A Sense of Place
The sum of the sequence from then until now is not equal to here multiplied by there
Opening reception: 3 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 4
On display 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; noon to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, through Wednesday, Sept. 12
UA Campus, 1031 N. Olive Road
626-4215
The title of this exhibit—which would be a contender for the Longest Exhibit Title Ever award if there were such a thing—refers to the works of three UA students who want viewers to question their identity, their history and their sense of place in the world. Anna Garner, Karen Gard deClouet and Jenny Day share a common interest in exploring memories and sense of place. The images and mediums they use represent their individual artistic styles, but "the umbrella that we are all sitting under is a conceptual drive behind the theme," Gard deClouet said. "We thought of the concept together."
Garner's paintings were influenced by her grandfather's death, although he passed away long before she was born. She said the theme of her pieces is preventing him from going fishing, which is what he was doing when he died. Day's works are influenced by memories associated with places, and how identities are shaped by place. "I think it is interesting to be able to understand our own identities, our sense of self," Garner said. "The viewers should come and be able to ... question that concept for themselves, and for them to be able to think how they are connected or disconnected from place." The exhibit will be on display through Wednesday, Sept. 12. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; and noon to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Parking is available at the UA garage at Speedway Boulevard and
Park Avenue. Admission is free. —I.T.
Drag Queens for a Cause
16th Annual Turnabout for TIHAN: Invasion of the 50-Food Glamazons
6 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 2
Doubletree Hotel
445 S. Alvernon Way
299-6647; www.tihan.org
This is Butch's 30th year of living with HIV. But back in 2006, it seemed like he was about to take his last breath.
Butch was down to 94 pounds; he had hepatitis C; his T-cell count was below 200. In an effort to give Butch some hope, his doctor put him in touch with the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network.
"They literally pulled me back from the brink," said Roger O'Daniel, aka Butch. "I don't know if I would still be alive if I hadn't been connected with TIHAN."
TIHAN gave him a care team. Volunteers gave him rides to appointments, and took care of him after he suffered a heart attack.
Butch is one face in a growing crowd of people benefiting from TIHAN's work. The organization offers support programs for people living with HIV and AIDS, and education programs to battle misconceptions about the disease. To help the organization raise money, TIHAN is hosting the 16th annual Turnabout drag show, featuring staffers from local LGBT bars—many of whom don't usually do drag.
"We are raising money to keep our programs going so that we can provide more social support, nutritional support, practical kinds of help, and advocacy to people living with HIV," said Scott Blades, executive director of TIHAN and one of its founders.
This year, the fundraiser has a B-movie theme, "The Invasion of the 50-Foot Glamazons." The event will feature Janee Starr and Tempest DuJour as emcees, and the newly crowned Miss Gay Arizona America 2012 will also perform.
"It doesn't matter who you are, or what your sexual orientation is: People are people, and everybody deserves to be included, respected and cared for," Blades said.
Tickets are $10 in advance, or $15 at the door. —I.T.
Girl Scouts and a Century of Service
Hispanic Heritage Celebration
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 1
Kennedy Park, Fiesta Area
3700 S. Mission Road
319-3156
Fans of the Food Network's Cupcake Wars may have caught the episode about bakers competing to see whose cupcakes would star at the 100th-anniversary celebration of the founding of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
After all, you can never go wrong with cupcakes. But instead of using cupcakes, the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona is noting the centennial with a celebration that's intended to spread the word among Tucson's Hispanic community that girls with courage, confidence and character improve our lives.
"Everyone already knows about our cookies and ... crafts, of course, but this is meant for us to kick off our Hispanic initiative and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month," said Maria DeCabooter of the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona.
This Saturday's event is intended to honor the diversity of the Hispanic community.
"We're trying to start troops up that are completely bilingual," DeCabooter said. "In addition, we're trying to have a more family-oriented atmosphere. A lot of times, moms and grandmas may be kind of hesitant about sending off their daughters, so we try to make events where your daughter could come, but (the girl can) also bring along your mom and grandma, and so everyone could participate together."
The event will feature performances by Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School and Grupo Folklorico Miztontli from the University of Arizona. DeCabooter said the festivities will include a jumping castle and craft activities. Food from local vendors will be for sale.
Admission is $2 for individuals, and $5 for families. —D.M.
History Plus Tapas
Archaeology Café: "Preserving a 20th-Century Downtown"
6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 4
Casa Vicente
375 S. Stone Ave.
882-6946, ext. 16
Fall's cooler temperatures are approaching, and that's good news for those who love to talk history and archaeology while munching on some tasty tapas: The Archeology Cafés on Casa Vicente's outdoor patio are starting again.
For the past five years, Archaeology Southwest has partnered with the downtown eatery to give Tucsonans a place to chat about the art, culture and architecture of Southwestern civilizations. The cafés, held on the first Tuesday of the month, feature experts in those fields leading informal discussions.
"Between about 6 and 6:15, our presenters will get up in front of the crowd and speak really informally—no PowerPoint, no jargon—just having a conversation with the group about their latest research or topics that people are really interested in," said Kate Sarther Gann of Archeology Southwest.
"Then we open up the floor," she said. "We kind of based this on the science-café, science-pub model that started in Europe, where people show up for happy hour, and it's more like talking about research with your friends than giving a presentation at a formal conference."
This season's café kickoff will feature Demion Clinco and Helen Erickson of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation speaking on efforts to preserve landscape-architect Garrett Eckbo's work around the Tucson Convention Center.
Gann also expects Clinco and Erickson to also talk about preservation efforts for downtown's Marist College, and discuss the neon signs that were restored and placed along Drachman Street on the Pima Community College Downtown Campus earlier this year.
The event is free. Patrons can buy drinks and tapas if they wish. —D.M.
