Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Thursday 2 BEAUTY'S INTRIGUES. Have you ever wondered how a work of art can be simultaneously gaudy and alluring? Artist Coby Ellison's show, entitled wholesome, disputes the idea of the hideousness of tasteless art by recognizing the fine line between classically beautiful works and uncouth, yet still beautiful, restatements of these classical works. Wholesome, which includes paintings, drawings, and ceramics, is tied together by colors and images that master the endeavor of finding beauty in the gaudy and the imperfect. The exhibit opens May 2 at the RAW Gallery, 43 S. Sixth Ave., and runs through June 2. Gallery hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. Artist's reception is 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 4. For inquiries call 882-6927. SPIFFIANS UNITE. Champions of the Captain Spiffy Comic are invited to a comic release party from 5 to 8 p.m. at Captain Spiffy's, 944 E. University Blvd. This will be the fourth issue of their publication, which features local comic-book illustrators from all age groups and of various artistic styles. The artists, gourmet food, and curious entertainment will be present. Bring a canned-food donation to trade for a limited edition "Spiffy" art print. Call 624-4643 for more information. Friday 3 GUATEMALAN ACTIVIST. Progress at all costs was presumably the attitude of the Guatemalan government and the World Bank, when, in 1982, nearly 400 Mayans--including 107 children and 70 women and old men--were massacred at Rio Negro, Guatemala. The Guatemalan military murdered the Indians with the aim of claiming their land for the Chixoy Dam hydroelectric project. A survivor of that massacre, Doña Antonia de Taulico, will speak and answer questions on the exhumations of massacre sites, the building of a monument to commemorate the deaths, and the continuing fight for truth in Guatemala. She will speak tonight at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4831 E. 22nd St. For more information call 889-1380. WINGFEST. More than a dozen restaurants will be competing for the title of "Best Wings in Tucson" at the Easter Seals' second annual Wingfest. Birdivores are invited to join the fun, sample the wings, and vote on their favorite recipes. The event is happening at 4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Downtown. Tickets are available for $5 from participating restaurants, and for $6 at the door. Proceeds go towards helping children and adults with disabilities. For information call 745-5222. AMERICA ON STAGE. What are the themes of modern American society? The New Genre Program of the University of Arizona Art Department is making an ambitious attempt to address many of the mysteries of contemporary life in a series of performance art solo works. Issues of gender, family and culture will rear their heads, as will specific works exploring reproductive technologies, dating in the age of therapy, and the dubious quest for art world fame. Performance time is 8 p.m. at the Tucson Center for the Performing Arts, 408 S. Sixth Ave. The event is free, although there's a suggested donation of $4. For more information call 792-8480. Saturday 4 SYMPHONY IN TRANSIT. If you've never been downtown and you've never heard the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, here's a way to accomplish both pleasing tasks in one night. The full 54-piece orchestra will perform at the Ronstadt Transit Center (Sixth Avenue and Congress Street) as part of Downtown Saturday Night, from 7 to 10 p.m. The night's program will include music from Schindler's List as well as works by Bizet and Tchaikovsky. Mayor George Miller will be present to bestow one of those snazzy Copper Letters (if you have to ask, you haven't been here long enough) upon conductor Bob Bernhardt before he departs to preside over the Rochester Philharmonic. For more information call 624-9977. MUSIC OF THE PEOPLE. Folk singers Rosie Flores, Cosy Sheridan, and Mr. Stew (John Stewart Mortimer) are the featured performers for the Eleventh Annual Tucson Folk Festival. Performances by regional and local acts will continue throughout the day. Contemporary folk, blues, Bluegrass, folk-rock, ethnic, ragtime and gospel music acts will take turns on the two stages. Music workshops and a Ballad Tree for swapping music ideas should please local musicians. Saturday's entertainment begins at noon with children's music and storytelling by Mr. Stew and the Dino Drummers. Sunday, May 5, you can participate in a gospel sing-along at 11 a.m. The festival