter. “Around the Rosemont [Copper potential mining] area and the water sheds and the Santa Ritas so many of the resources and species are so hard to see in passing, so photographs that illuminate them, like a jaguar in snow for example or rare flowering orchids, are amazing resources.” The exhibit is showing at Fluxx Studio & Gallery, 414 E. Ninth St., and opens with a reception on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. The opening event and exhibit is free to the public and runs until Feb. 26 on Thursdays and Fridays from 3 p.m-6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. There is also a screening of “Rosemont Ours” a NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre video production that takes place on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. as a complement to the exhibit. The gallery will also feature dance, video, painting, poetry, audio interview and music that to help support the conservation of Rosemont. “It’s very exciting because a collection of photographs such as these of this region haven’t been assembled like this before,” says Schachter. “It’s really an exciting celebration because it is such a unique region that has so many wonders that are rarely seen. Over all of the years of working on conservation issues, I’ve developed a deep passion for telling stories of species, people and land through art. It has allowed me to develop a vocabulary to be an photographer, as much of my own photography is focused on the designs of nature and without that I wouldn’t be an artist.” n For more information, and to RSVP for the opening, visit LensOnTheLand.com.
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Photo by Ed Flores
Jenna Johnson performs in “Carmen” as part of Ballet Tucson’s “Winter Concert.”
"Silken Thread" by Puppets Among Us shows Feb 1 & 2 and Feb 8 & 9.
Performances ARIZONA FRIENDS OF CHAMBER MUSIC Ravinia on the Road Voice
PCC THEATRE ARTS Fiddler on the Roof opens Thu, Feb 20. PCC Family
Concert takes place Sat, Feb 1. Imani Winds with pianist Anne-Marie McDermott takes place Wed, Feb 19. TCC’s Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave. 577-3769, ArizonaChamberMusic.org
Heritage Celebration takes place in conjunction with opening night of Fiddler on the Roof; Thu, Feb 20. A mosaic of the community’s submitted photos will be displayed. Dr. Jonathan Ng Tenor performs Sun, Feb 2. In A Different Light: Dr. Raymond Ryder takes place Thu, Feb 27. 2202 W. Anklam Rd. 206-6670, Pima.edu/cfa
ARIZONA OPERA La Bohéme shows Sat, Feb 1- Sun, Feb 2. TCC’s Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. 293-4336, AZOpera.com
PUPPETS AMONG US Silken Thread shows Sat, Feb 1-Sun, Feb 2 & Sat,
ARIZONA ROSE THEATRE COMPANY Barefoot in the Park shows Fri,
Feb 8- Sun, Feb 9. Puppet Cabaret takes place Sat, Feb 22. The Playhouse, 657 W. St. Mary’s Rd. 444-5538, PuppetsAmongUs.com
Feb 14- Sun, Feb 16. Fri & Sat; 7pm. Sun; 2pm. $10-$15. Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. 888-0509, ArizonaRoseTheatre.com
RHYTHM & ROOTS
ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY
Other Desert Cities continues through Sat, Feb 8. The Kingston Trio performs Wed, Feb 12 and Thu, Feb 13. Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. 622-2823, ArizonaTheatre.org
BALLET TUCSON Winter Concert takes place Sat, Feb 15; 7:30pm and Sun,
John Coinman Band performs Sat, Feb 1. Fred Eaglesmith’s Traveling Steam Show takes place Sat, Feb 15. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress. RhythmandRoots.org
THE ROGUE THEATRE Betrayal opens Thu, Feb 27. 738 N. 5th Ave. 5512053, TheRogueTheatre.org
Feb 16; 1pm & 5pm. $36-$42. Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. 9031445, BalletTucson.org
THE SCREENING ROOM
BLACK CHERRY BURLESQUE Tantalizing burlesque performance on Fri,
SEA OF GLASS CENTER FOR THE ARTS Gabriel Ayala Quintet per-
Feb 7. Surly Wench Pub, 424 N. 4th Ave. 882-0009, TucsonBurlesque.com
forms Sat, Feb 8. Special Valentine’s Day Concert with TaliasVan & The Bright & Morning Star Band takes place Fri, Feb 14. 330 E. 7th St. 398-2542, TheSeaofGlass.org
BORDERLANDS THEATER
Maria’s Circular Dance and Trash open Thu, Feb 13. 119 E. Toole Ave. 882-7406, BorderlandsTheater.org
BROADWAY IN TUCSON The Australian Bee Gees Show continues through Sun, Feb 2. Tickets vary. Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. 903-2929, BroadwayInTucson.com
CARNIVAL OF ILLUSION
Performances continue through February. See website for times. Tucson Double Tree Hotel, 445 S. Alvernon Way. 615-5299, CarnivalOfIllusion.com
FOX THEATRE Four Lads perform Sat, Feb 1. Gordon Lightfoot performs Fri, Feb 7. Engelbert Humperdinck performs Tue, Feb 11. Lonestar performs Thu, Feb 13. Chris Mann In Concert takes place Sat, Feb 15. B.B. King performs Tue, Feb 18. Paula Poundstone performs Sat, Feb 22. George Thorogood and The Destroyers perform Fri, Feb 28. Prices Vary. 17 W. Congress St. 624-1515, FoxTucsonTheatre.org
INVISIBLE THEATRE Dead Guilty shows Tue, Feb 4- Sun, Feb 23. 1400 N. 1st Ave. 882-9721, InvisibleTheatre.com
LIVE THEATRE WORKSHOP
Boeing Boeing continues through Sat, Feb 15. Photogpah 51 opens Thu, Feb 20. All Together Theatre: Peter and The Wolf continues through March. See website for prices and times. 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. 327-4242, LiveTheatreWorkshop.org
ODYSSEY STORYTELLING SERIES
Odd Couples shows Thu, Feb 6. 7pm; $7. Fluxx Studios and Gallery, 416 E. 9th St. 730-4112, OdysseyStoryTelling.com
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Illusionist Michael Howell performs Sat, Feb 8. 4pm, 5:30pm, and 7pm. $2-$3. 127 E. Congress St. 882-0204, ScreeningRoom.net
TUCSON IMPROV MOVEMENT Improv Throwdown and Cage Match on Sat, Feb 1. Improv Throwdown and The Soap Box on Sat, Feb 8 & Sat, Feb 15. Showcase and TIM INC/ Community Jam on Fri, Feb 22. Red Barn Theater, 948 N. Main St. Shows at 5pm and 6:30pm. $3-$5. 314-7299, TucsonImprov.com
TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Berlioz & Ravel: Poetry in Music takes place Sat, Feb 8 & Sun, Feb 9. The Damnation of Faust takes place Fri, Feb 14 & Sun, Feb 16. Songs Without Words takes place Sat, Feb 15. The Midtown Men perform Sat, Feb 22 & Sun, Feb 23. See website for times, prices, and locations.882-8585, TucsonSymphony.org
UA DANCE Three’s A Crowd shows Fri, Feb 13- Sun, Feb 23. $26-$29. Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1713 E. University. Dance.Arizona.Edu
UA PRESENTS Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet takes place Thu, Feb 6. Bahia Orchestra Project performs Fri, Feb 7. Chris Thile performs Sat, Feb 8. Christine Goerke performs Thu, Feb 13. Laura Benanti performs Sat, Feb 14. Inon Barnatan performs Thu, Feb 20. The Wizard of Oz opens Tue, Feb 25. A Quartet for the End of Time performs Thu, Feb 27. Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. 621-3341, UAPresents.org
UA’S ARIZONA REPERTORY THEATRE
The Glass Menagerie opens Sun, Feb 9.Tornabene Theatre, 1025 N. Olive Rd. 621-1162, web.cfa.arizona.edu/ theatre
WINDING ROAD THEATRE ENSEMBLE Boom continues through Sun, Feb 9. Gruesome Playground Injuries continues through Sun, Feb 9. Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. 749-3800, WindingRoadTheater.org
Photo courtesy of Puppets Among Us
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Rodeo Culture Meets Art Appreciation by McKinzie Frisbie
photo: Jane Stansbury
Slip on your cowboy boots and mark your calendars for this month’s 4th wines and Pueblo Partners Trading Company are providing their mezcal annual Rodeo Days Arts Celebration. An upgrade to this year's event is that and sotol liquors. However, Walkup says that he has one spirit in particular it has been relocated to Plaza Palomino, 2960 N. Swan Rd., a specialty in mind. boutique shopping center that recently underwent a $5 million facelift. “There is a special, historically appropriate tequila – Bacanora,” WalkThe day will be filled with diverse genres of live music, desert spirits, up says. “It’s made out of a special agave plant, and it's the rage of the local artistry and dancing that begins at 11 a.m. and continues until 7 p.m. southwest.” on Sunday, Feb. 23. French says that Bacanora's distillation process differs from typical Susan French, founder of the Tucson Rodeo Days Arts Celebration and tequila because it is formed from smoking the heart of the agave in mesowner of French Accent Original Art Design, says that the main attraction quite coals. of the event is a quick-draw contest that provides spectators a chance to Adding to the event’s festivities is the optional yet preferred choice to witness a face-off between Tucson politicos, local media celebrities, high dress in your best western attire. “We encourage people to put on their profile artists and musicians in their attempts to show off their artistic cowboy hats or dress western,” French said. “It’s not mandatory, but last abilities. year a lot of people dressed up and it really addEach celeb is placed back to back with their ed to the atmosphere.” opponent, takes three strides forward, and then Walkup, who will be dressed as an old-westscrambles to draw a randomly announced subern style mayor, says that his support for the ject as quickly (and aesthetically pleasing) as event stems from his belief that it is crucial for possible. The drawings are then auctioned off large cities to provide their citizens with enterto audience members, and whoever receives tainment. the highest bid for their sketch wins the com“The heart of why we’re doing this is so that petition. people have a chance to honor their arts and Local political cartoonist David Fitzsimmons culture, and have a good time in the process,” is the contest's referee, and Bob Walkup–TucWalkup says. “And one of the things that all of son's previous mayor–assures that Fitzsimus enjoy is the food that shows up at the festival, mons’ presence will guarantee a hot event. because it all smells good.” “Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, Fitzsimmons? He’ll Restaurants at Plaza Palomino such as Vera be there? It’ll be a good time,’” Walkup says. Amore and La Placita Café will provide regular “He is an almost world-renowned cartoonist, he menus as well as specialized food options for writes commentary about the nature of Tucson the event, and French says that other internaas he sees it, he’s a brilliant guy.” tional flavors will be available. French says that a main focus of the free Mariachi Herradura, Arizona Dance Hands, event is to support southwest residing artists, and Sonoran Dogs are offering musical diversaying that an array of art mediums, which insions for the all-day event. The musicians will clude: fine art, painting, sculpting, metal art, play from the second floor of the venue, and woodworking, ceramics, fine furniture and jewFrench says that she looks forward to the music elry, will be available for participants to browse drifting downwards for guests to enjoy, without Bob Walkup and Susan French with Casey at the 2013 Rodeo Days Arts Celebration. and purchase. having to yell at each other. As well as supporting local artists, the event Walkup says that Rodeo Days Arts Celebrawill raise funds for the Tucson Musicians Museum Youth Mentorship Protion makes for a good continuation of celebration of the weekend’s Rodeo gram. Thunder Canyon Brewery and Nimbus Brewing Company are donatParade, which has been a historical part of celebrating rodeo culture in ing several kegs of their finely brewed beer, and a third of the proceeds Tucson for almost 90 years. from sales will go directly to the program. “I always like these events and celebrations, and you meet a wide variRuben Moreno, a trumpet player in the featured band Mariachi Herety of people who are having fun,” Walkup says. “And it's rodeo weekend, radura and one of the program directors of the Youth Mentorship Program, so get out and have a good time.” says that the program opens up more possibilities for young, gifted and French says that although the event is completely separate from the aspiring musicians by giving them a one-on-one relationship with an experodeo parade, she hopes the rodeo themed event will add to the celebrarienced musical mentor. tion and also hopes the event will expand the appreciation of rodeo and “The best situation you can go back to is the analogy of Star Wars, art, even if the artistry is not strictly southwestern themed. where Obi Wan Kenobi was mentoring Luke Skywalker,” Moreno says. “I am a cowgirl at heart,” French said, “and I love the whole rodeo “Those are values that we pass from one generation to the next, and the days event.” n hope is that the musical knowledge passes to the next generation from the experience of the wiser, elder musician.” Rodeo Days Arts Celebration is Sunday, Feb. 23 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at As well as local brewery participation, wine and spirit sampling will Plaza Palomino, 2960 N. Swan Rd. Contact French at (520) 742-5241 or be available. French says that Arizona Stronghold are bringing their fine via e-mail, frenchaccent@theriver.com, for more information. February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 15
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"Green Over Blue" by Tim Murphy exhibits as part of his abstract painting collection at Davis Dominguez Gallery.
art Galleries/exhibits
"Midnight Kiss" by Shana Zimmerman shows as part of her exhibit "Personal Space" at Wee Gallery.
ART HOUSE CENTRO Paintings by Jeff Ferst, Sunrise/ Sunset: An Explora-
FLUXX STUDIO AND GALLERY Lens on the Land- Rosemont: What’s At
tion of Color opens with a reception from 7pm-9pm Sat, Feb 8. Old Town Artisans Complex, 201 N. Court Ave. 620-1725, OldTownArtisans.com
Stake, a photography exhibit, runs Sat, Feb 1- Wed, Feb 26. Rosemont Ours: A Field Guide, the film, shows Sun, Feb 16. Thu & Fri; 3pm-6pm. Sat & Sun; 12pm-6pm. 414 E. 9th St. 882-0242, FluxxProduction.com
CENTER FOR CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Friday: Ansel Adams Themes and Variations shows Fri, Feb 7. 11:30am-3:30pm. Free lecture by Marcos Ramirez on Wed, Feb 12; 5:30pm. Charles Harbutt’s Departures and Arrivals continue through June 2014. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat & Sun, 1pm-4pm. 1030 N. Olive Rd. 621-7968, CreativePhotography.org
FOUR CORNERS GALLERY Blue Skies, Desert Landscapes by Lou Heis-
CONTRERAS GALLERY
Frank and Owen Rose (Father and Son) Grand Canyon Paintings shows Sat, Feb 1- Sat, Feb 22 with a reception opening night; 6pm-9pm. Tues-Fri; 11am-5pm, Sat; 11am-4pm. 110 E. 6th St. 398-6557, ContrerasHouseFineArt.com
THE GALLERIA AT THE YW Featuring a joint exhibit of Western photogra-
DAVIS DOMINGUEZ GALLERY Paintings by Tim Murphy and Debra Salo-
School of Art Visiting Professors, Adjunct and Staff Exhibition opens Mon, Feb 10. Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm. 1031 N. Olive Rd. 626-4215, CFA.arizona.edu/galleries
pek continue through Sat, Feb 8. Paintings by Joanne Kerrihard and glass sculpture by Katja Fritsche opens Thu, Feb 13. Tue-Fri, 11am-5pm; Sat, 11am-4pm. 154 E. 6th St. 629-9759, DavisDominguez.com
DEGRAZIA GALLERY IN THE SUN Our Lady of Guadalupe continues through Sun, Feb 16. The Seri Inidans- A Primitive People of Tiburon Island in the Gulf of California opens Sat, Feb 15. Silver Jewelry by Scott Owen shows Sun, Feb 9-Fri, Feb 21. Color pencil by Geri Niedermiller opens Sun, Feb 23. Daily, 10am4pm. 6300 N. Swan Rd. 299-9191, DeGrazia.org
DESERT ARTISANS GALLERY
Desert Spring featuring artists David Brown, Wanita Christensen, Paddie Flaherty, Darlene LeClair, Susan Libby and Margaret Shirer, opens Tue, Feb 11. Reception Fri, Feb 14; 5pm-7pm. Judith Probst Acrylic Demonstration on Fri, Feb 21. 11am-2pm. Mon-Sat; 10am-5pm. Sun; 10am1:30pm. 6536 E. Tanque Verde Rd. 722-4412, DesertArtisansGallery.com
er and Dark Skies: Desert Cosmos photography by Adam Block shows Fri, Feb 7; 5:30pm-8:30pm. Tucson Desert Art Museum, 7000 E. Tanque Verde. 202-3888, TucsonDart.com
phy by Mia Larocque and Louise L. Serpa. Opens with a reception on Feb. 6, 6pm8pm. Free. Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. 525 N. Bonita Ave. 884-7810, YWCATucson.org
JOSEPH GROSS GALLERY Culture Cache continues through Wed, Feb 5.
