First and Last Day in Business
Pop Up Shop clothing/jewelry sale and event
11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21
Eric Firestone Exhibition and Event Space
403 N. Sixth Ave.
882-2616
The holidays are here, so it’s time to push through the crowds and
find your loved ones gifts that they will actually appreciate. (You can
get yourself something, too, as a reward for your time and effort.)
Where to begin? For starters, retailer Paula Taylor and jewelry
designer Tasha Sabatino this Saturday will open the Pop Up Shop at the
new Eric Firestone Gallery downtown. There will be vintage and designer
clothing, one-of-a-kind jewelry and shoes—all available for one
day only.
“We’ve been dreaming about doing this for about a year,” says
Taylor. “It’ll be a great little fashion and shopping day.”
Browse items on the racks—which will start at $10 and go up
into the pricier-designer range—as models roam the area in styled
looks. Champagne and wine will be offered, too. A portion of the
proceeds will go to the Museum of Contemporary Art; there will even be
a special rack of clothes with all of the proceeds going to MOCA.
Taylor and Sabatino are supporters of the arts, and Sabatino says they
wanted to benefit the community beyond just spreading fashion.
The two decided to collaborate on the Pop Up Shop because their
different styles complement one another. They’ve been collecting pieces
for years from around the world.
“She does the couture vintage looks, and I do the downtown-y, fun
vintage stuff,” says Sabatino.
The vintage clothes come from the 1930s through the 1980s; various
designer labels will also be available.
“We hope to have a range, something for everyone,” says Taylor.
The event is free, and donations to MOCA will be accepted.
—A.P.
Adam and Eve Come to Life
Milton Marathon
8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 20
Special Collections Room C205
UA Main Library
1510 E. University Blvd.
621-1836
When UA English professor John Ulreich organized a small reading of
Paradise Lost 12 years ago, he didn’t think much of it. However,
a group of his students asked him to do the reading again the following
year—and that led to the birth of an oral tradition right here in
Tucson.
The Milton Marathon lives on as a 12-hour continuous reading of the
12 books that make up John Milton’s 17th-century epic poem about the
fall of man.
Even the most avid Milton enthusiast would get winded after reading
too much blank-verse poetry aloud. Which is why Ulreich, who
specializes in Renaissance prose and poetry, passes reading privileges
around the room for those who wish to participate.
Ulreich says that the community experience of the reading leads to a
heightened appreciation for what he calls the great epic poem of
the English language.
“Poetry, in general, is meant to be heard, not seen,” says
Ulreich.
UA sophomore and English major Amber Bailey is helping organize this
year’s event.
“I think it’s easier to feel the emotion and the meaning behind the
words (as they’re read aloud), and it invokes feelings I think you
wouldn’t recognize unless it was aloud,” she says. “It just feels
right.”
Ulreich offers extra credit for his students who read, but anyone is
welcome. He says that folks can sit in for a brief time or be immersed
in original sin for the entire day.
After teaching Milton-focused classes and moderating 12 years of
readings, does Ulreich know the poem by heart?
“I read through parts of this poem all the time, but to hear the
whole thing every year has really helped me remember,” he says.
The event is free. —E.N.
A Rare Sound
Aeolian Skinner pipe-organ recital
3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 22
St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church
602 N. Wilmot Road
A warning to those who seek luxury outerwear: Although “Aeolian
Skinner” might sound like the title of a person who deals in zebra
throws and mink coats, it’s not.
It is the name of an organ company—and if you like the organ
sound, you are in for a treat.
Aeolian Skinner is a classic American pipe-organ company, and St.
Michael’s houses an Aeolian Skinner Opus 1352 that was originally built
in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1959.
The company is now out of business, and the Aeolian Skinner organ is
considered a rarity.
“They mostly have now been destroyed,” says Ken Kelley, sub dean of
the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Kelley says that the average organ lasts for about 40 years, after
which it usually needs major repairs. In 2004, the organ in Tucson was
restored and enlarged to include 64 stops.
“When it is top-quality, then it really pays to restore it,” says
Kelley.
Even with the modern updates, this type of organ has a sound and
range audibly different from the instruments that are made today.
Kelley says that the “quality of sound is meant for 19th-century
Romantic-era music.”
Four featured performers will show what they can do with the
old-world instrument. Two of the performers—Matt Whitehouse and
Shinji Inagi—will play several of their own compositions. Both
are UA graduates and doctoral candidates.
Also performing are Norene Walters, the organist at Our Savior’s
Lutheran Church, and Marilyn Van Roekel, organist at Casas Adobes
Congregational Church-United Church of Christ.
The concert is free. —E.N.
Beat the Hustle and Bustle
TMA Holiday Craft Market
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 20, through Sunday, Nov. 22
Tucson Museum of Art
140 N. Main Ave.
624-2333;
For the hopeless procrastinator, holiday shopping can consist of
elbowing old ladies on Christmas Eve in search of a mall-brand bargain
sweater. An activity that should be jolly can easily become
frightening.
But Meredith Hayes says holiday shopping doesn’t have to be like
that.
Hayes is the director of public relations and marketing at the
Tucson Museum of Art, which has put on a Holiday Craft Market in its
lobby and courtyards for the last 27 years.
So, take your pick: Dive into mall madness, or take a downtown
stroll to music compliments of the Tucson Kitchen Musicians—with
a pause at the beer garden? (Boozers, take note: The beer garden in La
Casa Cordova courtyard will only be open Saturday and Sunday.)
This fair is also an opportunity to help out Southern Arizona
artists who are selling their handmade pottery, textiles, jewelry and
paintings galore.
“This is a fun way to buy local,” she says. “It is extremely
important to support local artists, local movies, local
restaurants—everything.”
Though Hayes says she does not like to play favorites with the
artists, she is excited about the many new faces among the
participating artists this year.
Hayes says that the offerings are both high-quality and unique.
Take, for example, the designs of craft market veteran Dirk Arnold, who
builds models of endangered Tucson architecture—buildings that
everybody knows.
Attendees can also look for this year’s installment of El
Nacimiento, a traditional nativity scene, and the current museum
exhibition, Ansel Adams: A Legacy, which includes 112 original
prints.
The event is free, as is admission to the museum for the three days.
—E.N.
This article appears in Nov 19-25, 2009.