Guy Trebay of The New York Times meditates on the hidden gems of Tucson architecture:

It is a mini-metropolis whose proximity to the Mexican border has resulted not only in a shadow economy but also some fairly stark racial and economic bifurcations. It is a blue dot in a red state, a college town whose seasonal population of students and retirees departs this month in a mass migration that leaves tumbleweed vacancies in its wake.

It is also a city whose loopy retail landscape skews heavily toward yoga studios, thrift shops and vape stores. And one of the city’s better-kept secrets is how often these places occupy structures that could easily be counted among the more significant examples of mid-20th century architecture in the country. That is, if anyone were bothering to look.

I had first taken note of this curiosity some years back when attending the annual American Gem Trade Association fair in Tucson. In reality one central fair and an agglomeration of 40 or so satellites, where dealers trade in the countless minerals of which the earth is formed (and also a certain amount of random space flotsam), the fair is the place to be if you are ever in the market for an eight-carat Mozambique ruby, a Brazilian rock crystal carved like a phallus or a fragment of a meteorite.

Increasingly, on what have become annual pilgrimages to the gem fair (including one in February) I’ve found myself straying from the parking lots crammed with geodes, beads and boulders, and venturing out to explore the local architectural treasures. Back home, whenever New York threatens to ruin my day, I follow my thoughts back to my random excursions around Tucson and to memories of its illimitable skies, dry, clear air and its abundant supply of wizened drifters right out of Richard Avedon’s “In the American West.”

I reflect on how deeply I enjoy the ramshackle dispersion of the city and on the fact that I now know which Mexican handicrafts store to visit if I am ever in need of a six-foot ceramic pineapple from Michoacán. I think about a photo gallery I like as much for its location near a funky tattoo parlor as for its adventurous exhibitions, a diner in a movie-ready structure unaltered since the 1960s, and the thrift shops of which Tucson boasts more than it has hipster brunch spots.

I recall, too, the pleasures of ordering a heaping platter of huevos rancheros at my favorite hipster brunch spot, the Five Points Market, situated on an intersection whose other notable landmarks include a florist selling $1 roses and a used-car dealership with the motto “Ugly but Honest.”

What truly defines a city? Its economy, its landscape, its businesses? It is all those things, but it's people that make a city home. It is the blend of cultures present that reveal its personal history through art.

The Southwest Folklife Alliance, a nonprofit organization of the UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, serve as historians of Tucson. The group documents the cultural heritage of local ethnic and folk communities and works to educate and plan ways to increase opportunities for these communities.

One of Tucson’s largest events, Tucson Meet Yourself, is the product of the Southwest Folklife Alliance and they are now unveiling a new program to serve individuals in the community who are expressing their heritage through art.

Their Master-Apprentice Grant Award Program, announced May 29, works to “support and encourage the preservation and perpetuation of traditional art forms present and thriving in Arizona.” This grant program is the first of its kind in the state, joining 20 states nationwide with similar programs.

Grants will be awarded to three local, traditional artists who have proven themselves to be masters at their craft. To fulfill the mission of this program, spreading community based traditions through one-on-one teaching, each master artist will identify an apprentice (or apprentices). The grant will award each artist $2500 and $500 to their apprentice.

The funds are meant to expand the horizons of its awardees and may be used for compensation, travel expenses and materials and supplies.

Although Salvador Duran's art has been shown around town for years, including that large mural painted in the Rialto Theatre alleyway, the artist and musician is exploring a new frontier with his new show "What We Will Get." 

Featuring Duran's series of paintings under the same title, his work displays his life experiences including social and economic protests in Mexico. However, this showing also features something entirely different for Duran in the way of mosaic works.

For his first showing of his work with stone and metal, Duran sourced some of his materials from Brazil, but learned the craft initially from a Philadelphia mosaic artist and teacher.

While the paintings will be up in the lobby from May 30 until July 22, the unique mosaic pieces will only be on view as a part of Duran's opening artist's reception. You can see all of the pieces, as well as Duran himself, at the event on Saturday, May 30 from 6 until 8 p.m. in the hotel's lobby, located at 311 E. Congress St. It is free to attend. 

And for more information on Duran, his art and his inspiration, read Tucson Weekly's feature on the artist, which ran in July 2010. There, Duran says, "I paint my music and sing my paintings," a sentiment he relays frequently to this day.

Combining jolted stop motion animation with a musical narrative, multi-media artist Alexis Gideon has become known internationally for his unique video art and now you have the opportunity to catch one of his works at the Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art.

Gideon's 21-minute animated musical The Crumbling will be on view for a special one-time event at MOCA. The short film's story follows an apprentice librarian attempting to keep her city from crumbling around her. The film has an interesting mystic motif as well, incorporating mythologies and beliefs from 19th century occult to ancient Egyptian to 16th century alchemy.

The dialogue of The Crumbling happens completely in song, which Gideon performs live at each screening along with the projected video, so it really is as much of a performance art piece as it is video art.

You can see The Crumbling at MOCA, located at 265 S. Church Ave., on Saturday, May 23. The screening begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for members of MOCA and $5 for non-members.