LOUIS CARLOS BERNAL GALLERY
Magical Realism, featuring artwork by Gail Marcus-Orlen, Robert Cocke, Penny McElroy and Janet Prip, continues through March. Opening reception Thu, Feb 13; 5pm-7pm. Construct: Putting It Together continues through Wed, Jan 29. Mon-Thu; 10am-5pm. Fri; 10am-3pm. 2202 W. Anklam Rd. 206-6942, Pima.Edu/cfa
MOROCCAN TEXTILES & COSTUMES Displayed throughout February. The Arabian Oasis Cultural Center, 2102 E. Broadway Blvd. Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm 624-1699, TheArabianOasis.org
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART
THE DRAWING STUDIO Beauty of the Beast shows Sat, Feb 1- Mon, Feb
Alois Kronschlaeger: Untitled (Basin and Range) continues through March. Dave Sayre: How to Kill a Marvin Gaye Song shows through Jan. 26. Wed-Sun, noon-5pm. $8, adults; free, children under 12, members, military; free to all last Sunday of the month. 265 S. Church Ave. 6245019, MOCA-Tucson.org
24 with a reception opening night; 6pm-8pm. Tue-Sun; 12pm-4pm. 33 S. 6th Ave. 620-0947, TheDrawingStudio.org
OBSIDIAN GALLERY
ETHERTON GALLERY
Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement opens Tue, Feb 4. Tue-Sat, 11am-5pm. 135 S. 6th Ave. 624-7370, EthertonGallery.com
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“Natural Influences” featuring ceramic sculpture by Tom Kerrigan and Jose Sierra and fiber art and paintings by Jane Herrick. Shows through March 2, with the Artists’ reception on Saturday, Feb 1, 6pm-9pm. Wed-Sat; 11am-6pm. Obsidian Gallery, 410 N. Toole Ave. 577-3598, Obsidian-Gallery.com
"Red Brimstone" by Caleb Nichols features as part of the exhibit "Earth, Wind, & Fire" at Philabaum Glass Gallery and Studio.
PHILABAUM GLASS GALLERY & STUDIO
Earth, Wind, & Fire opens Sat, Feb 1 with a reception from 5pm-8pm, shows through April. Tue-Sat;10am5pm. 711 S. 6th Ave. 884-7404, PhilabaumGlass.com
PORTER HALL GALLERY
Treasures of the Amerind continues through Mon, Feb 17. Paintings by Beata Wehr open Thu, Feb 20 with a reception from 5pm-7pm. Daily; 8:30am-4:30pm. $13, Adults; $12, student/senior/military, $7.50, children 4-12; free, children 3 and younger. 2150 N. Alvernon Way. 326-9686, TucsonBotanical.org
RAICES TALLER 222 ART GALLERY AND WORKSHOP Carnaval opens Sat, Feb 1 with a reception from 6pm-9pm. Fri-Sat, 1pm-5pm & by appointment. 218 E. 6th St. 881-5335, RaicesTaller222.webs.com
SOUTHERN ARIZONA WATERCOLOR GUILD
46th Annual Show Lightness and Shadow opens Tue, Feb 11. Tue-Sun; 11am-4pm. Free. SAWG Gallery, 5605 E. River Rd. 299-7294, SouthernAzWatercolorGuild.com
TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART
A Show of Hands continues through Sun, Feb 9. Bob Kuhn: Drawing on Instinct continues through Sun, Feb 16. Rose Cabat at 100: A Retrospective Exhibition of Ceramics opens Sun, Feb 1. The Circle Game opens Sat, Feb 22. Trails to Rails: John Mix Stanley and the Pacific Railroad Survey of the 185. Tue,Wed, Fri, Sat; 10am-5pm; Thu: 10am-8pm; Sun, 12pm-5pm. $10, adults; $8, seniors; $5, students 13+; free, children under 12. Free to all the first Sunday of the month. 140 N. Main Ave. 624-2333, TucsonMuseumofArt.org
WEE GALLERY Shana Zimmerman Show takes place Sat, Feb 1-Thu, Feb 27. Thu-Sat; 11am-6pm. 439 N. 6th Ave Suite #171. 360-6024, GalleryWee.com
WILDE MEYER GALLERY The Gem Show and The Wilde West open Thu, Feb 6. Native Spirits North and South opens Thu, Feb 27. Mon-Fri, 10am-5:30pm. Wilde Meyer Gallery, 3001 E. Skyline Dr. WildeMeyer.com
WOMANKRAFT ART GALLERY Fiber, Paper, Metal, Glass opens Sat, Feb 1 with a reception from 7pm-10pm. Wed-Sat; 1pm-5pm. 388 S. Stone Ave. 6299976, WomanKraft.org
YIKES TOYS AND GIFT-O-RAMA
Light Hearted Valentine Show by Sharon Holnback opens Mon, Feb 3. Reception Sat, Feb 8; 6pm-8pm. Mon- Sat; 10am5:30pm. Yikes Toys and Gift O-Rama, 2930 E. Broadway Blvd. 320-5669, YikesToys.com
YOU AND YOUR BIG IDEAS GALLERY We Are All Containers by Bryan Crow shows Sat, Feb 1- Sun, Feb 23. 6pm-9pm. 174 E. Toole Ave. 629-9230, Facebook.com/YouAndYourBigIdeas
February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 17
photo: courtesy of Pascua Yaqui Tribe
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Pascua Yaqui Festival Stirring Up Unique Arts & Fun by Monica Surfaro Spigelman Nothing quite captures the Pascua Yaqui’s spirit like a visit to the Nation, set southwest of Tucson in 1,000-plus acres adjacent to San Xavier's eastern end of the O’odham reservation. On Saturday, Feb. 8, the public is invited to glimpse beyond the Nation’s ceremonial legends via the 2nd Annual Pascua Yaqui Festival of the Arts. The event at Pueblo Park (adjacent to the tribe’s wellness center at 5305 W. Calle Torim) promises to be a creative mash-up of contemporary Native American arts, entertainment and foods – all informed by the tribe’s complex and rich cultural heritage. While most of us feel a kinship to the Pasqui Yaqui’s venerated deer dancing, there is more to uncover, as festival goers will learn. Combining pre-Lent community fiesta with authentic native sounds, sights and taste, there will be something for everyone at this showcase which kicks up the fun factor from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The KPYT-LP 100.3 FM Yoeme radio station, owned by the tribe, is hosting the entertainment, with Station Manager Hector Youtsey and Program Director Gabriel Otero DJing a mix of Tejano, cumbia, classic rock and local sounds. Solid A-talent will rotate through, including The Demons (classic rock covers), Dream Chaserz (hip hop), Intertwine (funk/hip hop) and Vox Urbana (cumbia). In a multicultural blending, Tony Redhouse (Navajo) will perform hoop dances, while master basket weavers, painters, gourd and jewelry artisans from other regional tribes also will participate. A core of Pascua Yaqui mixed media artists, painters and carvers also will be featured. Food trucks will be on hand to provide the good eats, while hands-on activities for children will be set up in the park including mural making, led by local and visiting graffiti artists like LA’s Vyal Reyes as well as Rene Strike One Garcia, Renelle White Buffalo and Thomas Breeze. In a motorized version of art and culture – the Lowrider Car and Bike
Show will move festival goers to the street to see Goodtime Car Club, Sophisticated Few Car Club, Swift Car Club, Unidos Car Club, Lowdown Bike Club, Ariza Bike Club, Stylistics Car Club, Dukes Car Club, Nemisis Car Club, Cristales Car Club and others. Cars and bikes will be judged according to the decade in which the vehicle was manufactured. First, second and third place trophies will be awarded along with other awards including Best of Show, Best Paint and Best Interior. The Tucson Chapter of the Cherry Bomb Dolls (that high-style national non-profit social club that embraces the pinup and car scene while raising funds for local communities) will be there to support the artists and the clubs. "It’s a multi-cultural community event that celebrates Pascua Yaqui and collective Native American creativity,” says Maria Arvayo, one of the organizers who also is Interim Director of the Nation’s Development Services. The festival is presented in partnership with the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the State of Arizona agency providing partial funding for the festival. “Arts are an important and often overlooked part of a healthy local economy,” Arvayo comments. “The tribe is seeking to invigorate its own economy and promote artistic entrepreneurship by providing a venue for local native artists to share and sell their work. We are recruiting traditional and contemporary artists, and opening the event to the larger Tucson community.” n The festival serves up a strong assortment of crowd-pleasing music, food and eclectic pueblo vibe in New Pascua's Pueblo Park, 5305 W. Calle Torim, Saturday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Learn more about artists and being part of the Nation’s cultural energy: PascuaYaquiFestivaloftheArts@ gmail.com or 879-6316.
February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 19
Z events
A scene from “Rosemont Ours,” a dance film celebrating the species that would be impacted by a Canadian company currently seeking approval to mine in the Santa Rita Mountains.
A Creek’s
Heart
Expressed Through Art by Mead Mier with contributions by Phoenix Michael
Imagine kneeling at a rare brook in the desert. Gazing upon the vista from a mountaintop at a hushed valley below. Remarking on the sensations felt, images seen, sounds traveling across your ears and the scents and signs of the seasons, what does your heart tell you? How would you convey that connection? Join Tucson’s arts community and Cienega Watershed Partnership (CWP) on Saturday, Feb. 8, in spreading awareness about the Cienega watershed - a region bounded by the Canelo Hills on the southern end, the Whetstone Mountains on the eastern flank, the Santa Ritas Mountains to the west, and the Rincon Mountains to the north. Cienega Creek flows northwesterly, year-round, from the Sonoita Plain to Tucson’s southeastern edge where it becomes Pantano Wash. Artwork of, about and inspired by the watershed contains a valuable message: as one of the last perennial streams in the region, Cienega Creek has inherent importance to Tucson. The watershed also contributes significantly to the recharge of Tucson’s aquifer. Cienega is Spanish for “wetlands;” imagine a cool, lush miracle in the desert. Really! Already vulnerable due to recent drought, it is now additionally threatened by Rosemont Copper’s proposed open-pit mine. CWP is a collaborative network actively engaged in sustaining the unique natural and cultural heritage of the Cienega watershed. To ensure the future of the creek, CWP coordinates programs for Youth Engaged Stewardship (YES!), frog conservation, erosion restoration, water monitoring, climate change scenario planning, and oral history. CWP works with every stakeholder; ranchers, recreational users and government agencies all impact the sustainability of ecosystems (including human). Artists bring a unique focus to the richness and fragility of the Cienega watershed including Davidson Canyon, the Santa Ritas and Sonoita-area grasslands. The CWP Annual Reception will feature visual interpretations of the watershed through the arts. Many of the artists double as watershed managers and scientists. Others were introduced to the watershed on poetic and plein-air field-visits just last year. 20 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | February 2014
Photo courtesy of Ben Johnson and NEW ARTiculation Dance Theatre
A screening of “Rosemont Ours,” a short film by NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre and visual artist Ben Johnson, and directed by Kimi Eisele, will show dancers doing movement meditations within the watershed. Eisele explains that by embodying the flora and fauna, “We realize how much we share with them, and how it changes us to try to see the world from their perspective.” Prose will also be presented at the reception. Tucsonan and geographer Eric Magrane led the poetic research field trips. During these trips groups wrote individually and collaboratively, exploring relationships with the landscape and its inhabitants. “Poetry helps me to think otherwise about landscape,” Magrane explains. “A poem is about bringing life. It's about relationship. It's about witness.” Watercolors shown will include works by Dennis Caldwell of Caldwell Design and Meredith Milstead of The Drawing Studio. "During the past 6 months I visited the Santa Ritas and environs numerous times to sketch and paint outdoors,” says fellow local plein-air painter Betina Fink. “Experiencing the land while painting and drawing helped me to honor it, and pay homage to a region that could possibly be destroyed." Caldwell has worked to protect endangered species of the creek, and of Empire Valley at its northern end, since the late 1990s. He has developed an intimate understanding of the ecology of the area, working on a CWP grant (The F.R.O.G. Project) to restore Chiricahua leopard frogs in the watershed. Civano Middle School students, led by teacher Markus Whitaker, have also chipped in. They donated artworks focusing on healthy human relationships with the natural environment in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, on the southern end of the watershed.
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Select pieces from photography exhibit “Lens on the Land” will be on display. This project, led by Josh Schachter and Brian Powell, exquisitely shows the cultural and ecological richness of the watershed as captured by photographers from throughout the Southwest. “Lens on the Land” is supported by CWP partner organizations The Sonoran Institute and Save the Scenic Santa Ritas. (See story page 10.) Take a moment to ponder the precious resources to Tucson’s early dwellers: flowing water, riparian cottonwood trees, topminnows... Imagine grasslands with antelope grazing, surrounded by pristine saguaro-studded slopes. You can still experience this today in the Cienega watershed! CWP is us: residents, agencies and scientists working together to sustain this heritage a hundred years into the future. n Cienega Watershed Partnership’s Annual Reception takes place Saturday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. at Civano Neighborhood Center, 10501 E. Seven Generations Way. Admission to the exhibit and silent auction is free. Look forward to local libations from Dragoon Brewing Company and Wilhelm Family Vineyards, and bring cash to vote in the infamous chili cook-off. Live traditional Irish folk music will be provided courtesy of Púca. Performances and annual Watershed Wall of Honor Awards begin at 1:30 p.m. Learn more at Cienega.org. CWP Board Member Mead Mier guided many of the artistic field-visits. Mier has over a decade’s experience in watershed restoration issues including monitoring the hydrology of the Cienega Creek. February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 21
Z events
Cirque Roots Examining “The Conscience of Love” with Music, Motion & Fire by Craig Baker
photos: Pedro Romano
Entering the Cirque Roots Studio on Toole Avenue just east of Stone Avenue is like walking into a parallel universe—one where the smart phone and tablet explosion never quite took hold. The small lobby and reception area is filled to near capacity with acrobatic props and pieces of hand-painted sets. Plastic hoops of every color imaginable dangle from the ceiling in neat clusters. And don’t be surprised if you have to step around one or more of the regulars twirling with hoops splayed across outstretched arms to get through the two oversized wooden doors which separate the lobby from the large, open practice space in the back of the building. Cirque Roots has been using the building in the Warehouse Arts District as a practice space since its founding in 2011, when the local hula hoop performance troupe Orbital Evolution decided to make their group more of a community driven, all-encompassing performance arts company. With the expansion of their reach to a broader community of performers, Cirque Roots grew into an umbrella organization which supports other performance troupes like pyro-performers Elemental Artistry and the daredevils of Flight School Acrobatics. The nucleus of the crew is a group of just under twenty made up of acrobats, fire spinners, stilt walkers, classical and belly dancers, and even a pair of house musicians (a DJ duo billing themselves as Unianimity), all of whom bring their darkcarnival vibe to the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA) this month for three performances of “The Conscience of Love”—their third major production over the brief course of the company’s existence, and the first show which features all of Cirque Roots’ spotlighted acts. The show, complete with its own custom electronic score, is their second major performance piece using TMA as a backdrop (both performances of their Native American inspired “Feather” sold out last summer) and this time, since “The Conscience of Love” will be performed outdoors, they plan to bring the fire—literally. On a heated patio underneath the Arizona full moon with an intimate crowd of less than 250 people, this 45-mintue show promises to dazzle. Says Cirque Roots Founder and “Conscience of Love” Director Brittany Briley (she was around when Cirque Roots was still all about hula hoops) on how they arrived at their chosen theme, “We had this opportunity to say something” and the
22 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | February 2014
concept of love and its myriad methods of expression provided the perfect “positive affirmation of our existence.” Thus, the multifaceted metaphor in motion began to take shape. Appropriately, it all begins with Briley in a flaming headdress and skirt performing a sort of whirling call-to-the-spirit to set the tone for the evening. Briley, whose mother was recently diagnosed with cancer, says that pouring her heart and mind into choreographing these various expressions of mankind’s most powerful emotion has helped her keep her head on straight during this time of duress. And though it means the troupe will be forced to practice briefly without her as she heads home to Little Rock, Ark. for a brief visit, Briley is not worried. “I have complete faith in them,” she says of her performers. She plans to stay involved during her absence, though, by watching video of the group’s practice sessions online. Another original hoopster and Cirque Roots cofounder, Zoë Anderson, says that the money earned from the show will go right back into the studio and production company to help improve their practice space and support their many ongoing programs like the free, open-to-all Tuesday Night Circus Jam and almost-daily performance-and-fitness-based classes and workshops. The ultimate goal, though, says Anderson, is to take “The Conscience of Love” on the road. “There’s plenty of circus to go around,” says Anderson. She invites anyone in the community interested in a little spirited activity to come and play—step behind the shadow wall, work on your tumbling, dance, sing, or just hang out for the experience. Though the organization is young, Anderson says it is growing. And she assures us that, though (like other local arts groups) Cirque Roots has seen its fair share of economic difficulty, no amount of financial struggle is going to keep them from some serious clowning. On Cirque Roots’ upcoming show, says Anderson, “This is our offering to the community… and we’re going to bring it.” n “The Conscience of Love” takes over Tucson Museum of Art courtyard at 140 N. Main Ave., on Saturday, Feb. 15 for one night only. Show times are 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day-of. Get more info at CirqueRoots.com. Cirque Roots’ studio is located at 17 E. Toole Ave.
