City Week

Our picks for what to do in Tucson for January 16-22

Pop-up Thrift Shop

Cosmo Couture

11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, and Sunday, Jan. 19

LoveSmack Studios

19 E. Toole Ave.

780-6879;artifactdanceproject.com

As a collaborative arts organization, the Artifact Dance Project is used to throwing things together from various areas and disciplines to create one cohesive presentation.

It's the same way the project does its fundraising efforts, including the Cosmo Couture new- and used-clothing sale it's holding this weekend.

For two days, a warehouse normally used for fashion photography, known as LoveSmack Studios, will be transformed into what organizer Ashley Bowman is calling a "pop-up boutique" filled with hundreds of new and used clothing items.

"I would say we'll have a whole thrift store's worth of clothes," Bowman said. "About the size of a medium-sized thrift store. When people walk in they're not going to be like, oh, there's only two racks of clothes.

"We're going to have tons of shows, hats, jewelry," Bowman said. "Everything is donated."

Cosmo Couture is a fundraiser for an upcoming event presented by the Artifact Dance Project, a professional dance company that has collaborated with local artists, musicians and singers since 2009.

Bowman said this is technically the second annual Cosmo Couture sale, although last year's was in a private residence and couldn't be advertised publicly.

The event is free, although patrons interested in getting a jump on the browsing and buying can pay $10 online to get a "first-look" ticket that lets them into the studio an hour early. Drinks, snacks and appetizers will also be available.


A Slice of Knowledge

Downtown Science Café's Spring 2014 Series

6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21

Magpie's Gourmet Pizza

605 N. Fourth Ave.

621-3374;flandrau.org

Science lectures can sometimes get a little ... well ... boring.

But science discussions in a casual setting? With food and beverages available? Now that's how to spark a thirst for knowledge.

Creating an open dialogue about a relevant scientific topic is the goal of the UA's Downtown Science Café series, which is beginning its seventh year. Rather than just have people sit in a lecture hall and listen to a speaker, the cafe series is meant to get people who are interested in a common topic to discuss it and brainstorm, said Shipherd Reed, operations and communications manager for the UA's Flandrau Science Center.

"You get a conversation going between the researcher and the general public, and also among audience members," Reed said. "It's so different from a lot of lecture series, where someone presents what that person knows, and it's 'here's the information.' This really sparks a community discussion. Whoever the presenter is, is often mobbed with questions afterward."

For the spring series, which will be held on the third Tuesday of every month through May 20, the theme is "Follow the Water." Each speaker will be a researcher or faculty member from the UA who will talk about an aspect of water issues that affect our desert region.

"Many people in our community are aware that water is a valuable and limited resource," Reed said.

The speaker for the opening lecture is Kelly Mott LaCroix, a research analyst at the UA's Water Resources Research Center, whose presentation is called "Good to the Last Drop? Understanding Arizona's Water Opportunities and Challenges."

The lectures are free, though attendees are encouraged to order from the food and drink menu before, during or after the event.


Tasty Imagery

Edible Art Gala

6 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Jan. 18

Maker House

283 N. Stone Ave.

623-2119;tucsonartsbrigade.org

The Tucson Arts Brigade's traveling art show has been all over the region since last summer. And to mark the final stop on this tour, some special perks will be added to the event.

Namely, art as food.

Maker House is hosting TAB's Edible Arts Gala, which will feature hors d'oeuvres, desserts and other treats inspired by art throughout history. The event will also serve as a fundraiser for the Tucson Arts Brigade, which among other endeavors sponsors a citywide after-school mural arts program.

"We wanted to culminate everything into a gala, so we created this really awesome, fun event," TAB's Jodi Netzer said. "It's a whole combination, really, of food, fashion and art."

In addition to the food element, the gala will include a fashion show (which will feature a model wearing a chocolate bra) as well as live and silent auctions and late-night music and dancing. Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite art piece or as a representation of an art movement—break out those cubist-themed threads! The wearers may be featured in the fashion show and be eligible for prizes.

The event is being emceed by Monica Warhol, the cousin of famed pop artist Andy Warhol and herself a trendsetter for her painting of famous-for-being-famous celebrity Kim Kardashian.

Netzer said the proceeds from the event will enable the Tucson Arts Brigade to continue its goal of teaching neighborhood revitalization and workforce readiness through its mural program.

"We want people to embrace the arts as a tool that is as vital as food," she said. "Without art we lose our city's vibrancy. It would be a boring world without the arts."

Tickets for the edible arts gala are $15 if purchased online or $20 at the door.


Traveling Humor Troupe

Second City's Happily Ever Laughter

7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 17

Fox Tucson Theatre

17 W. Congress St.

624-1515;foxtucsontheatre.org

Second City, the Chicago-based comedy troupe that has produced countless star performers—many of whom gained fame on Saturday Night Live—is bringing its act to Tucson.

The Happily Ever Laughter show is part improv and part scripted comedy, drawing on classic skits from the outfit's more than 50 years of performances as well as breaking out new acts and routines based on current events. Odds are they'll find something about Tucson to make fun of, perhaps our streetcar tracks that have no streetcars or our fondness for Sonoran hot dogs.

Comics who cut their teeth as part of the traveling show include Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell and Keegan-Michael Key. In addition to its U.S. troupe, Second City has traveling companies that hit Canada and Europe and bounce across oceans via cruise ships.

Tickets are $18 to $38 in advance and $2 more the night of the show.