will take place at El Presidio Park, at Church Avenue and Alameda Street. It runs from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, May 5. For more information call 797-9770. SOLAR POTLUCK. For those of you overheated desert dwellers who are finding fewer and fewer reasons to appreciate the sun, Citizens for Solar and Catalina State Park are hosting an event that will make a sun lover out of you yet. Come and witness how the sun's energy can be used to cook food, heat water, supply electricity and distill water. Exhibitions and demonstrations of solar ovens, solar water heaters, photovoltaics, solar distillation, electric cars and children's activities will all be part of the day's repertoire. Samples of solar-cooked food will be offered all day, with a potluck feast scheduled for 5 p.m. The event starts at 9 a.m. in the Group Area of Catalina State Park, just 5.2 miles north of Ina Road on Oracle Road. Each car pays $3. For more information call 292-9020. Sunday 5 CINCO DE MAYO. There are no shortages of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Tucson. One of Tucson's many celebrations, Fiesta Mexicana, will begin at 1 p.m. at High Corbett Field in Reid Park. It features Mariachi music, children's activities, dance instruction and performances. A bountiful variety of Mexican food and drink will also be available to augment the day's festivities. One of the highlights of Fiesta Mexicana will be the performance by the internationally acclaimed Ballet Folklorico Magisterial Nuevo Leon at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $10 and children under 10 are admitted free. For more information call The Parent Connection at 321-1500. TEEN TALES. Creative writing programs at Desert View and Sunnyside High Schools are growing into a supportive arena for young writers to develop and share their work. At 7 p.m. talented students from these schools will share their poetry, plays, and works of fiction as part of the Lamplighter Reading Series. Students reading will include state poetry contest winners, Tucson Poetry Festival winners, a playwright and many more creative writers. Young authors take the microphone at the Sunnyside High School Auditorium, at Bilby Road and Campbell Avenue. For information call 741-2400 ext. 450. Monday 6 PHANTOM MURALS. The walls of boarded-up properties and other exteriors are being put to use as surfaces for a collection of large outdoor murals. The latest mural, located at 11 S. Sixth Ave., was created by local artist Gustavo Rocha. Inspired by Greek mythology, Rocha's mural depicts Atlas holding up the earth, while Woman holds the beauty and light of the night and Man supports the power and light of the day. Other murals in the downtown area include Lydia D'Amico's "Homage to Tucson," at 400 N. Fourth Ave., which depicts local life, as well as Luna Lee Ray's work on the corner of Broadway and Stone, in which visual movement is created by using painted tiles of fauna and flora. For more information on the Phantom Murals program call 624-9977. Tuesday 7 SALUBRIOUS WIT. Four local laughter artists, Danny Boskovitz, Dave Fitsimmons, Gary Hood and Debbie Rice, have been mentoring people with HIV/AIDS in the development of their own comedy routines. The fruit of their efforts is the Tucson AIDS Project's second annual "Hope, Healing and High Jinks," a show meant to recognize and celebrate the joy and humor found in all of life's phases. An auctioning of goods ranging from gift certificates to collectibles will also be part of the evening's offerings. The event begins at 7 p.m., at Laffs Comedy Caffé, 2900 E. Broadway. Tickets are $20, or $30 for priority seating. Call 322-6226 for tickets and information. Wednesday 8 MELODIOUS PROBING. Lyricist and vocalist Catie Curtis brings her heartfelt folk rock to the Southwest Center for Music tonight at 8 p.m. Known for her wit and stage presence, Curtis promises to charm her audience. Her latest release, Truth From Lies, is an exposé on the universal themes of love, betrayal, and unsatisfying work. Accompanying Curtis will be the equally-talented Colorado native Karen Kapaldi. Advance tickets are $8, and $9 at the door. Tickets are available at Antigone Books, Hear's Music and the Southwest Center for Music. Call 884-1220 for more information. City Week includes events selected by Calendar Editor Mari Wadsworth. Event information is accurate as of press time. The Weekly recommends calling event organizers to check for last-minute changes in location, time, price, etc.

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