February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 23
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Sat 1 ART SAFARI EXPO
Members of the Central Tucson Gallery Association (CTGA) celebrate Tucson’s cultural diversity in the contemporary visual arts. Various media from local artists at eleven different locations including Drawing Studio Gallery, Obsidian Gallery, Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery and more. 6pm. CTGATucson.org
Sat 1- Sat 15 TUCSON SCULPTURE FESTIVAL
Showcasing the eclectic variety of local artists along with some digital-to-physical sculpture. 11am-7pm daily. The Art Gallery, 1122 N. Stone Ave, and Sculpture Resource Center, 640 N. Stone Ave. Bicas.org
Wed 5 PIONEER WOMEN OF TUCSON WALKING TOUR, PART I Pioneer women include Theresa Ferrin, Annie Graham Rockfellow, Isabella Greenway, Monica Flin, and Elizabeth Fremont. 10am–12pm. $15.Corner of Meyer Avenue and Cushing St. 625-8365, KruseArizona.com
Thu 6 BLACKNESS AND RACE POLITICS IN JAPANESE HIP HOP Featuring guest speaker Dawn Elissa Fischer. 6:30pm. Free. UA Poetry Center Dorothy Rubel Room, 1508 E. Helen St. Africana. Arizona.Edu
Fri 7 FLAME OFF!
A torchworking competition with a cash bar and special guest host Margaret Sinser. 6:30pm-11pm $15. Sonoran Glass School, 633 W. 18th St. 884-7814, Sonoranglass.org
Fri 7- Sat 8 GRAND THEFT ART Hosted by Spirit Art House and Bicas. Showcasing hot-wiring demonstrations, art, and methods of bike theft. Thunder Canyon Brewery, 220 E. Broadway Blvd. SpiritArtHouse.com
Sat 8 2ND SATURDAYS A monthly downtown festival. Scott Ave Stage: The Muffulettas, Little House of Funk, and The Jits. Free. 2pm-8pm. 2ndSaturdaysDowntown.com
MARDI GRAS 2014
Led by the “King and Queen of Carnivale,” Paul and Briana Volpe. Featuring New Orleans style food, a parade, silent auction, and live music. $100. Proceeds benefit Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. Casino Del Sol, 5655 W. Valencia Rd. 882-3212, MardiGrasTucson.org
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february Sun 9
Tue 18
FINE VALENTINE COUPLE’S RELAY The
DOWNTOWN SCIENCE CAFÉS Learn about
Southern Arizona Roadrunners will host this running/ walking event for sweethearts, friends or parent-child categories. 8:30am. University Avenue. $17+. 3269383, AZRoadrunners.org
Mountain Snow: Water for Our Thirsty Desert Cities by Paul Brooks from Hydrology. 6pm-7:30pm. Free. Magpies Gourmet Pizza, 605 N. 4th Ave. COS.Arizona. Edu
Thu 13-Sun 16
Thu 20
TUCON GEM AND MINERAL SHOW An-
TUCSON RODEO PARADE The largest non-
nual gem and mineral exhibition throughout Tucson. Thu- Sat; 10am-6pm. Sun; 10am-5pm. $10 a day. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. 3225773, TucsonConventionCenter.org
motorized parade begins at Park Avenue and Ajo Way, goes south on Park to Irvington Rd., west on Irvington to Sixth Avenue and north on Sixth Avenue. 9am, Grandstand entertainment begins at 8am. Free. 2941280, TucsonRodeoParade.org
FESTIVAL OF ISRAELI ART SHOW AND SALE Over 1500 works of art by Israeli artists. See website for times and special events. Free. Congregation Anshei Israel, 5550 E. 5th St. CaiAz.org
Fri 14 WOO AT THE ZOO Join the Reid Park Zoological Society for a deluxe dinner, music, and a champagne toast at Zoofari Market. $65 per person. 5:30pm-7pm. Reid Park Zoo, 1100 S. Randolph Way. 881-4753, TucsonZoo.org
VALENTINES DAY AT TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDENS Admission and lunch for two; $30-$50. Wedding and Vowel Renewal; $200. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. 326-9686, TuconBotanical.org
Sat 15- Sun 23
Sat 22-Sun 23 SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR Over 200 Southwest Native artists present their work. Native food, music, dance, performances. $7-$10. Youth, under 18, and students are free. Sat:10am-5pm, Sun: 10am-4pm. Arizona State Museum, 1013 E University Blvd. 626-8381, StateMuseum.Arizona.Edu
Sat 22 ANNUAL PEACE FAIR An expression of feelings on climate change; poetry, skits, essays, music, and movement arts. Reid Park, DeMeester Pavilion on 22nd St and Tucson Blvd. PeaceCalendar.org
Sun 23 4TH ANNUAL RODEO DAYS ARTS CELEBRATION An art show featuring a beer garden
LA FIESTA DE LOS VAQUEROS TUCSON RODEO The event features competitions
and food. Western attire. Free. Plaza Palomino, 2960 N. Swan Rd. 11am-7pm.
for adults & children, the Rodeo Dance & the Rodeo Parade. See the website for times and prices. Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. 6th Ave. 741-2233, TucsonRodeo.com
Mon 24 GOLDFISH, CONTRABASSOONS, AND SPOKEN WORD Chamber music and spoken
Sun 16
work art concert. 7pm. $8-$10. Maker House, 283 N. Stone Ave. ChurchOfBeethoven-Tucson.org
CONQUISTADOR CLASSIC RUN THE COURSE 4 MILER Located at the Golf Club at
Fri 28- Sun, Mar 2
Dove Mountain. Includes breakfast, running shirt & music. $35. 9:30am. TucsonConquistadores.com
DESERT DWELLING DESIGN WEEK 2014 Panel discussions, designer warehouse sale,
CHICKS N CHAPS RODEO EVENT
and more! See website for prices and venues. DDTucson.com
A benefit for cancer research. Learn rodeo skills from cowboys and cowgirls followed by a live silent auction. 8am. $65. Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. 6th Ave. See website for more details. ChicksNChaps.org
Ongoing WILDCAT HOCKEY
Wildcats take to the ice at the TCC against Arizona State on Fri, Feb 21 and Sat, Feb 22. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. 7:30pm. Prices Vary. ArizonaWildcatHockey.org
SOUTHWEST INDIAN
ART FAIR Southern Arizona’s Premier Indian Art Show & Market
February 22-23, 2014 - Tucson, AZ
ol or
by Jod yF olw ell
$10 adult admission Saturday 10-5 Sunday 10-4
statemuseum.arizona.edu
i yu n a Av
nC
Featuring Santa Clara Artist Jody Folwell • 200 Native Artists Performances • Demonstrations • Auctions • Native Food Advance tickets available online at http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/advance_tickets Arizona State Museum is on the University of Arizona campus, just inside the Main Gate at Park Avenue and University Boulevard in Tucson. 1013 E. University Blvd.
Photos: Jannelle Weakly
SPECIAL SECTION: SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
SOUTHWEST
INDIAN ART FAIR Featured Artist
Jody Folwell by Andrew Higgins
Jody Folwell is an internationally known artist from Santa Clara Pueblo. Arizona State Museum is honored to have her as the 2014 featured artist. Jody is often referred to as the matriarch of the avant-garde in Native American pottery. Today, she continues to hand build and paint all her pottery, with each vessel different from the next. Her work can feature elements as diverse as understated elegant forms and political commentary. Since childhood, she has lived and breathed pottery without really ever looking at herself as an artist. It seemed that an interview with such a humble and wonderful person was the best way for readers to hear her the way she often can be heard through her pottery.
think of yourself as being an artist. And I never thought of myself as being an artist until I started working with Gallery Ten. I just thought an artist was someone who painted on canvas or a sculptor and certainly not a potter. So that’s a really interesting concept because all of a sudden there’s a whole different kind of discussion I had to have inside of my head to process everything through, as to defining what an artist was. So even today, I even think of myself as just being someone who constructs, not so much an artist I think, but constructing.
How did you become an artist? Basically, if you come from a pottery family, you are born into the whole concept of the art world, but you don’t think it’s art. You just think it’s part of what life is all about. You see them making the clay when you’re running around and when you’re very small. So when you’re growing up, it’s just part of life and you don’t
Do you see your culture as always a part of your art work or is there a separation between the two? I think it’s always been there and probably the day I’m dying on my death bed, it’ll still be a part of my work and who I am. And if you grow up on a Pueblo reservation where art, or should I say pottery, is a mainstay of the tribe that you come from, it’s so
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SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
SPECIAL SECTION: SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
much a part of you. It’s ingrained in you. It’s everything that you basically do from one day to the next. You see your neighbors, they’re making pottery. You see people down the road who are making pottery, so it’s like if you walk into a high tech community where everybody has a computer, everybody has all of the high tech equipment and they’re all sitting there at their computers from one house to the next. And it’s basically the same except with potters here in Santa Clara, they’re actually processing things, a physical process should I say, not so much mental but physical process. The mental part comes in later, I think, when your imagery on your pottery has to coincide with the structure of the piece. What can you tell me about this very unique design called a water serpent or Avanyu that appears on your pottery? That is a real interesting question and I thought about it for a while because when I was a little girl that was one of the main things that was always talked about, the Avanyu. Somebody saw the Avanyu up in the canyon. Later on, they were talking about how the Avanyu was coming down closer to the Pueblo and what did that mean. Today, you rarely ever hear people talking about the Avanyu. After I purchased my farm, a tribal council member I know had told me that the water serpent had also lived fairly
Jody holding her 1985 Santa Fe Indian Market best of show pot “Cowboys and Indians.” The jar created so much confusion that the judges realized it was finally time to create a contemporary pottery category.
I never thought of close to where my barns are. He said when he was a little boy, his grandfather and others would go down to that area and take food to the water serpent. So now whatever I have left from the refrigerator or after a meal, I take it down to the fields and I leave it there. And thinking about a whole tradition that has gone by and passed by, and I have chosen to continue on with that. My greatgrandson now will look in the refrigerator and he’ll pick things out of the refrigerator and put them in a bag and go off to go feed the water serpent and the cows. When and why did you start incorporating commentary into your pottery? I started doing commentary pieces after I came back from graduate school and I just thought, this is really interesting because there’s no one else doing it and I just needed to take that little tiny sidestep to make some changes in my artwork. And that’s all I’ve done, not a large step, but just ever so slightly. So then I did the asymmetrical pieces, I did the multicolored pieces, I did the acrylic pieces, I did the social commentary and political pieces. And all of a sudden, the social and political pieces just came into step with this whole process that was going on inside of my head about tradition, about what pottery is and what it should be. You are referred to as the matriarch of contemporary Native pottery. What do you think and hope that means to young artists today? Well, I hope that they can open their minds and their eyes and every part of their being to be able to see the world around them and to be able to appreciate it and to be able to maybe make a statement inside of their mind, or even on a piece of work that they’re doing. SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
Photo: Charles S. King
myself as being an artist
Jody and daughter Susan collaborated on this “Bill and Monica” jar inspired by politics.
Photo: Alanah Tupponce Jody Folwell holding her 2011 award-winning pot depicting salmon and an incised Sarah Palin reference. FEBRUARY 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com III
SPECIAL SECTION: SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
Performances
by Lisa Falk
Native American music and dance is as diverse as the many tribes themselves. Most traditional native songs and dances can be linked to ceremonies or social gatherings. Today, native musicians and dancers continue their traditional forms, and also draw from these for inspiration as they create new forms of music and dance that combine elements from Western music, other tribes’ traditions and their own imagination. The Southwest Indian Art Fair is proud to present performances reflecting this diversity, a plethora of talent and creativity with strong ties to cultural traditions.
R. Carlos Nakai and Will Clipman
R. Carlos Nakai is the world’s premier performer of the Native American flute. Of Navajo-Ute heritage, Nakai has released more than 40 albums with Canyon Records, with additional titles on other labels. Nakai created a new sound for the traditional flute when he began performing over 30 years ago and continues to work in the genres of Native American, world, jazz, and classical music. Two of Nakai’s albums, Canyon Trilogy and Earth Spirit, have earned certified Gold Records (500,000 units sold) while Canyon Trilogy has sold more than one million albums worldwide. He has sold more than four million albums, received 10 Grammy® nominations, and eight Native American Music Awards. He holds a Master’s Degree in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona, was awarded the Arizona Governor’s Arts Award in 1992, and in 2005 he was inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. Will Clipman will be performing with R. Carlos Nakai playing selections from their Grammy nominated album Awakening the Fire (Best New Age Album). He plays a pan-global palette of indigenous instruments in addition to the traditional (American) IV ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | FEBRUARY 2014
drum kit. In a career that spans nearly every known musical genre, Clipman has recorded more than fifty albums, including thirty for Canyon Records. He has received seven Grammy® nominations for Best New Age Album and Best Native American Album, a Native American Music Award for Best Instrumental Album, and a TAMMIE Award for Best Drummer.
Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers
The Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers perform traditional dances, songs and stories from Zuni Pueblo in west-central New Mexico, as well as dances and music adapted from other tribal groups in the Southwest. On the Native American flute, group leader Fernando Cellicion plays songs he has composed, as well as Plains-style songs of the Kiowa, Sioux, and Comanche. Founded in 1983, this multigenerational group has performed throughout the United States at festivals and powwows, at the Library of Congress, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. They have also toured in Canada, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
SPECIAL SECTION: SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers
The Dineh Tah’ dance troupe, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, performs traditional dances and songs in order to share a deep understanding of the rich cultural traditions of the Navajo (Dineh, or Diné) people. Their dances make reference to spiritual beliefs and cultural practices such as grinding corn and the use of corn pollen in ceremonies, Spider Woman, weaving, and the roles of gourds and ribbons in healing practices, among other traditions. Over the last 13 years, Dineh Tah’ have performed across the country and abroad including at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Heard Museum, the Eiteljorg Indian Market, the National Museum of the American Indian, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Library of Congress, and for the Inaugural Ball of New Mexico governor Bill Richardson.
Dishchii’bikoh Apache Dancers
The Dishchii’bikoh Apache Dancers are from Cibecue, one of the five Western Apache (Ndee or Indé) bands living in the mountainous region of eastern Arizona. Dishchii’bikoh has performed Ga’an dances and a women’s warrior dance at museums, schools and festivals primarily in the Southwest. Ga’an are the spiritual ancestors of the Apache. They live in sacred caves in the mountains from which they watch over the Apache, protecting them and ensuring their well being. At times the Ga’an leave their homes to teach the Apache the correct way to live, or to use their spiritual powers to heal. Crown Dancers embody the Ga’an in this physical world serving as the Apaches’ connection to the Mountain Spirit People. Each group consists of five dancers— four Ga’an who represent the four sacred directions, and a caretaker who communicates with the Spirit people. Ga’an Dancers are instrumental in healing and cleansing ceremonies, including in preparing the grounds for the Sunrise Ceremony, the traditional observance associated with an Apache girl’s coming of age.
