Three Great Things to Do in Tucson Today: Monday, Dec. 31

Animal Month at the Madaras Gallery. Maybe you know Diana Madaras for her landscape paintings, her still life works or her pieces depicting some of Tucson's loveliest buildings. This month at her gallery, some of her animal paintings, artwork and gifts will be on display. Desert wildlife like birds and bobcats, yes—but also cows, dogs, horses, elephants and more. Stop in to pick up a gift for a January birthday, and maybe even treat yourself or someone else to a Madaras original—perhaps 2019 is the year you finally become an art collector. Event runs through January. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Madaras Gallery, 3035 N. Swan Road. Details here.

Leslie Yerman: Photography on Display. Leslie Yerman's sepia-toned photographs of subjects like snowstorms, rocks, clouds and tire tracks have a way of making you take pause. She's a big believer in that old photographer's mantra: there is often beauty in the ordinary or the inane. She likes to capture those little pockets of the world where nature creates an oasis of peace and healing in the middle of a hectic environment, and she's particularly drawn to trees and sky. Show on display at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave., through the end of the year. Library hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closes at 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Free. Details here.

Diversity. The Wilde Meyer Gallery is continuing to kill it this month with another exhibit featuring extremely talented local artists like Cathy Carey, Judy Choate and Chaille Trevor. The theme of this month's show is "diversity," which is just broad enough to encompass some truly virtuosic work across completely different styles. From abstract pastel work by Debora Stewart to Carey's dramatically colorful desert scenes, there's something for everyone at this monthlong exhibit, and plenty of time to make your way over to the gallery to check it all out. Exhibit runs through Jan. 1, and exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Wilde Meyer Gallery, 2890 E. Skyline Drive. Details here.