Tucson, AZ

As most people who frequent Downtown know, the 4th Avenue underpass is a serious construction zone. But not to fear! Big plans for the area are underway, which include extending the trolley route and a special tile project.

Right now, Patch & Clark Design are working towards a goal of snapping the portraits of 7,000 Tucsonans. The photos will then be placed on tiles which will be used in the reconstruction of the underpass.

If you want to be a part of Tucson history, why not visit one of the photo shoots being held through February and get your photo taken?

My friend Nikki is a devout fan of the 1993 Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas and even has a tatoos of the characters. So when she saw that the film would be screened at the historic Fox Tucson Theatre just before Christmas, she recruited me to attend the film with her. I had never seen a movie at the restored downtown venue, although I had been there for live theater, so I was excited to see what their big screen had to offer.

The movie screening was scheduled for 8:00 p.m., so we headed downtown to arrive around 7:30 p.m. to be sure to have enough time to find a parking spot near the theatre, located 17 W. Congress, just west of Stone Avenue. We fortunately found a spot in a small lot located just south of Congress off of Stone and since it was after normal business hours, their was no parking cost.

The Tucson Banditas, or “B.A.B.E.” (Banditas Art Brigade and Exchange), put on a Holiday “Shop a Do,” a sort of smaller, more art-centric version of the Street Fair last weekend and before that, on December 6th and December 20th from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was in the parking lot behind the Surly Wench, which is on 4th Avenue, so it was technically, according to the flier, at 423 N. Hoff. Local artists and art collectives put their work on display and for sale.

For the past month I’ve been working with a really great cast and some really great direction on a play called A Tucson Pastorela, put on by Borderlands Theater Group. I’m on makeup and wardrobe, which is really the easiest job, since another girl does the costumes, and some of the actors do their own makeup, yet all are all fun to work with. The Pastorela is the Christmas story (the birth of Jesus, remember?), but this play gives it an edge with comic devils trying to stop the shepherds and the two angels, Michael and Gabriel, from going to Bethlehem (or, in this case, the shepherds, Miguel, Gabriel, y Juan, a sort of time-traveling boy from the reservation, to get to Belen).

I caught the tail end of the Annual Tucson Winter Street Fair a few days ago. The first part of the day was a little rained out, so I went when the sky cleared up and immediately bought a tiny African Violet plant from a woman who was closing up a pottery booth. She sold it to me for $1.00. Stores on 4th Avenue were having sales, staying open later, and welcoming traffic from the vendors that come from all over Arizona to sell art, crafts, jewelry, etc. Some stores, like High Tech Computers and Hardcore 101, had their own booth in front of their stores.

This historic facility also offers a variety of indoor and outdoor settings for various events, and for those who believe, the chance to view the house’s original owners as ghosts— if you’re lucky.

This historic facility also offers a variety of indoor and outdoor settings for various events, and for those who believe, the chance to view the house’s original owners as ghosts— if you’re lucky.

This historic facility also offers a variety of indoor and outdoor settings for various events, and for those who believe, the chance to view the house’s original owners as ghosts— if you’re lucky.

Every year, twice a year, the 4th Avenue Street Fair merchants set up their tents all along 4th Avenue between 9th Street and University Boulevard. It has become a Tucson staple and each year and we, along with 200,000 to 350,000 other people, trek downtown to see what’s new. Parking is a bit tricky as you often find yourself parking quite a ways from actual festivities or paying as much as ten dollars to park close.

I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), near the Main Library, at 149 N. Stone, to see the lady from Project Runway who is originally from Tucson, Elisa Jimenez. It was $10 to get in and the last show was still up, so it was sort of like seeing two shows for the price of one…except that the last show was probably free. At least the wine was free…with donation.

A few nights ago, I went with my family to the ATC’s (Arizona Theater Company’s) preview of their production of Hair (“The American Tribal Love Rock Musical”) at the Temple of Music and Art, located at 330 S. Scott Avenue. Although no photos were allowed, I snuck a shot of the set before the performance started. The ATC is a lovely theater, with a too-small lobby and an ample courtyard. The house was decorated with painted cutouts of revolution-related objects—this part was not as hippy-centric as I’d imagined it would be. Radioactivity symbols, cartoon helicopters and the Declaration of Independence mingled with flower power peace propaganda. I was hopeful for an artistic, currently relevant rendition of the controversially classic musical, Hair.

A few nights ago, I went with my family to the ATC’s (Arizona Theater Company’s) preview of their production of Hair (“The American Tribal Love Rock Musical”) at the Temple of Music and Art, located at 330 S. Scott Avenue. Although no photos were allowed, I snuck a shot of the set before the performance started. The ATC is a lovely theater, with a too-small lobby and an ample courtyard. The house was decorated with painted cutouts of revolution-related objects—this part was not as hippy-centric as I’d imagined it would be. Radioactivity symbols, cartoon helicopters and the Declaration of Independence mingled with flower power peace propaganda. I was hopeful for an artistic, currently relevant rendition of the controversially classic musical, Hair.