Estun-Bah and Tony Duncan
Estun-bah consists of Tony Duncan (Apache/Arikara-Hidatsa-Mandan) on Native American flute, Darrin Yazzie (Navajo) on guitar and Jeremy Dancing Bull (Arikara/ Hidatsa) on traditional Native American drums and percussion. Estun-Bah is an Apache word meaning “for the woman.” Traditionally used as a courting instrument, the Native American
flute was played by a man to show his honor and respect for a woman. Estun-Bah’s performances incorporate both the Southwestern and Northern Plains styles of song and dance. Duncan is a five-time World Champion hoop dancer and is consistently ranked among the top ten in the world. As he dances, he uses the hoops to create many intricate designs inspired by nature. Duncan was recently named Artist of the Year at the 2013 Native American Music Awards and appears in Nelly Furtado’s music video “Big Hoops.” Estun-Bah has performed for United States First Lady Laura Bush, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and in New Mexico at Indian Market and the Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow.
Kitzit (Laguna Pueblo)
Kitzit is a youth dance and singing group with members ranging in age from 9-21 years old. “Kitzit” is a Keresan word meaning “to dance.” The group shares various social dances, including the butterfly, eagle, deer and buffalo dances. These dances are at the heart of the Pueblo’s core values, and are offered as a form of prayer to the creator and to the animals they represent. The buffalo dance gives thanks to the buffalo for providing, food, clothing, shelter, and tools. The eagle dance honors the prayers the eagle takes up to the creator, and gives thanks for the feathers and other parts of the eagle used in ceremonies. The deer dance acknowledges the importance of the deer as a provider of subsistence and clothing to the Pueblo people. The butterfly dance, usually danced by females, represents life’s emergence and renewal. Since 1998, the group has traveled extensively, sharing dances, songs and stories of Laguna culture.
No:ligk Traditional Singers and Basket Dancers (Tohono O’odham)
The No:ligk Traditional Singers and Basket Dancers have been teaching and sharing their traditions for the last 16 years under the direction of Christine Johnson. Four generations of the Johnson family join together to preserve Tohono O’odham heritage and identity through song, dance and basket making. Their dances include the Basket Dance, which symbolizes the weaving of a basket. As they acknowledge the four directions, dancers pay homage to basket weavers around the world. Their songs speak to the creation of the earth and its relation to those who inhabit it.
SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
Peformance Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 22 10:15 No:ligk Traditional Singers and Dancers 11:00 Native Fashion by 1519 Rebellion* 11:15 Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers 12:00 Native Fashion by OxDx* 12:15
Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers
1:15 Estun-Bah 2:00 2:15
Native Fashion by designer Monique Mahone-Alvirez* Kitzit Dance Group
3:00 Native Fashion by designer Cher Thomas* 3:15 Dischchii’bikoh Apache Dancers 4:05 Native Fashion by designer Cher Thomas* 4:30 Estun-Bah
Sunday, Feb. 23 10:15 Kitzit Dance Group 10:50 Native Fashion by OxDx* 11:05
Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers
11:40 11:55
Native Fashion by designer Monique Mahone-Alvirez* Dischii’bikoh Apache Dancers
12:40 Native Fashion by designer Cher Thomas* 12:55 Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers 1:45 R. Carlos Nakai and Will Clipman 2:40 Estun-Bah 3:15 3:30
Native Fashion by 1519 Rebellion* No:ligk Traditional Singers and Dancers
*See page VIII for designer bio Founded in 1951, Canyon Records, one of the oldest independent records labels in existence, produces and distributes Native American music representing many tribes and styles. Canyon Records is a sponsor of performances at SWIAF and will be selling records at the fair.
FEBRUARY 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com V
SPECIAL SECTION: SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
Friends of Hubbell Rug Auction by Darlene Lizarraga
Live Rug Auction
Photo: Friends of Hubbell Trading Post NPS
BUY A RUG AND HELP A STUDENT FINISH COLLEGE SOLD! That familiar auction exclamation, punctuated by the sound of a gavel hitting home, is music to Frank Kohler’s ears. “That means more money in support of academic scholarships for Native American college students; that’s what our auctions are all about.” As treasurer and board member of Friends of Hubbell Trading Post NPS and one of many volunteer organizers of the auctions, Kohler is passionate about that part of the nonprofit’s mission. Friends of Hubbell Trading Post NPS is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1990 with a four-pronged mission: to aid and promote the management of programs and objectives of the historic site; to support Native American arts and crafts through a biannual Native American art auction; to provide scholarships to Navajo and Hopi college students; and to increase the awareness of trading post heritage in the Southwest. Over the past 10 years, as of January 2014, more than $50,000 in scholarships, fed directly by fund-raising proceeds, have been awarded to approximately 45 Navajo and Hopi students, allowing them to start and continue their associate’s or bachelor’s degrees. Other accomplishments are equally laudable. Auctions have returned close to $2M to the weavers and other artists who consign items. “We make a point of encouraging young weavers to put their rugs into our auctions,” says Kohler, “and when they sell, it is a strong incentive to weave more, and perpetuate the art form.” The scholarship program was established in honor of three weavers, Evelyn Curley, Mary Lee Begay, and Helen Kirk, who each VI ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | FEBRUARY 2014
Saturday, February 22 CESL auditorium No sales tax 9-11:00 AM viewing 12:00 PM bidding begins
spent many years demonstrating their art in the Hubbell Trading Post visitor center in Ganado, Arizona. In order to be eligible for a Hubbell scholarship, a student must: • be an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation or the Hopi Tribe; • be attending a two- or four-year college/university in the Four Corners region; • have a declared major or special degree program; • be entering his junior or senior year; • have a 3.0 or better grade point average. It is fitting that Arizona State Museum’s Southwest Indian Art Fair has partnered with Friends of Hubbell Trading Post in support of their scholarship program. “Not only are we right here on a university campus, the missions of the museum and its art fair complement our own,” says Kohler. This is the third year Friends of Hubbell Trading Post have participated in the Southwest Indian Art Fair. “New programs take a while to get established,” says Kohler. “We’re hoping for a huge turnout this year. Not only are the weekend’s sales supporting our scholarship program, we are giving a portion of proceeds in support of the art fair itself, to ensure its continuation, as well.” Learn more about the philanthropic work of Friends of Hubbell Trading Post NPS at www.friendsofhubbell.org. Better yet – stop by the auction and buy a rug! SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
SPECIAL SECTION: SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
Arizona State Museum gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of our 21st annual Southwest Indian Art Fair’s
Sponsors & Supporters
Anonymous Arizona Archaeological & Historical Society Jean Bassett The Beckermans & The Nerenbergs Laura & Arch Brown Nan Carle Dawn Cromwell Terry DeWald American Indian Art Friends of the ASM Collections Jeanne Heyerick Gary Hultman & Judith LeClair Beatrice A. Kabler
Pat & Kim Messier Kitty & Bill Moeller Don & Reta Olsen Paddy & Ed Schwartz Jaye Smith In Loving Memory of William T. Lawrence Sherri Raskin Jean & Eldon Smith Ralph & Ingeborg Silberschlag Ray St.Clair & Gail Gibbons Ron & Trina Trimble In Loving Memory of BC & Jean Waddell
And to all of our volunteers, none of this would be possible without you! SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
FEBRUARY 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com VII
SPECIAL SECTION: SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
Native Fashion
by Martina Dawley, Ph.D.
Arizona State Museum’s Southwest Indian Art Fair is honored to present a Native American fashion show featuring designers Cher Thomas, Monique Mahone, OxDx, and 1519 Rebellion. These designers will share a diverse collection of traditional ceremonial wear, contemporary high fashion, and street wear. Native American fashion is not a genre created just for Native Americans. It is an artistic movement introducing mainstream society to positive and cutting-edge designs that are Native-inspired and Native-made. “Cloth is my paint and needle my brush, the results of which I consider art!” says Cher Thomas, a third generation seamstress. Cher is Akimel O’odham and Maricopa and from the Gila River Indian Community. A graduate of Arizona State University, Cher earned degrees in American Indian Studies and Human Communication. She also is a former Miss Indian Phoenix Union High School District (2001), Miss Gila River (2004) and Ms. Indian Arizona State University (2010). She learned how to sew, and about O’odham culture and the traditions associated with making traditional clothing, from her mother. Cher creates clothing ranging from one-of-a-kind, original, traditional attire for O’odham and Yuman-speaking Indians to modern fashion that highlights tribal motifs. Cher’s designs have attracted attention over the past few years. Her work been showcased in a selection of native fashion shows in Arizona, and she has been featured in the online boutique Beyond Buckskin and Native Max Magazine. Monique Mahone-Alvirez, a member of the Hualapai Tribe, has been sewing for more than fifteen years, making traditional Hualapai dresses, shirts, and vests catering to the employees who work for the tribal enterprise. Monique’s designs are inspired by the teachings of her uncle, the late Keith Mahone, a traditional Hualapai bird singer who also taught her traditional dances. Monique lives in Peach Springs, Arizona, and works for the Hualapai Tribe. She is the mother of two sons and four stepchildren, and the proud grandmother of one granddaughter. Jared Yazzie is the graphic designer and owner of OxDx, a Native American-owned clothing line based out of Chandler, Arizona. OxDx tees started out in 2009 when Jared was a college student with a creative, pumping, toxic mind. His ideas are strong, his colors are bold, and his graphics pop with style and stories. Raised in northern Arizona, Jared is a full blooded Native American dreamer. Staying true to his Navajo roots, most of his creations depict American Indian struggles, issues, and art. Jared is strongly influenced by his native culture, street art, music, and the overall beauty in the world. He believes that sometimes we forget how to walk in beauty, but OxDx strives to regain lost traditions. Based out of Tucson, 1519 Rebellion is a modern Native American art-driven lifestyle apparel brand and art collective. 1519 is owned and operated by three members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe: Mario Valencia, Luis Rodriguez, and Raul Osuna. Their designs integrate native elements with hip-hop, mixed martial arts and tattoo influences. In choosing a brand name, “1519” was selected VIII ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | FEBRUARY 2014
Cher Thomas design worn by Michelle Chischilly. Hair and make-up by Gabrielle Chischilly. Photography by Roshan Spottsville.
to pay tribute to the date “Marzo 25, 1519” that is imprinted on the Yaqui flag. “Rebellion” embodies the fighting spirit of the Yaqui people. 1519 Rebellion’s products are made in-house and silkscreened by hand to ensure quality. Come meet the designers at the Southwest Indian Art Fair! Their work will be showcased on the performance stage throughout both days of the fair. Talk to the designers and purchase a new outfit from their booth. See the performance schedule on page 5 for details. SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
SPECIAL SECTION: SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
Story Tellers
by Gail Bornfield, Docent Council Chair (2012-Present)
Arizona State Museum docents tell the stories of native cultures through the artifacts comprising the collections on exhibit. Each piece has a story, a history waiting to be shared. The stories create an unforgettable link to our own time, our own lives. Through the artifacts, we learn about the cultures of the Southwest, past and present. There are several pieces that I find to be special. The first of these is the Hopi katsina cradle doll (putsqatihu). This doll is given to a young Hopi girl, perhaps while she is still in her own cradle. The dolls provide a means for teaching about the personalities represented by the individual katsinam (plural of katsina). Cradle dolls are also used to teach parenting roles through imaginative play. Other traditional pieces include Navajo rugs. Hand woven from sheep’s wool, the vibrancy of the red, black and grays is striking. The “storm pattern” from the western part of the reservation is a favorite. Each of the trading posts on the Navajo Reservation has an individual rug design for which its associated weavers have become known. The storm pattern consists of a central rectangle joined to corner squares by zigzag lines. It is often interpreted as representing the four sacred Navajo mountains connected by pathways of lightning.
Apache Playing Cards
Chiricahua and Western Apache playing cards are unique in their imagery. Apache artists painted cavalry officers, Mexican vaqueros, Apache scouts and other culturally relevant designs derived from Mexican paper cards of the time, and their own surroundings. ASM has four such rawhide packs with excellent documentation; the oldest dates to 1875. Card playing was popular activity that bridged cultural differences in the Southwest. The “man-in-the-maze” motif woven into baskets of the O’odham people has come to symbolize their culture. It was first seen on basketry in the early 1900s made by the Akimel O’odham. One main interpretation of the design is that humans travel the maze throughout their lives ending in the dark center which represents death. Yaqui Pahkola masks are another favorite. These are handcarved wooden masks representing human, canine, and goat faces. A cross is always found on masks that are worn by Pahkolas. The Pahkola dancer serves as a host, clown, and an orator. He is at once both serious and funny. Pahkola dancers are present at most Yaqui festivals. Native artists represent their long-standing cultural traditions in what they produce, but also use their art to address the events of the present day and to express their personal opinions. On exhibit is a piece by Santa Clara Pueblo potter Jody Folwell entitled “Fishing for Votes” which she finished in 2011. She inscribed her vase “No mama grizzlies here. Only suckers with lipstick.” As we walk through the exhibits, we are reminded that we are all “more the same than different.” Our children engage in imaginative play. Card games are a common social activity. We cherish handmade symbols from our past. We voice our beliefs and opinions through the media with which we are most comfortable. We participate in the world in which we live. We reach back to our past, hoping to shine light on our present.
Photos: Jannelle Weakly
SOUTHWEST INDIAN ART FAIR • FEBRUARY 22 & 23, 2014
FEBRUARY 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com IX
Photo: Scott Kirkessner
Experience the Enduring Cultures of the Southwest! Programs
Arizona State Museum offers the visitor many opportunities to experience the enduring cultures of the region through content-rich exhibits, dynamic docent tours, engaging programs, exciting travel tours, hands-on workshops, a research library, and an educational museum store.
Collections
Arizona State Museum is the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the region (est. 1893), an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, and home to the world’s largest collections of Southwest Indian pottery and American Indian basketry.
Research
Arizona State Museum is renowned for its excellence in preserving, interpreting, and presenting the material culture of the region. The museum’s scholars and extensive collections are among the most significant resources in the world for the study of southwestern peoples.
statemuseum.arizona.edu
SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO
SilverCityTourism.org • 575-538-555
Places of Tucson
Elevation: 6,000+ feet!
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Alotta Gelato – New Mexico’s oldest gelato shop, featuring 30+ flavors made in-house in Historic Downtown. United Country Mimbres Realty –
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Western New Mexico University Museum – World’s largest permanent
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display of Mimbres pottery and culture.
wnmumuseum.org
Diane’s – Delicious, delightful, and re-
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Lois Duffy Studio – See the world as full of magical possibilities. Located in the Historic Downtown Art District.
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Silver City Museum – Explore and
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55
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Silver City Tour – Schedule your free Victoria Chick – Contemporary
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Morning Star – Shop Historic Downtown for outdoor apparel, sporting goods, and custom Silver City wear!
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Wild Wild West Pro Rodeo – Featuring some of the toughest cowboys & cowgirls at a cool 6,000’ elevation in June.
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Little Toad Brewery and Distillery – Downtown tasting room serving craft beer, spirits, fine pub food & live music. littletoadcreek.com
Javalina Coffee House – Relax, catch
a chat, in one of the hippest hangouts in downtown, featuring Picacho Roasters.
find us on facebook!
Z events
Giovanna Lossou, a senior from San Miguel H.S., uses a cold piece of metal to detach the still molten, newly formed paperweight from the rod. Once cooled, students keep their completed works.
photo: Kyle Wasson
38 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | February 2014
Flame-Off Fuels Art Education by Kyle Wasson After quickly evolving into one of Tucson’s hottest gatherings, the 13th Annual Flame-Off returns this month to the Sonoran Glass School (SGS) at 633 W. 18th St., nestled between Downtown and Sentinel Peak. The competition on Friday, Feb. 7 showcases 12 artists–many local, some international–during a two-hour torch working competition where, like every year, the biggest winners never touch the stage. At the end of the night, Tucson's underserved youth are the real winners. Hundreds of which, ages five to 20 who attend participating schools, will continue to receive funding towards learning and eventually creating glassworks in SGS’ shops; partially supported by the Flame-Off’s proceeds–garnered from ticket sales, a live auction and a two-day online silent auction of the competing artist’s creations. “The most important part is promoting the glass arts, and letting people know that we’re here,” said Nick Letson, director of the awardwinning Tucson Youth Development Program at SGS. “We want to show why we think we’re valuable to the community.” Tucson’s own Micah Blatt, owner of Mr. Head’s Art Gallery & Bar and a previous first place winner, is one of 12 artists competing as both individuals and teams against the clock. The all-ages event brings together local food trucks, a flame shop-themed cash bar and four strategically placed high definition screens with a live feed of the on-stage action.
