Art
Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. Your favorite museum of all things tiny has two special exhibits this summer. On display from June 4 to Sept. 15 is "Borrowed Time/Borrowed Books," featuring six miniature libraries inspired by the libraries in All the Presidents Men, Fahrenheit 451, Wings of Desire, The Time Machine, The Breakfast Club and "Time Enough at Last" (that heartbreaking Twilight Zone episode about the guy with the glasses who works at a bank). And on display from June 4 all the way to May 31, 2020 is "Miniature Silver," a collection of pieces that belonged to Helen Goodman Luria that date to as early as the 1600s. There are 150 pieces on display, some with specific functions, most just designed to delight. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, 4455 E. Camp Lowell Drive. $10.50 GA, $8.50 senior 65+/military, $7 student/youth 4 to 17, free for kids 3 and under.
Second SundAZe Family Day at TMA. Are you familiar with Josef Albers? He was a designer, photographer, typographer and poet, but was probably best known for his geometric art pieces, like "Homage to the Square." Take some inspiration from Albers at this event and explore ideas of color, minimalism and geometric abstraction through printmaking with recycled materials and making collages using squares. You'll also have a chance to learn more about the man behind the work and take a family-focused tour of TMA's exhibit "Learning to See: Josef Albers" at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9. Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, 140 N. Main Ave. Free.
The Great Summer Art Auction. GOING ONCE. GOING TWICE. GOING BACK AGAIN. This silent auction at the Madaras Gallery lasts for two weeks, so you can check back in on your favorite pieces and take your time thinking about how you want to place your bid without the utter chaos and confusion of a live, loud auction. Select paintings by many artists from the gallery are included, so you'll have a chance to bid on all sorts of work. If you're looking for a fancy way to spend some of your summer, we're hard-pressed to think of a better option. The games begin 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, but the auction runs through Thursday, June 20. Madaras Gallery, 3035 N. Swan Road. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Learn Something New
Neon Words: 10 Brilliant Ways to Light Up Your Writing. Mage Pellegrino used to be a writer-in-residence at the Pima County Library. Now, she's the author—along with Kay Sather—of this book, which the two wrote by getting together for coffee once a week for a decade and talking about the most effective writing tools they've used over the past 30 years. So if you're looking for ways to improve your writing, this curated list is sure to be of some use! At this event, enjoy readings, a raffle, a short film, a make-and-take activity from the book and refreshments. (We're talking mesquite cookies and prickly pear lemonade, so get there early!) 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8. Dusenberry-River Library, 5605 E. River Road. Free.
Tai Chi in the Garden. You've probably heard of Tai Chi, but you might not be totally clear on what exactly it is. It translates literally to "supreme ultimate boxing," which, you gotta admit, is objectively cool as hell. It's a form of internal Chinese martial art, which means it's occupied with the spiritual and the mental more than the physical. Anyway, there's your Tai Chi primer. Come try it out in the gorgeous setting of Mission Garden. Scott Risano leads classes, and beginners are welcome. Why not give it a shot? 8 to 9 a.m. Saturday, June 8. Mission Garden: Friends of Tucson's Birthplace, 946 W. Mission Lane. $10.
Music and Performances
Tócalo Tucson–"On the Precipice." The UA's Fred Fox School of Music is putting on its second annual chamber percussion seminar, featuring guest artists like Bob Becker of the Steve Reich Ensemble, virtuoso vibraphonist Anders Åstrand and award-winning composer Matthew Burtner. Just some of the highlights? Four world premieres of brand-new chamber works for percussion from resident student composers, as well as solo keyboard percussion works by Becker and Åstrand. What a treat that you have a chance to see something like this in the Old Pueblo. What an even bigger treat that it's free! 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 7. UA Crowder Hall, 1017 N. Olive Road. Free.
Tucson Pops! This outdoor summer music event continues, this week with guest conductor Toru Tagawa, the artistic director and conductor of the Sierra Vista Symphony and the current president of the American String Teachers Association of Arizona. He joined his fist philharmonic orchestra at age 9, so he knows what he's doing. Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo, a 17-piece band made up of high school students from Pueblo Magnet High School and specializing in authentic mariachi, is also performing songs like El son de la negra and La Virgen de la Macarena. Also on the schedule: The Barber of Seville Overture, selections from West Side Story and music from Pirates of the Caribbean. 7 p.m. Sunday, June 9. DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way. Free.
