Thursday 23
BATTER UP. The Tucson Sidewinders have a full Memorial Day weekend of fun on deck at Tucson Electric Park, 2500 E. Ajo Way. Tonight, the 'Winders, Triple-A affiliate of the world-champion Arizona Diamondbacks, wrap a four-game series against the Portland Beavers. First pitch is 6:30 p.m. and all beer and soft drinks are a mere $1. Tomorrow, the team begins a four-game series against the Omaha Royals. Saturday's game will feature a star-spangled fireworks show; free tickets to Monday's game are available at all Cricket phone outlets. The homestand continues through May 31. Tickets range from $4 to $8. For more information call 434-1021.
DESERT FOLKS. Originally playing Irish, classical and traditional music, the Street Minstrels have expanded their repertoire.
Now you'll also hear international folk music, Renaissance and American and European standards.
The trio--a guitarist, a violinist and a flautist who also doubles on the clarinet--is performing tonight in a spring concert at Tohono Chul Park.
Tonight's show starts at 7 p.m. in the Performance Garden. Tickets are $4 for members and $7 for non-members. For tickets, call 742-6455. The Tea Room will have a special dinner menu for this evening. Call 797-1222 for dinner reservations.
Tohono Chul is located at 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, one stoplight west of the intersection of Ina and Oracle. For more information, visit www.tohonochulpark.org.
MEET AND EAT. Show up for an artist's reception at The Women's Gallery and you'll also get some tasty snacks.
Janos is providing refreshments this evening for a reception to open an exhibition of recent multimedia works by Fern Barber and Ursula Suess.
The show runs through June 27.
The free opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Women's Gallery (the offices of the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona and the Amazon Foundation), 3610 N. Prince Village Place, Suite 100. Regular gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 795-5288, ext. 104.
Friday 24
GET REAL. "Photo-Realism" is a type of realist painting which emerged in the 1960s and 1970s whose subject is the photograph, or the photographic vision of reality.
Organizers of a new exhibition at Tucson Museum of Art have gathered up some great examples for As Real As It Gets: Super Realism and Photo-Realism from Private Collections and the Tucson Museum of Art Permanent Collection.
Every summer the museum has the opportunity to showcase some of the significant works of art in its permanent collection.
This summer's show, which opens today and runs through August 18, includes several new acquisitions from the past two years as well as special works of art borrowed from local private collections.
In these works, the photographic effect is just as interesting to the artist as is the subject matter. Often these paintings reveal the mundane aspects and appearances of everyday American life.
Whether devoid of people or focused on posed figures, the paintings exemplify this genre's reliance on the banality of the subject matter, the camera and projected slide, and attention to detail.
The term Photo-Realism was coined by Louis Meisel, the New York gallery owner who has championed many of these artists over the past three decades. Other terms connected with this style are hyper-realism and super realism. This exhibition will display a range of realist works to show how different artists approach their subject matter and the techniques often associated with it.
Neon signs, the gleaming chrome of lunch counters, the reflection off glass and other highly reflective surfaces are hallmarks of this style. Among the many notable artists of this genre featured in this exhibition are Robert Bechtle, Richard McLean, John Baeder and Jack Mendenhall.
Tucson Museum of Art is located at 140 N. Main Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $5, seniors are $4, students 13 and older are $3 and members and children 12 and under are free. Sundays are free family days. For more information, call 624-2333 or visit www.tucsonarts.com.
Saturday 25
SEE SOME NEW STUFF. Check out some new works by local artists Sara Balbuena, Sasha Beasley and Joey Hernandez.
An opening reception for an exhibition at Solar Culture Gallery also will feature many more local artists. Works of various two- and three-dimensional mediums--painting, printmaking, bead work--will be on display.
The "community invitational" event is for anyone who would like to take part in supporting the diversity of arts in their community.
The free event is 6 to 9 p.m. today at 31 E. Toole Ave. For more information, call 884-0874.