“It’s nice to return the competition to the school; we like to show people what we’re doing and there’s no better way than amongst all of the equipment.” Letson added. Between balancing photography, graphic design, and public affairs, Letson plans and carries out the various youth development programs SGS offers; the newest experience being a week-long workshop graduating students from introductory mosaic and ‘warm-glass’ methods to the ‘Flame’ room, SGS’ highest level of glass creations. “It’s important for a teenager to be able to get out of the classroom and see art, and see professionals making a living being an artist,” says Melissa Schwindenhammer, San Miguel Catholic High’s art instructor. “The glass medium is something we don’t have access to; it’s great exposing them to new media and new techniques. They’re taken totally out of their element.” Last year, seniors from San Miguel High School, one of many schools benefitting from the program, compiled a 9-foot by 18-foot glass mosaic to be introduced as a campus beautification piece. Again this year, with the help of SGS, Schwindenhammer’s class will create something to be enshrined for future classes to aspire to. However, without the donated materials, ranging anywhere from stained and broken glass to tools and mounting accessories, and costs fronted by SGS, these projects would not be possible. Last month, from Jan. 21-23, Schwindenhammer and SGS delivered 34 students to all three studios (warm, hot, and flame shops) for what Letson calls the SGS Experience. The course allowed students to work from basic understanding of glass to eventually alongside the furnace in the flame shop. “I’m really excited about it,” Letson said. “As long as a school can get here, we want to give them a free field trip.” Grants do not cover everything, Letson confirms. Yet, emailing and calling Tucson’s schools and art teachers have left him amazed at how hard it is to give their services away. All of the schools involved in the Youth Development Program are within walking distance from SGS since many institutions lack appropriate funding to even make the trips possible. As is with any non-profit organization, the financial challenges are amplified by an outright expensive medium. “Our gas bill last month alone was in the two-thousands; you can see how expensive everything can start to become,” Letson said with a chuckle. Receiving a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts means SGS must raise $20,000 to receive the endowment’s $20,000. And with help, they do. There are of course benefits of returning the event to SGS’ headquarters; one being ticket sales and host fees, a majority of their past losses. And second, the freedom of inviting spectators into a shop setting, showing how they make playing with fire friendly and approachable on a daily basis. “That’s why events like this are so important,” says Letson. “Which, obviously we need all of the staff, equipment, and facilities to work in order to even bring in the classes.” For now though, Letson and the undermanned, yet enthusiastic staff at Sonoran Glass School plan to keep making glass art accessible with what they have. “This kind of experience changes you, no matter what you end up doing in the world,” said Schwindenhammer of the SGS initiative. “It’s great that there are programs like this, but even better to have people out there funding them.” n Flame Off 2014 is Friday, Feb. 7 from 6:30 p.m.-11 p.m. at 633 W. 18th St. Tickets, $15, are available at SonoranGlass.org. Questions can be answered by calling (520) 884-7814 or emailing info@sonoranglass.org. February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 39
Rodeo Fever Rodeo events start Feb. 15 and transform Tucson through Feb. 23 by Monica Surfaro Spigelman Not much can outshine this Old Pueblo extravaganza, with its thunder of wranglers and cattle cars that charge into the city to turn Tucson into what it has historically been – the city of the cowboy, comfortable when hooves pound and dust billows. Whether you’re a greenhorn or a career cowpoke, the amazing combination of athleticism, authenticity, showmanship and history corrals us all for La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, the 89th annual Tucson Rodeo and Parade. This wild-west rumble draws an estimated 60,000 spectators for the sportsmanship, with 200,000 more turning out for the parade – all spiffed in polished boots and cinched jeans, with trailers of livestock filling our stables, generating more than $15 million for the city and our businesses. Beyond the dollars, top-notch horsemanship is underway: Tucson is the largest outdoor winter rodeo in the world and a key stop in the international pro rodeo circuit. This year’s purse – approximately $360,000 – will attract more than 700 contestants and 1,000 horses, including the biggest names in the business. A custom gold and silver buckle, inlaid with diamonds, will be awarded to the Tucson Rodeo’s top all-around athlete. Rodeo is a serious sport, confirms Tucson Rodeo General Manager Gary Williams, himself a bull rider on the professional circuit with over 500 rodeos to his credit. Within the historic Tucson Rodeo Grounds on South Sixth Avenue and East Irvington Road, a complete western heritage experience awaits attendees, featuring six rodeos, including the culminating Sun., Feb. 23 finals, which will bring together the world’s top cowboys and cowgirls from the week’s events. As Williams explains, the arena size dictates the momentum that livestock get coming out of the chute, and as Tucson is one of the largest arenas on the circuit, the Tucson Rodeo delivers world-renowned excitement. Competition all week will include bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, tie down roping, team roping and bull riding, all sanc40 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | February 2014
photo: Lousie Serpa/courtesy Mia Larocque
tioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) with the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) sanctioning the barrel racing. World famous rodeo clown Justin Rumford will be there to wow the crowds, as will the Casa Grande women’s precision riding team called the Quadrille de Mujeres, which will lead off the rodeo in their 35th consecutive performance. Rodeo mornings will be for the kids, with 6-to 14-year-olds competing in the Justin Boots Junior Rodeo and four- to six-year-olds riding sheep in Dodge Mutton Bustin’ events. The afternoons will be for the pro Rodeo activities. You may not know it, but Tucson is home to a world champion cowgirl - Sherry Cervi of Marana, who set the all-time record in barrel racing just this past December. She’ll compete as will as other rodeo champs including the great local team steer roper Cesar de la Cruz, a multi-time national finalist. In addition to all the daring saddle bronc and rough stock arena action, the rodeo puts on world-class western shopping, entertainment and culinary experiences. While mainstays like the Silver Saddle Steak House on Benson Highway at Interstate 10 will be overflowing, fans also can rub shoulders with famous cowboys and girls in the Coors Barn Dance tent, the stop for rodeo evening food and live entertainment. Western Marketplace vendors will offer novelties, apparel and goods reflecting working ranch life as well as frontier glam. “It’s a combination of enjoyment, western pride, arts and the community,” says Williams, who also notes that this year’s collectible objet d’art poster features Arizona artist and cattle rancher JaNeil Anderson. Businesses including Wandering Cowboy and Kalil Bottling are among the local sponsors involved in this Tucson event, with national sponsors including Justin Boots, Coors and Ram Trucks (Dodge).
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But the essence of this western experience may be best personified in the parade, the largest spectator event in Arizona. On Thursday, Feb. 20, as is tradition, businesses and schools close and families camp out to cheer on the Rodeo Parade that this year will include over 900 horses, mules and miniatures, 90 buggies and wagons, nine marching bands and more than 2,100 participants. KOLD Anchor Dan Marries is 2014 Grand Marshal of this massive western Americana celebration, which will process a 2.45 mile route, winding along Park Avenue to Irvington Road and finally collecting at the parade grounds. More than 300 volunteers are expected to support a hardy core of 36 who comprise the all-volunteer Rodeo Committee, and more than 38,000 households are expected to watch it live on the KOLD feed. Parade entrants come from across the country (we’ve had camels, too), and the El Paso Sheriff Posse will be there with its historic wagon that rode the Butterfield trail, as will Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and City Council representatives. “It’s our connection to the past and future of ranching, our way of celebrating our region’s tradition,” says Rodeo Committee Chair Bob Stewart, who has been with the Parade Committee more than 11 years. He and other volunteers also manage and staff the Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum, a hidden gem on the Tucson Rodeo Grounds which includes a 1930s sheriff’s adobe livery stable as well as a hangar that retains the original steel frame of the 1919 Tucson Airport, the site of the first municipal airport in the United States. Buckboards used in old movies, exhibits and even an 1863 carriage built for Mexican royalty are all part of this historic hideaway. La Fiesta de los Vaqueros and all its Tucson Rodeo accouterments are profoundly larger than life. Giddy-up, and dig your spurs into this primo cowboy event. n La Fiesta de los Vaqueros begins Sat., Feb. 15, at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. 6th Ave. near Irvington Road. Gates open at 11 a.m. The Tucson Rodeo Parade begins 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20. Parking is available at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds. Call 741-2233 or email info@ TucsonRodeo.com for fees, tickets and details. Learn more at TucsonRodeo.com or TucsonRodeoParade.org. February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 41
photo: Craig Baker
Z events Photo far right: Casa Libre Founder and Executive Director Kristen Nelson poses with the books donated to the organization by writers who have stayed or read there.
Casa Libre
Celebrating a Decade of Literary Arts by Craig Baker It is a Wednesday night and the place is packed, with overflow spilling out into the open-air courtyard. The lack of legroom is no surprise seeing as the venue only seats about 25 shoulder-to-shoulder. And tonight, the first event after their annual month-long recuperation period, Casa Libre en la Solana is showcasing the work of what Assistant Director TC Tolbert calls “three rock stars” of poetry. Word junkies in every shade from casual hipster to staunch academic mill about, nibbling on free cookies and sipping wine from clear plastic cups. Few are able to overlook the opportunity to speak face-to-face with the talent—the real reason anyone comes to one of these things—their excitement telegraphed by frequent fits of nervous laughter. There is perhaps no literary locale on earth quite as cozy as Casa Libre, probably because multiple artists at any given moment literally call it home. When founder and current resident Kristen Nelson opened the spot on North Fourth Avenue a decade ago, it was with the two-fold goal of furnishing writers with long-term residency opportunities in Downtown Tucson and providing a place for those writers to share their work. The artist-in-residence program went on uninterrupted for several years but unfortunately, says Nelson, “it became unsustainable” soon after the 2008 economic downturn. By opening the vacant units in the space to lease by artists, Nelson was able to salvage Casa Libre as a venue and still offer weekend residencies to traveling writers. “So it’s very much still the same atmosphere, but there has been a slight shift in focus,” she says, adding that it was “very hard” for her to suspend the residency program in any capacity. Casa Libre has thrived as a venue and quasi-communal artist living space for the past few years by continuing to offer programs like the emerging writers’ series “Edge,” the Native-focused “Stjukshon,” the multi-genre collaborative series “Trickhouse,” and regular classes taught by local writers. There is hope, though, of restoring the residency program to its full glory. “We just wrote a three-year strategic plan (to bring the residency program back),” says Nelson. And that’s something to celebrate. To that end, the Libre-rators (too far?) are holding their Tenth Anniversary Gala—what Nelson is calling a “friendraiser”—this month, Saturday, 42 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | February 2014
Feb. 22, at the YWCA just west of downtown. Nelson says she wants to “honor all of the people that have given their time and love and energy to Casa Libre,” and what better way to do that than by throwing a big-ass party? She says without contributions by people like former board president and current Tucson Poet Laureate Rebecca Seiferle, new president Elizabeth Frankie Rollins, Assistant Director TC Tolbert, and the audience members that keep the readings attended, Casa could not have survived as long as it has. “So the primary purpose (of the gala),” says Nelson, “is to celebrate all of those people.” According to Nelson, their tenure on Fourth Avenue has also been a key to Casa’s survival, so part of the ceremony is meant to celebrate the district itself. Local merchants, for example, have been invited to contribute hors d’oeuvres and centerpieces that reflect their specific flavor. For the sliding-scale entry fee, gala-goers can expect to enjoy spoken word performances by local writers like Logan Phillips and Teré FowlerChapman as well as food, live music, dancing, and even a screening of local filmmaker Bob Byers’ short documentary about Casa Libre (still in production as of press time). A cash bar will also be in service. If you are a writer, a reader, a poet, an artist, or just someone searching for a stimulating new scene, Casa Libre has got something to pique your interest. And though Nelson is not talking about physical proximity when she says she “hope(s) to have very little space between audience and performer” at Casa events, the level of closeness between literature buffs at one of their readings gives new meaning to the term “intimate.” And yet, that intimacy is the reason that Casa Libre might be the best place in town to “rub elbows” with the literary elite. Here’s to another decade of pondering and mingling. n Casa Libre's tenth anniversary gala is Saturday, Feb. 22 from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. More information, including tickets, is available at CasaLibre.org or by calling 325-9145. The YWCA is located at 525 Bonita Ave. Casa Libre is located at 228 N. 4th Ave.
Mark A. Martinez
The Rialto's fundraiser helps the non-profit to continue to host live music from touring and local bands, along with other community events. Pictured: Devo performing at the Rialto to a packed house last May.
Rialto Gala A Red Letter Event by Jon D’Auria Tucson’s beloved music venue the Rialto Theatre is throwing their second annual fundraiser - the Rialto Gala: A Red Letter Event - on Saturday, Feb. 15. The evening features music from the 1960s era of Motown and pop provided by the Phoenix-based cover band 60s Bandstand Show, food and beverage tastings provided by Downtown restaurants and an auction to raise money for the non-profit music venue. “There will be great food from a dozen Downtown restaurants, great music that attendees will know and love, wine and beer sampling, some super cool silent auction items, special guest speakers, and quality hosting from Dan Marries of KOLD,” explains Rialto Executive director Curtis McCrary. “I was amazed at all the effort put forth by our entire board and staff for last year’s gala. It was a tremendous success due to this diligence, and because of the robust support we got from the community and our sponsors.” This year’s auction will feature many exciting items ranging from $20$800 including a nice pair of tickets to the final University of Arizona men’s basketball game, a variety of Wildcat memorabilia, autographed items, one of a kind sculptures, rooms at Ventana Canyon Resort, Rialto ticket packages (including a pair of tickets to every show for a year), original local art, gift baskets and gift certificates from local Tucson businesses and restaurants and much more. “Tucson is a fantastic community for many reasons but one of the most important is the incredible array of mostly small, independent organizations and individuals that make up the cultural fabric of our town,” says McCrary. “And those organizations need support and patronage from the greater community to keep doing what they do, and it's a testament to Tucson that so many entities can be sustained in this way. We like to think we are a meaningful part of that fabric, and of course we'd like to keep bringing great live music and performance to Tucson. The support we receive from patrons, members, donors and sponsors make it all possible.” The food and beverage tasting begins at 7 p.m. and the music and dancing will continue throughout the evening. Tickets are $75 a person and can be purchased at the Rialto box office, by phone or at any Bookmans location. While 60s themed attire is encouraged it is not required. n The Rialto Theatre is located at 318 E Congress St. For more information, call (520) 740-1000 or visit RialtoTheatre.com February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 43
Z beauty health wellness
Along The Line
Beauty, Health & Wellness
Sun Link - the Tucson Streetcar project that wends 3.9 miles through the heart of Tucson - is heading toward completion with an estimated time of arrival for public use at the end of this summer. Over the next several issues, Zócalo Magazine is covering the businesses along, and in proximity to, the streetcar line - the places that make this part of town a hub of unique and mostly locally-owned enterprises. This month, Along The Line highlights establishments focused on helping you obtain optimum health and wellness, along with places that pamper. With St. Valentine’s Day this month, it’s a good time to remember to love and take care of number one. We’re also pretty sure your sweethearts wouldn’t mind gift certificates from the following businesses that will allow your darlings to love and nurture themselves too! Businesses are listed by location, generally from west and south to north and east.
Beauty & Wellness
The following places pamper and recharge. From acupuncture to nails, the following locales offer a variety of services that aim to make you feel like a million bucks.
