Tucson Weekly: Museums (May 24

MUSEUMS

ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 949 E. Second St. 628-5775. Continuing through September 15: Life of the Santa Cruz River looks at the archaeology, history, hydrology and biology of the Santa Cruz River environment. Rediscover Arizona's past with a walk-in guided tour Mondays and Fridays at 2 p.m. Admission is free and no reservations are required. Ongoing: One Hundred Years of Fashion: Social History and Self-Image, a series of exhibits displaying accessories women tolerated for the sake of fashion. Dueling Eagles: The U.S. War with Mexico presents a reinterpretation of the social, economic and political conditions that led to the U.S. war with Mexico. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.
ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM. UA campus, University Boulevard east of Park Avenue. 621-6302. The oldest and largest anthropology museum in the region brings to life the culture and history of the greater Southwest from the time of mammoth-hunters to the present. The museum's rich and varied collections are among the most significant resources in the nation for the study of Southwest anthropology. Continuing through May 26: Portraits in Cloth: Tohono O'odham Quilts of Goldie Richmond features quilts that depict the lifestyles of the Tohono O'odham people. Continuing through June: The Pottery Project: 20,000 Pots, 2,000 Years features an extensive American Indian pottery collection recently named an official project of Save America's Treasures. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.
CENTER FOR CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY. UA campus, south of the pedestrian underpass at Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue. 621-7968. Ex Libris: Ralph Gibson is a newly completed project by photographer Gibson that reflects his lifelong fascination with books and language made visible. Special collections librarian Shaw Kinsley presents Write Then and Now: Insights into the Book Arts in Ralph Gibson's Photography June 6 at 5:30 p.m. The program describes and contextualizes some of the artifacts and books depicted in the exhibition photographs, from the Rosetta Stone to the Polyglot Bible. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
FLANDRAU SCIENCE CENTER AND PLANETARIUM. UA campus, University Boulevard east of Cherry Avenue. 621-STAR. The science center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, featuring a series of interactive exhibits and planetarium shows. Telescope viewing hours are 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for children under 13, and $4.50 for seniors.
PIMA AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. 6000 E. Valencia Road. 574-9658. The museum regularly displays 250 military, commercial and civilian aircraft, including a full-scale mock-up of the Wright Flyer, presidents Kennedy and Johnson's Air Force One, the Super Guppy used by NASA, and more. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last admittance at 4 p.m. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6.50 for seniors and military, and $4 for children ages 10 to 17. Free for aviation buffs under age 10.
SOSA-CARRILLO-FREMONT HOUSE MUSEUM. 151 S. Granada Ave. Carrillo's Chinese Gardens: The Chinese of Tucson presents Chinese history from the earliest arrivals in the 1870s to about 1912, focusing on the Chinese gardeners living at the base of Sentinel Peak. Century-old artifacts connected to food preparation and service, recreation and health care are on display through September 11. The exhibit opens with a reception May 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free. Call 628-5774 for information.
TUCSON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM. 200 S. Sixth Ave. 792-9985. Make your own hum and toot tube May 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn how to make a tamborine May 27 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. MarsQuest is a 4,500 square-foot traveling science exhibit developed by the Space Science Institute. There are more than 20 interactive experiences and four demonstration models that allow visitors to play the part of explorers on Mars. The exhibit opens June 1 and continues through August 31. Admission is $4.50 for adults and $3.50 for children. Dinosaur Canyon by Rob Meyer Productions features four life-size dinosaurs ranging from 8 to 30 feet in length. This New West Gallery exhibit runs until 2003. Museum hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Admission is $3.50 for kids 2 to 16, $5.50 for adults and $4.50 for seniors. From 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, admission is $2 per person. The third Sunday of every month is free for all. 200 S. Sixth Ave. 792-9985.
TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART. 140 N. Main Ave. 624-2333. Continuing through May 27: Color and Fire: Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics, 1950-2000. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $5 general, $4 for seniors, $3 for students 13 and up, and free for children 12 and under. Admission is free every Sunday.