Tucson Weekly: Cheap Thrills (May 28

Cheap Thrills THREE-WAY VISION: Gary Swimmer, William Blomquist and Michael Chittock combine artistic forces for a collaborative exhibit in downtown's Dinnerware Contemporary Art Gallery.
Described as "simple and raw," Swimmer's new works create a tension between the irrational presence of the visual and physical aspects of paint, and the irrepressible pull to find some other meaning on the canvas. The pieces are driven by his increasing interest in direct experience, and ongoing preoccupation with the fractured nature of consciousness, the limitations of interpretation, and the merits of contemplating non-objective form.
By contrast, Blomquist creates formal representations of his "emotional architecture," a quest fine-honed during his MFA work at the UA, and his current stint teaching art at Cochise College.
Chittock taps complex imagery to reveal great feeling for human emotional states.
The latter combine often contradictory and humorous images, inviting the viewer to address personal, religious and political issues, all attempting to spark a dialogue between the visual experience and the inner emotional anxieties produced by society.
Exhibit runs through June 20, with an opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 6, in the Dinnerware Gallery, 135 E. Congress St. For information, call 792-4503.
TIDAL WAVE: Rising Tide is a small feminist press that's been publishing lesbian fiction for six years to growing acclaim, and now boasts an inventory that includes mysteries by Sharon Gilligan and science fiction by Jean Stewart.
Now the company has moved its literary wares to Tucson, and to celebrate, Rising Tide owners Alice Frier and Lee Boojamra will discuss the highly fluid world of publishing at a seminar hosted by Antigone Books.
Among other topics, they'll describe the writer/publisher/bookstore/reader connection; how to get published in the feminist press; who decides what gets published; and the journey of a manuscript from pen to press.
Free event begins at 7 p.m. Friday, May 29, in Antigone Books, 411 N. Fourth Ave. For details, call 792-3715.
FAVORITE SONS: The Sons of Orpheus is not only southern Arizona's fastest growing chorus, it just may be its finest. Founded in 1991 by top-notch tenor Grayson Hirst, the community-based group presents concerts in Tucson and southern Arizona featuring classical and choral literature written or arranged especially for men's voices, and spanning all periods, styles and languages.
Today, the Sons again rev their chords for a concert featuring opera choruses by Mozart and Wagner, Welsh chorales, and traditional Russian folk songs with the Balalaika Orchestra. There will also be cowboy classics, songs of the Mississippi Delta, and "rock-and-roll gems" from the late '50s and early '60s.
This free concert begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 31, in Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St. For information, call 571-0059.

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