Tucson Acupuncture Co-Op 439 N. Sixth Ave. #127, (520) 867-8004 AcupunctureCoop.com Tucson is full of gems hidden in the nooks and crannies of the most unexpected spaces. Many decades ago, when the Firestone Building at Sixth Avenue and Sixth Street was a tire store, people then would probably be hard pressed to imagine that a portion of the building would eventually become a healing space offering acupuncture. But that’s what happened on March 3, 2013 when Tucson Acupuncture Co-Op (TACO) opened its doors. The story of how worker-owners Josh Whiteley and Ellen Vincent converged in Tucson to open TACO is one of those groovy sliding doors happenstances. What if something came up and one of them didn’t make it to the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture conference in Portland, OR, where they met? Or, further back, when one or the other hadn’t been 44 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | February 2014
struck by the healing attributes of acupuncture? Ellen, who moved here from Philly – “brought here by that guy,” she says smiling, nodding at Josh – has been an acupuncturist since 2006. “I had had acupuncture in my early 20s. I graduated with a not very practical degree, so in my early 30s, I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’ Acupuncture sounded like something I’d be interested in.” TACO is the third clinic she has helped open, and one is still thriving in Philadelphia, PA. When Ellen moved to Tucson, she worked with Josh at another local clinic, but, “I’m not suited to be an employee and Josh had also been talking about opening a clinic.” When the couple made their decision, they found their new space quickly, she says. Josh writes via email that they opened TACO “primarily as a means to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to Tucson and the surrounding communities. We also saw a big need in Down-
photo © Wave Break Media
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What can acupuncture do for you and how does it work? Josh explains that it can help “pretty much anything under the sun in some way. Acupuncture essentially works by triggering the body’s own internal healing response. We see a lot of conditions involving pain and/or inflammation and I think these are areas were acu-
puncture really shines particularly. It is also great for treating stress, anxiety, depression, digestive issues and all of the problems that can follow. Acupuncture can often go a long way in helping to bring the body back to a more healthy and balanced state. Sometimes in really big and life changing ways and sometimes in simply giving the patient a chance to de-stress and take care of themselves for an hour.” Being able to inexpensively treat oneself, the sliding scale is $15-$35, and just drop out for a bit is rather priceless. TACO is very accommodating, allowing patients to stay as long as they need, and also enables people to come with loved ones to heal together. “Healing with family or the larger community itself has its own power that we don’t get enough of in this day and age,” Josh aptly states. TACO encourages appointments, which can be made on the website, and is open various hours seven days a week. - Jamie Manser
photo courtesy Tucson Acupuncture Co-Op
town and the west side particularly, and wanted to help here as well as support the ongoing growth of the Downtown community.” While situated in hub of commercial activity, TACO has carved out a space of tranquility. It has ten extremely comfortable recliners arranged in a circle around the room’s perimeter. The soft, ambient lighting and meditative music instantly relaxes most stress. The thin disposable needles are placed on points on the arms, hands, legs, feet and head. Initially it feels like a little pinch, but the sensation quickly subsides. Soft blankets are provided and one drops into what Josh calls “going to the ‘acuzone’.” It is the best nap time ever.
Josh Whiteley applies acupuncture needles to a patient.
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photo: Ashley James
Z beauty health wellness The Natural Sanctuary 388 S. Stone Ave. (part of Woman Kraft’s building), (520) 882-6280 TheNaturalSanctuary.com
Beauty & Wellness
The following places pamper and recharge. From acupuncture to nails, the following locales offer a variety of services that aim to make you feel like a million bucks.
Founded and operated by owner Jordana Silvestri, this is a full service salon. “I do everything,” says Silvestri. “We’re an all natural salon with all natural hair colors, perms, manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing... it is all natural and non-toxic. I’ve been downtown for 16 years, in Tucson for 30, and in the business for 40 years.” The website showcases the products she makes herself and uses on her clients, available for sale online or at the salon. Hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Aveda Institutes Tucson
photo: Natalia Klenova
845 N. Park Avenue #105, (520) 207-2660 Aveda.edu/Tucson
That’s the Spot… Dr. Eric’s Chiropractic 800 E. University Blvd., (520) 622-3886 Take control of your spinal health! Overseen by Dr. Eric Vindiola, D.C., That’s the Spot offers treatments for walk-in patients for an affordable $20 with plans available for frequent patients. Chiropractic appointments are not necessary. Walk-in hours for existing patients are 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday; new patients can walk in 10 a.m. -1 p.m., MondayFriday. However, it is closed for lunch from 2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Massages are available, by appointment, and can be purchased in 30, 60 or 90 minute increments. Check the Facebook page for more details.
Take advantage of student learning with a whole slew of services offered at the Main Gate Park Avenue locale, including: body treatments, hair cuts and color, facials, nails, make-up, brows, lashes and hair removal. Aveda Institutes is an arm of Aveda - a beauty company that believes “treating the whole person leads to greater balance and well-being, so we consider the effects of our products not only on hair or skin, but on body, mind and emotion.” The company’s mission, as stated at Aveda.com, “is to care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.” Days and hours vary based on class availability. Call or visit the website to book appointments.
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Greentoes is a cozy, eco-chic nail studio and spa.
Greentoes 529 N. Sixth Ave., (520) 777-6281, (520) 631-7398 GreentoesTucson.com Tucked in the midst of urban Tucson is a quaint, beautifully renovated historic home transformed into a simplistic, yet cozy “eco-chic” nail studio and spa. Located just west of Fourth Avenue, Greentoes offers nail services, massage, facials and waxing using high quality, all natural and sustainably sourced ingredients. Open to walk-ins, bridal parties, and of course appointments, Greentoes seeks to provide services that are different. Victor Thompson and his wife chose to open the salon after his wife dreamt about the need to take life at a slower pace. The details of the couple’s new venture were all conveyed in this dream. Together, the two were able to breathe life to this concept. Greentoes is a bright and clean eco-friendly salon that uses only natural products in its spa services. Nail services are available in three tiers differing in length of time and level of luxury. Pedicures feature a unique “blooming” foot bath soak for a truly luxurious experience. After checking in, you’re invited to choose from a colorful array of Spa Ritual nail lacquer. These polishes are free of harmful chemicals such as DBP, toulene, camphor, and formaldehyde. The best part is you get to take a complimentary bottle of lacquer home! Greentoes offers more than just manis and pedis. Their menu includes massage, waxing, and facials that address a myriad of skin concerns from a dull and ageing complexion, to sensitive or acne prone skin. Your aesthetician will discuss your areas of concern and will customize your experience. “Any health conscious consumer should know there is place out there that they can come to relax and receive the best possible service,” says Thompson. The salon also feature private parking, is wheelchair accessible, military and teacher discounts, online booking and customizable gift certificates. – Ashley James
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beauty health wellness Z
Beauty & Wellness
The following places pamper and recharge. From acupuncture to nails, the following locales offer a variety of services that aim to make you feel like a million bucks.
Elements in Balance 614 N. Fourth Ave., (520) 623-3804 ElementsInBalance.com
photo: Ashley James
Fourth Avenue’s Aveda concept salon and spa features a boutique-style atmosphere in a cozy and comfortable setting. Educated stylists and aestheticians provide salon services including color, cut, waxing, facials, makeup and massage. Salon manager Lacy Tritz is proud of the talent at Elements in Balance. “We have a diverse staff here, with someone available to accommodate anyone’s needs,” she says. Being a “senior citizen” with 15 years as an Aveda salon on the Avenue, has its perks. Tritz explained that there are dedicated salon patrons who travel from as far away as Green Valley to receive their salon and spa services. Noteworthy points of difference make for a great salon experience, she explains. Salon guests receive a warm greeting, are offered complimentary comfort tea, and all are given a stress relieving ritual which consists of a relaxing shoulder or hand massage. “These rituals allow us to personally connect with our clients, adding a special touch.” The Aveda product line features organic plant and flower essences used in services and available for purchase. Chakra balancing body mists are among the more popular picks, featuring a blend of fragrant essential oils. The chakra balancing massage uses ancient Ayurvedic techniques, reflexology and massage. “This service takes you on a sensory journey,” Tritz says. After an initial introduction to the seven energy zones of the body, a therapist consults with each client and invites them to choose from specific chakra colors and scents they are attracted to. The choice they make corresponds with the chakra in need of balance. The service is then tailored to re-balance the body’s energy zones accordingly, melting away stress and tension in the process. The rejuvenating chakra balancing massage is available for 60 minutes for $80 or 90 minutes for $120. See the website for the full menu of offerings. The salon is open Monday & Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. – Ashley James
Natural Way Wellness Spa
Natural Way Wellness Spa 526 N. Fourth Ave., (520) 882-8828 NaturalWayWellnessSpa.com Friends of Lily Gabriel joke that when she left the space industry (Students for Exploration and Development of Space) to work in the spa industry, that she simply dropped the “c” and “e.” The transition from science to massage happened after a diagnosis of a chronic medical condition that limited Gabriel’s mobility and required a change of pace. She immersed herself in areas of health and wellness and began to foster a deep appreciation for those fields. “I became very passionate about what wellness can do for others and how it can improve one’s quality of life,” she says. While working at spas, Gabriel took note of what she would do differently if she had her own. In April 2012 she was able to do just that. “I was inspired by the changes that I wanted to make and wanted to bring forth the highest quality of services and products for guests,” she explains.
The large, serene space features an airy lobby with eclectic, all-natural retail options such the spa’s signature hand-crafted skin care line (containing no more than six ingredients), tea, chakra charts, nourishing oils, jewelry, and various other wellness must-haves. Gabriel advocates for self-care, an important and oftentimes neglected component of wellness. This is why the spa menu addresses the whole body. Offerings include semi-private yoga sessions, reflexology, custom aromatherapy, massage, facials, and much more. The building boasts 4,800 square feet of space which she hopes will one day house additional naturopathic wellness providers and alternative healing options for clients. For convenience, à la carte services are available for those who may not have time for longer treatments. These services range from a 15 minute warming hand massage for $20 to a 30 minute foot reflexology session for $42. Gabriel supports local merchants on the Avenue and extends a 20 percent discount to employees and business owners located along Fourth Avenue. Hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. – Ashley James
Spring Nail Salon 845 E. University Blvd. #155, (520) 791-7447 SpringNailSalon.com From basic manicures and pedicures to deluxe treatments for hands and feet, along with hair coloring and spa services such as the “Herbology Body Experience,” this salon offers a wide range of offerings to pamper. Hours are 10 a.m.-7p.m., Monday-Friday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 49
Z beauty health wellness
Beautiful, Healthy Hair
Tucson is rife with fantastic stylists in the heart of the city that work to create the best hair for your individual needs.
Ahead of Style Salon 426 E. Ninth St., (520) 624-8400 Ajia Simone, Tucson’s Black Cat Ajia Simone – mind you, has been a stylist for 20 years and at the 9th Street location since 2003. “I come from a family of five and I’m a middle boy and I got stuck doing my two sisters’ hair. This is the third salon I’ve owned and been a part of, but this is retirement, I’m not going anywhere. I’m also one of the many show directors at IBT’s, 616 N. 4th Ave.” The salon offers haircuts, hair color, color correction, hair extensions, relaxers, and also specializes in multi-cultural hair. “Our hours are flexible, all of the stylists are independent and we are available seven days a week, normally like 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., but if you need us there, we will be there. Best to have an appointment, but walk-ins are always welcome.” Fun fact: the salon is situated in what once was a six-bedroom house, “word on the street was that it was once a bordello,” Aija exclaims, giggling. - Jamie Manser photo: Jimi Giannatti
Annette Andree works her “round brush blow out” on a client.
Annette Andree Hair Studio, LLC 410 E. 7th St. (520) 474-5126
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“After working for other people on the Avenue for ten years, I decided I wanted to go out on my own for a more personalized service,” Annette says, who has been self-employed for the last year and has been a stylist for 30 years. Annette worked in high-end hair salons in Houston, Jose Eber and Jaque Dessange, before moving to Tucson. She specializes in corrective haircuts and color, along with offering services that include ethnic hair and face waxing. She was an instructor at the Aveda Institute and is trained in French techniques, from Paris, in color and cuts and stays with the more natural hair products, like Pravana hair color and Pravana Nevo vegan hair care. “I’m the original round brush blow out,” Annette explains, saying it is a technique that creates soft, sexy, and gorgeously full hair. Services are available by appointment. – Jamie Manser
beauty health wellness Z photo: Jimi Giannatti
North Scott Barber Salon
North Scott Barber & Salon 27 N. Scott Ave., (520) 623-8200 NorthScottBarberSalon.com A Downtown staple since October 2010, the salon and its ownership is a six-person effort – “partners who share over 119 years of creativity in the barber/beauty industry,” explains barber/stylist Bernice Valenzuela. They collectively explain via email that they are dedicated to excellent customer service by way of clearly communicating “with our clients, so that we can understand their wants and needs. We are committed to offer our expertise, attention to detail and creativity to form the individual style you’re looking for. We’re traditional with a flare in offering an array of services. We specialize in children haircuts, women haircuts, high and low-lights, color, men haircuts, business executive, flat tops, razor cuts and fades, facial shaves and neck shaves with hot steam towels for the neck and facial shaves.” Appointments and walk-ins are available Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. “We offer a professional, friendly and relaxed atmosphere, a complimentary beverages for our clients and a pool table to pass the time,” Valenzuela adds. - Jamie Manser
Curley’s Family Barbershop 18 E. Ochoa St., (520) 440-0654 TucsonBarbershop.us Across the street from the new (as of January 2013) location is where Thomas Curley went to barber school. “I started started barber school 35 years ago at place that was on Stone Avenue, across from the St. Augustine Cathedral,” laughs the native Tucsonan and ex-Marine. The shop offers traditional services – haircuts, razor fades, flat tops and shaves. It is open Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. “We’re the senior barbers in Tucson,” Curley says, “and we have great customers. We’re trying to get a massage person over here, and perhaps also offer shoe shines.” - Jamie Manser February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 51
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Beautiful, Healthy Hair
Tucson is rife with fantastic stylists in the heart of the city that work to create the best hair for your individual needs.
The Hive Hair Studio & Gallery 315 E. Congress St., (520) 628-4188 TheHiveTucson.com
876 E. University Blvd., (520) 623-2235 BossShears.com Bianca Herreras opened her salon in 1976, and has been situated in Main Gate Square since 1989. In addition to hair cuts, formal hairdos, coloring, highlights, perms and straightening, Boss Shears also provides eyebrow and lip waxing. Chatting about the coming modern streetcar, Herreras says, “I’m glad we’ve been able to stick it out [during construction]. With the new businesses, restaurants, parking and the streetcar, it is bringing a lot more people down to this area, there is more for them to do. Some businesses say they think it [the streetcar] will take away customers, but I think there is plenty to go around!” Asked what is unique about her salon, she says, “I think the quaintness, we are so small, I think people feel comfortable, we have more of a one-on-one personal relationship with our clients, who are our friends.” - Jamie Manser
photo: Jimi Giannatti
photo: Jimi Giannatti
Owner Lindsey Ross says she opened the studio in May 2011. “My husband is the executive chef at Maynards so we are right across the street from each other; the space was offered to me.” Lindsey, who has been a stylist for over three years, says that, “I’m an artist and I needed a change, and it was an opportune time to go to school and start a second career – it’s a nice artistic outlet, to be able to work with people one on one. I enjoy changing people’s lives, one person at a time.” The services cater to both men and women and include cuts, styles, updos, color treatments and more, with a full menu available on the website and by consultation. “I think our space is really unique and our clients are always complimenting us on how unique and clean it is, plus, our location, being inside the hotel and the space itself – the idea was to make it feel like an art gallery.” Staff bios and online appointments are available on the website. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. on, with closing times varying depending on appointments. - Jamie Manser
Boss Shears
Civano's Hair Studio
Civano’s Hair Studio Art and hair converge at Blades Hair Design.
Blades Hair Design 804 E. University Blvd. #102, (520) 622-4247 BladesTucson.com Owned by Nadine Danton, Blades has been in the University area for 25 years and in its current location since the early ‘90s. “All of our products are organic,” says Danton, “even our color lines, we try to be very green.” While specializing in hair - for both men and women - the salon also offers facial waxing and validates for parking in the Tyndall Avenue parking garage. While normal business hours are Tuesday-Friday, they are happy to take special appointments at any time. A full list of services is on the website. The salon also often exhibits work by undiscovered artists and hosts wine and cheese opening and closing art receptions. - Jamie Manser
110 S. Church Ave. # 4195, (520) 622-0312 BeautySalonsTucson.com Owned by native Tucsonan, Sondra Gil, the salon has resided at La Placita Village for over six years, and Sondra has been doing hair for 23 years. “We specialize in image enhancing,” she says, “and corrective color, awesome custom cuts, extensions, facial waxing, nails... we also do men’s hair. We can help you master styling techniques, and we also do hair for special events.” Sondra says walk-ins are welcome and gift certificates are available. The salon has three stylists and is open 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday and Wednesday, noon-8:30 p.m.