Sunday 26
GET A LESSON IN MUSIC. Kristi Martel grew up in New England and earned two music degrees--at Bard and Mills College--before beginning her touring career.
Now she can teach you a thing or two. Her piano playing combines her love of blues dissonance and syncopation with her classical training. Her voice is at once sweet and bitter, expressive of any emotion she chooses and fluid throughout her range.
She is visionary in her lyrics and composition, writing prayers for personal solace and quirky relationship narratives in the same breath.
Martel tours all over the country in venues ranging from ecovillages to concert halls, sharing stages with such amazing artists as Erin McKeown and Erika Luckett.
Her first CD, Give me a little ... and her first full-length CD, Brave Enough, were both released on her own label, Sealed Lip Records.
Tonight's concert of original piano and voice songs starts at 7 p.m. It's a house concert, but open to the public. Tickets are $2 to $10, sliding scale. For directions and reservations, call 514-2757. For more information, visit www.kmetal.net.
NOW HEAR THIS. Soak up some of the best music Tucson has to offer and help out some musically inclined kids while you're at it.
It's time for SuperJam, Tucson Jazz Society's yearly fundraiser for Jazz Werx, TJS' arts in education program for young jazz musicians.
SuperJam traditionally brought in the crème de la crème of the Tucson jazz scene.
Check out this great evening of music, part of Tucson Jazz Society's Spring Series. The concert starts at 6 tonight at St. Philip's Plaza, River and Campbell. Tickets are $10 for TJS members and $15 general admission. Kids 15 to 18 get in for $8. For more information, call 903-1265.
Monday 27
HONORING THE DAY. It wouldn't be Memorial Day without a parade. The American Legion and Tucson Estates Property Owners Association host a parade beginning at 8 a.m. today followed by a memorial service. Both will be held at Tucson Estates, 5900 W. Western Way Circle, located off Kinney Road. Free refreshments will be served immediately following the parade. Ernie Menehune will provide entertainment after the service. For more information call 578-1085.
Tuesday 28
BOOK ON DOWN. At last. This just in, for families that have everything else.
Be the first family on your block to own the blockbuster Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on VHS or DVD.
There will be refreshments, games, trivia, prizes and more at this special breakfast event celebrating the movie release.
No. Really. The event takes place at 8 a.m. today at both Borders locations, at Park Place and on North Oracle. For more information, call 584-0111.
Wednesday 29
GET A REAL FEEL. Weather guy says it's hot, hot, hot. Oh, and it's going to get a bit warmer, too.
What a better time to soak up some Arizona history?
Ranching in Arizona, a new exhibit at Old Tucson Studios, chronicles the industry's history--from the introduction of Andalusian cattle to the "New World" by Spanish conquistadors to the way cattle ranching is conducted in Arizona today.
The exhibit, curated by photographer Bob Sharp, covers the history of ranching in Arizona through pictures, narratives, interviews and artifacts. Other elements of this exhibit cover ranching traditions, the issues surrounding ranching and conservation. Actual cowboy artifacts including clothing and tools of the trade are on display.
Ranching in Arizona runs through September 31 at the Town Hall Museum.
The Mesa Southwest Museum is circulating the "Ranching in Arizona" exhibit. Arizona's premier natural history museum, the Mesa Southwest Museum, explores the Southwest's history from the time of the dinosaurs to today.
This exhibit is the second of a series of proposed exhibits between Old Tucson Studios and the Mesa Southwest Museum. The museum can be reached at (480) 644-2230 for more information.
Old Tucson Studios is located at 201 South Kinney Road, in the Tucson Mountain Park. Take I-10 and exit Speedway Boulevard and head west, following the signs. Recreational vehicles should travel Ajo west to Kinney Road. Passenger cars may find this route more convenient when approaching Tucson from south of the city. For more information, call 520- 883-0100 or visit www.oldtucson.com.