Here's some of Gideon's innovative work:

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States. Its primary objective is to build Christian support for Israel throughout the country. It has many education programs including special programs for college students and elected officials. Local chapters across the country hold events.

On Tuesday, April 28, the Tucson chapter hosted a “Night to Honor Israel” at the Fox Theater. The CUFI website describes the “Night to Honor Israel” events as “an expression of Christian solidarity with the State of Israel and the Jewish people.” The event was free and open to all.

Pastor John Hagee is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church located in San Antonio, Texas. He holds a bachelor's degree from Trinity University, a master's degree from North Texas University, and studied theology at Southwestern Bible Institute. He also is the founder and National Chairman of CUFI, and creator of the “Night to Honor Israel” events.

Casa Libre en la Solana is moving out of the Fourth Avenue casita they've called home for more than a decade. The nonprofit, literature nest is one of many tightening the belt as Gov. Doug Ducey's poor (to be polite) budget choices begin to trickle down to local arts organizations.

In a beautifully written newsletter, Casa Libre also announced long-time assistant director TC Tolbert is saying farewell to that role and spending the next year—still in Tucson—writing his book on worldwide violence against transgender women of color—a rather not-spoken-enough-about issue. 

But amidst all the changes hitting Casa Libre in upcoming months, creator Kristen Nelson is staying positive, calling some of the changes scary, hard and disappointing, but referring to the others as exciting.

In realizing the shrinking budget could no longer afford the casita, and many programs and workshops, Nelson has been holding on hard to a metaphor a Casa Libre intern used to describe the ordeal, "It's like deadheading a flower."

Unsure of what to do tomorrow? The eighth annual Unity Festival is happening—a day of hip hop, urban art, cultural events and workshops, lots of food and aguas frescas to celebrate youth, and encourage them to express themselves in a a positive and creative way. 



It is put together by Tucson High and the school's M.E.Ch.A—Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan—in honor of Consuelo Aguilar, who founded the festival. She died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 26. (The Consuelo Aguilar 2015 Scholarship Walk/Run is also tomorrow.)



Donations for the scholarships, which are given to students majoring in Mexican-American studies, and next year's Unity fest will be accepted at the gathering at Tucson High happening from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.



There's going to be some mariachi music, hip hop and folkloric dancers, and spoken word goodness by the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam. 

Three years ago, Eva Sierra didn't know what a poetry slam looked or sounded like. 

During a school field trip to Tucson, the Douglas teen got to check out a gathering by the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam. She was hooked. The spoken word and all therapeutic emotions that derive from having a room full of attentive ears listening to your thoughts penetrated her soul and never left. She's been non-stop slamming since October 2012.

Sierra's slam at last year's championship (you can check out more TYPS on their YouTube):


Sierra became such a regular presence with the group—even though she resides about three hours away—they even invited her to become a member of the staff. 

Some people go out to unwind on Friday nights. They dance to '90s hip hop with drink in hand and let loose. That's all fine and good, but if you're looking to stand in a wind tunnel of black ambient sound, you should most definitely head to Tiny Town Gallery on April 17 for a collection of local and national industrial noise artists.

While it's hard to say fully what to expect—especially with the antics opener Marshstepper is known for, it's safe to say the show will be as much about the art of sound as it is about the visual experience. So get ready to fall deep into a shadowy trance, zone out and listen.

Tucson's Dead Techno will kick off the show at 8 p.m. with Phoenix's Marshstepper and New York's Inferior Passions following. Hive Mind and Kiran Arora, both of LA, will cap the show off with a sinister wall of noise that should take you away to the dark corners of your mind.

The show, presented by Unseen Force and Tucson Community Printshop, is $5 and will take place at Tiny Town Gallery, located at 174 E. Toole Ave.

If you're still not sure what to expect, here's Kiran Arora performing in LA:

A new exhibit is set to show at the Mayor's Gallery on Thursday, April 16. The show, which is the fifth in the gallery's existence, will feature pieces from eight different Native American and Mexican American artists.

Tucson Pima Arts Council and Mayor Jonathan Rothschild have joined forces on the exhibit, which explores different media like acrylic on canvas, relief printmaking, sculpture and more. Featured artists include David Contreras, Glory Tacheenie-Campoy, John Salgado, Lester Aguirre, Lydia Maldonado, Michael Contreras and Neda Contreras and Ceci Garcia.

UA senior David Contreras is featured in the show and said in a statement that his work comes with a sense of history and the artists that came before him.

“Part of my process before I begin making art is to research as much as possible on the topic or idea I am pursuing,” Contreras said. “I try with every finished work to breathe life into long forgotten ideas and styles that the masters left for me to follow.”

In general, the works explore topics like family, struggle, land and community.

The show will be open for the public to view on Thursday, April 16 from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. Proper will be providing the refreshments at the event. The pieces will hang from then until September at the Mayor's Gallery, located on the 10th floor at 225 W. Alameda St.

For more information, including purchasing information, call TPAC at 624-0595.