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photo: Jimi Giannatti
Z beauty health wellness
Beautiful, Healthy Hair
Tucson is rife with fantastic stylists in the heart of the city that work to create the best hair for your individual needs.
4th Avenue Hair 729 N. Fourth Ave., (520) 977-5747 or (520) 670-1523 4thAvenueHair.com Specializing in wide variety of hair styling – from an average Joe cut to fun and funky, the website has loads of pictures to show the depth of range. Owner Bill Dagostino moved to Tucson from Rhode Island in 1976, started working on the Avenue in 1981, and founded 4th Avenue Hair in 1997. The 17-year-old salon has lived on 4th Avenue all of its days, though the exact locales have moved over the years. The salon is open TuesdaySaturday, and sometimes Sunday and Monday. It’s best to call for an appointment, though they do take walk-ins.
Metropolis Salon 529 N. Fourth Ave. (in the Delectable’s Restaurant Courtyard), (520) 296-7400
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Fitness: Health & Wellness
If you think a toned body can only be achieved at the gym, think again. While gyms are great for attaining physical fitness, they are only a part of the larger picture. There are numerous places along the streetcar corridor that offer body-beneficial classes to help you reach and maintain your desired goals.
Cirque Roots 17 E. Toole Ave., (520) 261-4667 CirqueRoots.com Offering classes and workshops at its warehouse locale, Cirque Roots brings to the public the chance to learn aerial strength and conditioning, all levels of acro-yoga, Kung-Fu for self-defense and fitness, beginning and intermediate hoop classes, along with hand balancing fundamentals and conditioning. Prices and schedules are available on the website. Also see the article on page 22.
Platinum Fitness 110 S. Church Ave. #5030, (520) 623-6300 PlatinumFitnessAZ.com/platinum-fitness-downtown Located in La Placita Village, Platinum Fitness provides its clients with group exercise classes, circuit training machines, free weights, cardio equipment, personal training, new locker rooms, sauna/steam room/Jacuzzi, and more. Hours are Monday-Friday, 5 a.m.-10 p.m. and SaturdaySunday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. photo: Jimi Giannatti
Artistic Director and owner Emery Nicoletti first opened Metropolis on April 4, 1995 on Tanque Verde at Kolb Road. “At the time,” he explains via email, “most of our clients were from the Northeast portion of Tucson so it made sense to be in that geographical area.” The business eventually opened a second salon on Congress Street and resided for years where Playground now lives. But by the fall of 2009, the month-to-month lease was terminated to originally make way for a restaurant/bar, An Congress - which never launched. Metropolis was displaced, as Nicoletti had closed his Tanque Verde location by that point. Nicoletti tried other locales, but, “my whole staff missed the atmosphere and ambiance that resonates from the center of Tucson. “One night while I was in my backyard stargazing, I started longing to be downtown again. Having remembered a few suites alongside Delectable’s Restaurant on 4th Avenue, I drove to 4th Avenue sometime around 2 a.m. to see if one was available. There were two available at the time. It was meant to be. I left a message at that very instant standing outside that window so early in the morning. Donna DiFiore, the owner of Delectable’s and the building responded to my message the next day and we started the build out process. “Thankfully, we are back in the artsy, fuel-filled creative environment where we once flourished. Additionally, my partner and I fell in love with the West University Neighborhood and purchased the old Senator Harry Arizona Drachman House three blocks away on University Boulevard. If anyone told me when vacating Downtown, that not only would I be back, but I’d be living here too, complete with vegetable gardens and chicken coops, I can’t imagine what my response would have been. But, here we are, buying into the whole revitalization speech again, but with one exception; this time it feels right.” Metropolis solely focuses on hair, and Nicoletti says his requirements for his stylists to have a continuing education in the beauty industry, along with encouraging them to be well versed in current events, and be politically active, “special incentives are given to be a part of political campaigns on both local and national levels,” sets his salon apart from others. “Our stylists continuously give back to Tucson by donating hundred of hours of their time per year to a variety of different charities. We never refuse a non-profit’s request for a donation.” Metropolis is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday by special appointment. - Jamie Manser
Bill Dagostino, stylist and owner of 4th Avenue Hair.
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Fitness: Health & Wellness
Lohse Family YMCA 60 W. Alameda St., (520) 623-5200 TucsonYMCA.org/lohse
If you think a toned body can only be achieved at the gym, think again. While gyms are great for attaining physical fitness, they are only a part of the larger picture. There are numerous places along the streetcar corridor that offer body-beneficial classes to help you reach and maintain your desired goals.
413 E. Fifth St. 4thAvenueYoga.com The home of $4 yoga, Tai Chi and meditation classes, 4th Avenue Yoga maintains a robust daily schedule lead by experienced teachers. Located just east of 4th Avenue and north of Brooklyn Pizza, the intimate space also offers hot room classes on Wednesdays and Sundays. No mat, no towel, no problem! Rent those for a $1 apiece. Find the class schedule, and more information, on the website.
Get Air 330 S. Toole Ave. #300, (520) 624-5867 GetAirTucson.com
photo: Jade Nunes
Tommy Padilla gets air at Get Air.
Play is serious business at Playformance.
Playformance 119 E. Toole Ave., (520) 271-1445 PlayformanceUSA.com A youth fitness and athletic development school, Playformance caters to kids from 1- to 18-years-old with programs that include: school break camps during summer, fall, winter, spring and holidays; after school classes, along with toddler and preschool play, among others. It also provides physical education to City High, Imago Dei Middle School, Davis Bilingual, Khalsa Montessori and Satori. Kevin Nichols, proprietor of Playformance with his wife Anna McCallister-Nichols, takes play very seriously. The business’ mission, he says, is “to revolutionize physical education by providing a challenging play-based curriculum to help young people develop the cognitive, physical, emotional and social skills that nurture them to grow into cooperative, confident and compassionate people. “Play teaches us to think creatively, to get along with other people and cooperate effectively, and to control our own impulses and emotions. These are real world skills we all need.” Nicholas says that true play has been taken away from most Tucson schools, and that he isn’t aware of any other gym in town that does what they do. The NAU graduate with a bachelors’ degree in Elementary Education and a Minor in Physical Education taught in the TUSD school district for 5 years before starting his own business. “Teaching PE was my favorite part of the day as a teacher so I decided I would like to teach PE all day every day.” Visit the website for hours and schedules. - Jamie Manser
photo courtesy Take Flight Yoga
A trampoline park, with over 20,000 square feet of floor to wall indoor trampolines, that also features dodge ball courts, foam pits, a basketball hoop, and if you dare, a slack line to challenge your balance skills on. This place beckons all ages to experience its promise of adrenaline and excitement. For younger children, Get Air has designated “Lil’ Air,” a smaller trampoline area for the wee ones. Rates per jumper are: $11/hour, $6/hour for an additional time; Small Air is $6/hour (under 46 inches). Get Air is open 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday-Thursday and 10 a.m.-midnight, Friday-Saturday. - Jade Nunes
photo courtesy Kevin Nichols
4th Avenue Yoga
Since 1914, the YMCA of Southern Arizona has been dedicated to improving the quality of human life and to helping all people realize their fullest potential through the development of spirit, mind and body. The cause-driven organization strives to: empower youth through physical activity and educational programs, provide individuals and families with tools and programs to build a strong spirit, mind and body, and look within our community to serve. The Downtown location offers state-of-theart cardio and strength training equipment, a boxing studio, Y personal fitness programs, a full-size gym, four racquetball/handball courts, aerobic and yoga studios, a six-lane, 25 yard heated swimming pool, child watch area, community rooms, locker rooms, spa, sauna, and steam rooms – plus an indoor track and a full free-weight center. There are also child care and youth development programs. Hours are Monday-Friday, 5:30 a.m.-9 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Take Flight Yoga hosts aerial yoga fitness classes and more.
Take Flight Yoga 701 N. Main Ave., (520) 406-4437 Take your yoga practice to new heights with Take Flight Yoga’s aerial yoga fitness classes. Offering classes six days a week, TFY offers an acrobatic twist to yoga with their intro, regular, acroyoga jam and body conditioning classes. While the aerial yoga intro classes are free, space is limited due to their specialized apparatus, the yoga hammock, so show up early. After your free intro, classes are available for one for $15, or five for $65 or ten for $110. Comfortable exercise clothes are urged with no zippers, snaps or jewelry and water and a mat are encouraged. - Jon D’Auria February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 57
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Capoeira Brasil Tucson 113 E. Broadway Blvd., (520) 909-3477 AZCapoeira.com
photo: Kathleen Dreier/EsensPhotography.com
Jade’s Rockin’ Friday Night Dance Class with live drumming at The Movement Shala.
Fitness: Health & Wellness
If you think a toned body can only be achieved at the gym, think again. While gyms are great for attaining physical fitness, they are only a part of the larger picture. There are numerous places along the streetcar corridor that offer body-beneficial classes to help you reach and maintain your desired goals.
Rocks and Ropes
The Movement Shala 435 E. Ninth St., TheMovementShala.org Alok Appadurai speaks with passion, enthusiasm and soul when describing the The Movement Shala, and the philosophies and vision he and his partner Jade Beall hold dear. “Our goal – Shala means sacred space – was to have a place for physical movement, spiritual movement, social movement. We wanted to help create social change and environmental awareness, in a place that is a sacred space for all types, not just physical.” Within its walls - “we laid every floor board, we painted every inch” are various classes offered by teachers who fit in with the overall “energetics of the offerings we have here. People need to feel safe when they walk in the doors, and know that they are not being judged or critiqued – you are supported and loved for walking through that door.” Hours and classes - yoga, dance and meditation - vary, but the website is always up to date! While at the Shala, also visit their clothing boutique Fed By Threads, which sells sustainable and organic clothing and each sale has a portion donated to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and Feeding America, a national hunger relief organization. - Jamie Manser
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330 S. Toole Ave., (520) 882-5924 RocksAndRopes.com Downtown’s premier and only rock climbing gym for well over a decade, Rocks and Ropes has a fabulous reputation of offering interesting and challenging climbs that cater to both novices and experts, children and adults. Other offerings include six-week workshops, guided climbs and camps for kids. Open admission hours are Monday-Friday, 3 p.m.-10 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.8 p.m. “Kidz Climbs” are held 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday for those 12-years-old and under. See the website for rates, membership fees, events and more.
Tucson Yoga 140 S. Fourth Ave., (520) 988-1832 TucsonYoga.com Located in the hip area of Armory Park, Tucson Yoga offers 25 classes a week including beginning yoga, hatha flow, yin yoga, Vinyasa, mindfulness yoga, gentle yoga, restorative yoga, Mama and baby and more. Set in a beautiful eco-friendly space, Tucson Yoga is easily accessible and greatly affordable, as they offer $6 single classes, $45 for monthly unlimited passes as well as five and ten pass offerings. Mats are available to rent for $1 and drop-ins are always welcome. With 14 caring, experienced teachers and a variety of practices, you’re sure to find the class that suits your needs. - Jon D’Auria
Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines movement and music, has a five century history. According to AZCapoeira.com, “Capoeira’s origin dates back 500 years to the beginnings of Brazil’s slave trade period. Throughout the 488 year slave trade the Congo, Bantu, and Angolan tribes met and intermingled in the senzalas (slave quarters) and quilombos (escaped slave nations). From this merging of cultures, traditions and rituals, Capoeira was born.” Led by Francisco Antonio Arruda Batalha, known in the Capoeira world as Instructor Junior, the studio offers introduction, youth and all-level capoeira classes Sunday-Thursday. Single classes are $12 and monthly memberships are available. Instructor Junior has over 20 years of Capoeira experience, and through the studio’s classes, he shares the cornerstones of the art: diversity, tolerance, discipline and respect for tradition that ensures amazing fitness.
Yoga Oasis 245 E. Congress St., (520) 322-6142 YogaOasis.com Run by renowned yoga guru Darren Rhodes, Yoga Oasis has become a global yoga hub thanks to their offerings of teacher trainings and their creation of the Yoga Hour. With three locations (Downtown, central and east) YO offers 5-10 classes a day (classes vary by day and studio) for all skill levels from novice to expert. Yoga Hour classes, which were developed by Rhodes, are offered daily for only $5, while basic, expanding and the practice classes are offered for $11 a session. YO’s staff of experienced teachers and beautiful studio settings make it a special mecca for yogis. - Jon D’Auria
UA Recreation Center 1400 E. Sixth St., (520) 621-8702 Rec.arizona.edu Campus recreation isn’t just for UA students, it also offers alumni, affiliate, faculty and staff memberships, along with day passes. While it is a bit off of the Sun Link’s lines, the rec center is worth mentioning because of its state-of-the-art facilities with amenities almost too numerous to list. Highlights include: a 30,000 sq. ft. fitness center with ellipticals, bikes, stepmills, circuit strength equipment, an Olympic-size pool, an indoor track, five basketball courts, eight racquetball courts, two squash courts, sand volleyball courts, a climbing boulder wall along with RecSpa and camps for kids. See the website for all of the offerings and hours of operation. n
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photos courtesy City High School
community Z
48 E. Pennington Street in the early 1960s
City High School’s
37 E. Pennington in 1941
Downtown Roots Take Hold by Herb Stratford
What happens when a group of teachers who are frustrated with the educational system get together to brainstorm a new learning environment? Mix in an exciting and revitalizing Downtown as a school location, and you get City High School. Now midway through its tenth year, the charter school is marking this milestone with a bricks and mortar investment, increased enrollment and renewed strength. Since 2004, City High School has called its building at 48 E. Pennington St. (the former Cele Peterson's fashion clothing store) home. This is in large part due to the support of the Peterson family who helped the charted school get up and running. Now, City High has completed the purchase of this building as well as the adjacent space once known as the Shoe City building (37 E. Pennington St.), and will unveil a façade renovation this month. In addition, the Paulo Freire Freedom School is set to open a middle school within the City High campus in July of 2014, which will increase students and the unique learning opportunities now available Downtown by leaps and bounds. Carving out a space in Downtown Tucson might sound like a no-brainer today, with dynamic development taking place on nearly every corner, but in 2004, it was a leap of faith. But having made that judgement, City High’s students have had front-row seats to watch the rebirth of our urban core like no other group. Founded by Carrie Brennan, Eve Rifkin and Brett Goble, City High began with just 80 students in 9th and 10th grades. A key element of the learning outlined by City High at the time was their use of Tucson, and specifically Downtown Tucson, as a textbook to augment the learning experience. In addition, other core concepts that the school embraced called for the school to remain small and intimate, to enhance the learning experience, to use the real world as a textbook and to prepare students for success in college. Other unique programmatic aspects of the City High education experience of note is their senior internship program which places final year students in real-world working places, many at Downtown businesses.
Back in 2004-2005, I had a chance to work closely with the first class at City High as they assisted me at the Fox Theatre (when I was the Executive Director, overseeing the theatre's renovation). The students helped to provide necessary research during the Fox's renovation. I found the students to be engaged, passionate, curious and thoughtful. The specific class structure that I interacted with for this project has since morphed into a school-wide “every day, relevant real world learning” tenant that impacts all students and the community on a significant level. According to Carrie Brennan, City High’s Principal and Executive Director, being a part of Downtown was “always the dream,” as was the desire to engage students in having an active roll in their community. Brennan is excited about the growing City High alumni base that is starting to make their own impact as adults, pointing to several who are finishing college, working Downtown and otherwise utilizing the tools and skills they received at City High. As the school founders turn their eyes toward the second decade of City High, they remain grateful for the influx of private investment that has followed them back to Downtown and are excited about what the future holds. On Feb. 8, as part of 2nd Saturdays, City High hosts a “Renovation Celebration" from 3-6 p.m. to unveil the façade renovation of the Shoe City building, (37 E. Pennington St.) honor the tenth anniversary and welcome the new middle school to the campus. The new façade will be the first step in returning the old Howard and Stofft Stationery store (Shoe City) to use after many vacant years, thanks in part to a grant from the Downtown Tucson Partnership. Additional interior renovation of the building is still to come. n More information about the school and the Feb. 8 event is at CityHighSchool.org.
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Z garden
Gardening For Health Benefits by Brandon Merchant
photo: Brando Merchant
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There are many great reasons to start a vegetable garden. Gardening is a rewarding hobby that exercises the mind, body, and the soul. Home grown produce is cheaper and tastier than produce you'll find at the grocery store and the farmers' markets. The greatest benefit of all, however, may be the fact the foods we grow at home are far more nutrient rich than those available in the supermarket. Over the last century farmers, universities, and agribusinesses have made great strides in advancing the food crops we eat. Farmers today, using synthetic chemical fertilizers and genetically modified seeds, are able to grow higher yields than at any other time in history. While yields of crops continue to grow and food becomes cheaper, the nutritional content of the foods available to us has been steadily declining. The food we eat today is far less nutritious than the food we ate only 30 years ago. Nutrient depletion from the soil caused by decades of industrialized agriculture is the main culprit responsible for the decline of nutrients. Plant breeders have also been slowly breeding the nutrients out of our foods in exchange for more desirable traits such as size, sugar content, or the ability to withstand shipping. With each successive growing season more nutrients are depleted from the soil. This means that crops planted tomorrow will have fewer nutrients than those planted today. Well intending plant scientists and farmers are not completely to blame. When our hunter gatherer ancestors began to farm, they chose to farm and breed the foods they found to be the tastiest. By doing this they were inadvertently selecting plants that had fewer nutrients than their more bitter tasting wild relatives. In our home gardens we are not bound by the restrictions of industrialized agriculture or the decisions of our ancestors. We can grow varieties of plants that would never make it to the super market and in some cases not even the farmer's market. The home gardener is at an advantage because of the fact that nutrients begin to leach out of plants as soon as they are harvested. The longer it takes for your food to go from harvest to table the more nutrients will be lost. The handling, processing, and shipping of foods further exacerbates the loss of nutrients. Harvesting your dinner salad while the pasta water is boiling means that you will be getting the maximum amount of nutrients available to you. There is also the added benefit of being able to eat nutritious parts of the plant that would otherwise not be available such as carrot tops and squash blossoms. If you are interested in gardening for nutritional content then there are some simple steps you can take to get started. First, begin by selecting crops that are more nutritionally dense such as the members of the cabbage family. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, kale, and mustard are all crops that grow great during the Tucson cool season and all are packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Other leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, or micro greens such as arugula also fit the bill of nutritionally dense foods. Loose leaf varieties of lettuce are healthier than head types such as iceberg. Another good way to plant for nutritional content is to select those varieties that contain more color. For example, compared to the more common orange varieties, the "Atomic Red" carrot contains far more of the essential nutrient lycopene and the purple variety "Cosmic Purple" contains very high amounts of the antioxidant anthocyanin. There are countless colored varieties of lettuce, kale, mustard and many other vegetables available to the backyard gardener. The most nutritious of all the foods available to the home gardener fortunately require the least amount of effort. Many of the "weeds" that sprout in our gardens are edible and contain far more nutrients then those of the the crops we discussed above. Dandelion greens, for example, contain twice as much calcium and three times as much vitamin A as spinach. Wild mustard, purslane, tumbleweed, amaranth, and lambs quarters are a few of the edible"weeds" that may show up in your garden throughout the year. Consider letting them grow and you will be greatly rewarded. n Brandon Merchant is the proprietor of Southwest Victory Gardens. Visit his website at SouthwestVictoryGardens.com.
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photo: courtesy NYC Department of Transportation
community Z
An example of a “parklet” in New York City
Team Introduces Parklet to Freshen Downtown Space by Mckinzie Frisbie Within the next few months, a cozy downtown coffee shop will be home to the first of what may be an unfamiliar term to many Tucsonans: Introducing, the “parklet.” “When you say ‘parklet,’ people just don’t know what you’re talking about,” Amy Smith of Exo Roast Co. says. “You can use the word ‘pocket park,’ but this is really different as a design.” Smith has paired up with Living Streets Alliance (LSA) executive director Emily Yetman, co-owner of Tap and Bottle Rebecca Safford, and City of Tucson’s Bicycle and Pedestrian program manager Ann Chanecka. Together they make up the Parklet Team, and they certainly have big plans in store. The parklet, which will begin construction as early as April, will consist of a functionally decorated one to three space lot located in front of Exo Coffee Co. It will act as a pilot parklet, intended to introduce the community to a refreshing space for downtowners to retreat from the heat and hang out in a relaxing environment. The parklet team began working on the project last June, and created an online fundraiser through the LSA’s website in November. The financial goal for the new development is $17,000, and donations to the project have currently reached about $2,500. Yetman describes the LSA as a non-profit education and advocacy organization that works with the city to make streets more comfortable for pedestrians and bicyclists. “We do a lot of work to try and make our city better for our people, using the streets as a platform for doing that,” Yetman says. “Streets are a public space, and we forget that because we are pretty car-dominated
here, but we are getting people to re-imagine what the streets can do for us.” The team was initially inspired by successful parklets common to San Franciscan coffee shops that envisioned improvements in the utilization of public spaces. As parklet conversations between the team members and local businesses became increasingly serious, the team decided to push for more community participation with the project. “I realized that we needed to garner more support,” Smith said. “Not just financially, but also in terms of aligning it with like-minded groups where it just made sense.” The approval process of the parklet is presently in draft form, and the team believes that the next step is to rally more local craftsmen and artisan participation in a charrette form of art and design collaboration. “A charrette is an architectural community where everybody gives input to one main goal, and everybody takes ownership for that idea as if it were their own,” Smith says. ”So even though the parklet is something we’ve come up with, we would hand it over for community support and dialogue.” Support and sponsorship for the project have been received from local artists such as Carly Quinn, who will contribute her decorative tiles to enrich the public art piece. Smith says that other supporters include architect artist Bill Mackey, landscaping designer Margaret Joplin and woodworker John Peter Baer, and the team is looking forward to further public participation in the planning. “It’s visual brainstorming as much as it is dialogue,” Yetman says. Although the parklet was inspired by San Francisco parklets, Safford
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Z books
DeGrazia
The Man And The Myths by James W. Johnson with Marilyn D. Johnson University of Arizona Press, 272 pages by Jamie Manser The stories of Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia are legendary, depicting a persona as large and as colorful as his art. The prolific artist—who was also a musician, an architect, an adventurer, a businessman, a father of four, and a purported ladies man—was also a staunchly anti-establishment individual who was a champion of the common man and cared deeply about the Southwest's Native Americans and oppressed minorities. Born on June 14, 1909 in the Arizona mining town of Morenci during the state's territorial days, DeGrazia's "dirt-poor upbringing... gave birth to his understanding of social and cultural differences, sparked his interest in music and art and kindled his 'innate creativity, his independent behavior, and his populist philosophy of life,'" Johnson writes in his biography on DeGrazia, set for release on Feb. 27. DeGrazia: The Man And The Myths is a quick and lively read, written with a journalistic bent by a retired newspaperman who was also a 25-year journalism professor at the University of Arizona. Diligently researched, this book is a wonderful compendium of DeGrazia's life, from birth to grave with a wealth of fantastic stories depicting the evolution of the artist from a struggling University of Arizona student to a multimillionaire. n The book release event takes place on Saturday, March 1 at DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, 6300 N. Swan Rd., from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. and includes a talk, signing, refreshments and music by Domingo DeGrazia. Details at DeGrazia.org or by calling (520) 299-9191. Read the complete review at ZocaloMagazine.com. 66 ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com | February 2014
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Photo courtesy of DMJuice.com
Photo courtesy of HotelCongress.com
Crooks on Tape perform Fri, Feb 7 at Hotel Congress.
Jake Shimabukuro performs at Rialto Theatre on Thu, Feb 20.
Z tunes
LIVE MUSIC 2ND SATURDAYS DOWNTOWN Congress Street, 2ndSaturdaysDowntown.com Sat 8: The Muffulettas, Little House of Funk, and The Jits.
ARMITAGE WINE LOUNGE AND CAFE 2905 E. Skyline Dr #168. 6829740, ArmitageWine.com Sun 2: Steff Koeppen and the Articles Tue 4: Tommy Tucker Sun 9: The Bryan Dean Trio Tue 11: R & P Music Factory Sun 16: Ian Carstensen Tue 18: Naim Amor Sun 23: LeeAnne Savage Tue 25: Matt Mitchell and the Hot Club of Tucson
BORDERLANDS BREWING 119 E. Toole Ave. 261-8773, BorderlandsBrewing.com Sat 1: Mustang Corners Thu 6: Andy See & His Swingin’ Jamboree Fri 7: Tortolita Gutpluckers Sat 8: Kyle Bronsdon Fri 14: Leila Lopez Sat 15: Stefan George Thu 20: Hank Topless
Fri 21: The Determined Luddites Sat 22: Tommy Tucker Thu 27: Widow’s Hill Fri 28: Aztral Folk
BOONDOCKS LOUNGE 3306 N. 1st Ave. 690-0991, BoondocksLounge.com Sundays/ Tuesdays: Lonny’s Lucky Poker Mondays: The Bryan Dean Trio Sat 1: Equinox Sun 2: Heather Hardy & Lil’ Mama Band Fri 7: Neon Prophet Sun 16: Last Call Girls Fri 21: Neon Prophet Sun 23: Ned Sutton & Last Dance
CAFE PASSE 415 N. 4th Ave. 624-4411, CafePasse.com See website for details.
CLUB CONGRESS 311 E. Congress St. 622-8848, HotelCongress.com/club Sundays: Ynot Karaoke Mondays: Nineties House Party Tuesdays: Geeks Who Drink Pub Quiz Thursdays: Opti Club Saturdays: Saturdaze Dance Party Sat 1: John Coinman Band, Saturdaze Dance Party Sun 2: Together Pangea, Mozes & the Firstborn, Hermanitos,
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Katterwaul Fri 7: Crooks on Tape, El Hanko Dinero, Mellow Bellow Wed 12: Jess Williamson & RF Shannon Sat 15: Fred Eaglesmith’s Travelling Steam Show, Saturdaze Dance Party Wed 19: Signals Tour Kickoff Sat 22: Decker, Saturdaze Dance Party Tue 25: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Wed 26: Sun Bones & Black Jackalope Ensemble Fri 28: Cash’d Out
DELECTABLES RESTAURANT & CATERING 533 N. 4th Ave. 884-9289, Delectables.com Fridays and Saturdays: Live music
FOX TUCSON THEATRE 17 W. Congress St. 624-1515, FoxTucsonTheatre.org Sat 1: Four Lads Fri 7: Gordon Lightfoot Tue 11: Engelbert Humperdinck Thu 13: Lonestar Sat 15: Chris Mann Tue 18: B.B. King Sat 22: Paula Poundstone Fri 28: George Thorogood and The Destroyers
GALACTIC CENTER 35 E. Toole Ave. 884-0874, SolarCulture.org Fri 14 & Sat 15: Steve Roach
HACIENDA DEL SOL 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol. 2991501, HaciendaDelSol.com Sun 2: The Kings of Pleasure Sun 9: George Howard & The Roadhouse Hounds Sun 16: Bad News Blues Band Sun 23: Hans Olson
MONTEREY COURT 505 W. Miracle Mile, MontereyCourtAZ.com Sat 1: Tony Corrales Band Wed 5: Peter McLaughlin & Alvin Blaine Sat 8: Neil McCallion & The Mighty Maxwells Wed 12: Tucson Songwriters Showcase and Open Mic
PLUSH 340 E. 6th St. 798-1298, PlushTucson.com Sat 1: The Unday Sun 2: My Body Sings Electric Sat 8: Igor & The Red Elvises Sat 15: Kid Congo Powers, Texas Trash and the Trainwrecks, The Besmirchers Mon 17: Ringo Deathstarr, Burning Palms, Purple, Secret Meetings
community Z
tunes Z Photo courtesy of VisitWestHollywood.com
Lonestar performs Thu, Feb 13 at Fox Tucson Theatre.
Fri 28: Club Sanctuary
PLAYGROUND TUCSON 278 E. Congress. 396-3691, PlaygroundTucson.com See website for details
RHYTHM & ROOTS Plaza Palamino, 2970 N. Swan Rd. 319-9966, RhythmandRoots. org Sat 1: John Coinman Band Sat 15: Fred Eaglesmith’s Travelling Steam Show
RIALTO THEATRE 318 E. Congress St. 740-1000, RialtoTheatre.com Mon 10: Bring Me The Horizon Tue 11: Young The Giant Thu 20: Jake Shimabukuro Fri 21: 12th Planet Smog City Tour Sun 23: J Boog Thu 27: Pentatonix
SURLY WENCH PUB 424 N. 4th Ave., 882-0009, SurlyWenchPub.com Fri 7: Black Cherry Burlesque Sat 8: Fineline Revisited Fri 14: Manly Manlesque Fri 21: Great Irish Toast Sat 22: Fineline Revisted
Kid Congo Powers performs at Plush on Sat, Feb 15.
Photo courtesy of PlushTucson.com
Fri 21: The Modeens, Adam Marsland Sat 22: Logan Greene Electric, Boats, Hip Don’t Dance, Free Machines
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says that Tucson’s contrasting climate will mean adaptation of plans to fit the needs of people who will come out to enjoy the space. City requirements of the parklet include a handicapped accessible platform, a buffer to protect pedestrians from traffic, and guard railing. Smith says the parklet will also include a bike corral, planters, benches, and café tables for people to sit back and relax under a mature mesquite tree. Safford says that Chanecka has been especially successful in reaching out to other downtown businesses and has helped spread awareness of what the project means for the community. “I think what is neat about this whole experience is how much it's a collaborative effort, especially downtown where space is so precious and contentious,” Yetman says. “This is an instance where we have a public and private partnership that is working really well… together and trying to make it happen.” Safford also says that she is looking forward to how people will respond to the parklet once it is completed. “I think it would be like, ‘Why didn’t we do this sooner?” Safford says with a laugh. “I don’t think that we have to look at cities like San Francisco and just say, ‘Oh, that’s never going to happen here,’ I think we can take things from other cities that have worked well, and re-think how it can work well in Tucson and be great.” Smith says that the team has centralized the idea of a parklet around utilizing a public space to its greatest potential, while keeping in mind the ways in which people naturally interact in those public spaces. “I think the idea of a parklet or pocket park is a design that is meant to follow the patterns and desires of people already congregating,” Smith says. “People already take their chairs out and sit on the sidewalk, so why not extend that natural desire for people to be out in the street in that zone?” Yetman says that the creation of the parklet will not only benefit pedestrians and the community of downtown Tucson, but also stimulate the local economy. “There have been a lot of studies done that show that where a parklet goes in, it increases revenue for businesses in the area,” Yetman says. “It’s one of those things where it benefits everyone, and it’s visible, too.” Smith says that the parklet will hopefully serve as a pilot, meaning that it is intended to inspire other businesses to jump onboard and create more parklets in the area. However, it all comes down to public participation and funding of the project. “Once we’ve done the community design charrette and have a good brainstorm going, that’s when we can go back out and do some fundraising,” Yetman says. “I think people will be more excited to pitch in five bucks when they can actually see what its going to look like.” The team says that the $17,000 goal is more of an architectural estimate than an inflexible objective, and they will continue to find creative ways to make the parklet happen. “I see it as branding this neighborhood, and I think that’s really important,” Smith says. “This district has a lot of potential, and it always has. So I think it’s about bringing people to it.” n Donations are 100% tax-deductible, and more information about the parklet and how to contribute can be found online at LivingStreetsAlliance.org. February 2014 | ZOCALOMAGAZINE.com 69
Z lifeintucson by Andrew Brown
Left to right top to bottom: Carly at Sky Bar; Alpine Party; Alpine Party; Cartel Coffee Lab Downtown Opening; El Hanko Dinero; Alpine Party; Edible Art Party at Maker House; Denise Uyehara, Jason Aragon, and Adam Cooper Terรกn creators of Dreams and Silhouettes; Girls on Congress.
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