Odyssey Storytelling Presents: Dissent. You most often hear the word "dissent" in a legal context, but all it really means is to hold an opinion at variance with those previously, commonly or officially held (not to be confused with "descent," which means the action of moving downward, dropping or falling. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Marshall Harlan have been called "the Great Dissenters," while Satan, or, like, a waterfall might be called "Great Descenders.") Anyway, this time around, Odyssey Storytelling's event is all about times people have dissented, protested, disagreed, objected or otherwise charted their own course. 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 6. The Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, 330 E. Seventh St. $10 GA, $7 students.
Celebrating the Spectrum. Desert Voices, Arizona's premier LGBTQ+ chorus (which celebrated 30 years last year!) is putting on their annual show to celebrate people and sexualities all across the spectrum. And they've invited some of their friends from other choruses, like the Reveille Men's Chorus, the Phoenix Women's Chorus, the Phoenix Men's Chorus at the Youth Ensemble. Come hear some beautiful music (that couldn't be made without a whole "spectrum" of notes) and watch these choruses raise their voices higher than ever in both solidarity and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. 3 p.m. Sunday, June 9. Arizona Theatre Company, 330 S. Scott Ave. $20 in advance/$25 at the door.
Especially for Kids
Make it Mondays! Mondays are a good a day as any to make something, right? This summer, head over to the Children's Museum, where admission is just $3 per person every Monday through to Labor Day. They'll also have special guests each day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This week, a visit from the Pima County Department of Natural Resources/Parks and Rec, who will be talking all about bats! Here are some bat facts to get you in the mood: Bats can eat their own body weight or more in insects each night. Apparently, some species can fly faster than 100 miles per hour! And, for those non-property owning, brunch-loving millennials: more than 300 species of fruit depend on bats for pollination, including bananas, agave and avocados. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, June 10. Children's Museum Tucson 200 S. Sixth Ave. $3.
Cool Summer Nights at the Desert Museum: World Oceans Night. We sure don't think of the Sonoran Desert as a place with lots of water. But technically, the Sea of Cortez is part of the Sonoran Desert. So an ocean-themed activity is warranted, right? Head to the Desert Museum to celebrate the sea with free sustainable seafood, kid-friendly activities from the Marine Awareness and Conservation Society and the Fin Foundation, and presentations from folks like Joellen Russell of the UA. You'll learn about sharks, about how desert animals and ocean animals aren't as different as you think and about climate change. And you'll have fun the whole time! 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road. $21.95 GA, $19.95 seniors 65+, $8.95 for kids 3 to 12, free for kids under 3, $17.95 for active or retired military, $16.95 for Arizona/Sonora residents.
Summer Safari Saturday Nights. Tucson is a great city, but it's pretty disappointing when summer rolls around and there's no beach to go to. But wait! The Reid Park Zoo's Saturday night program is offering the next-best thing, with sand, water, music by Shrimp Chaperone (there are shrimp at the beach sometimes, right? Festive!) and food from Rubio's. While you cool down under the cover of evening, you can learn about how different animals, like otters, grizzly bear, alligator, tapir, elephants and ferrets enjoy water and mini-beaches in their habitats. Food and drink specials, games and keeper chats are there just like they are every week, too. Saturday, June 8. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Ct. $10.50 adults, $8.50 seniors, $6.50 kids ages 2 to 14 and free for zoo members.
Sports
FC Tucson vs. Richmond Kickers. Let's play some futbol! Or, as we Americans like to call it, for some reason, soccer! Actually, let's just watch our local soccer club do it, because they'll probably do a better job. Our home team is currently ranked fifth out of 10 among the teams in the United Soccer League (USL) League 1, with the Richmond Kickers at fourth, so this is a perfect opportunity for our players to work their way to the top. Win or lose, though, the team will be excited to see how many Tucsonans show up to cheer them on at this home game! 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8. Kino North Stadium, 2500 E. Ajo Way. $16.
Tucson Saguaros vs. the California City Whip Tails. Another week of a Tucson summer means another chance to take yourself out to the ball game. And it's one! Two! Three games, you're still not out of luck, because hese two teams are playing four games this week. Come support your local baseball team, which has them members hailing from everywhere to right here in town to New Jersey, Rhode Island and Iowa. Did you know there used to be other Arizona teams in the Pecos League, like the Bisbee Blue and the Douglas Diablos? But now, the Saguaros are the only team repping Arizona, so get out there and show some state pride, as well as some cacti pride! 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, 7 p.m. on Friday, June 7, 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 8 and 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 9. Cherry Field, 425 S. Cherry Ave. $7.50.
Fun in General
Tucson Sky Lantern Festival. When this calendar editor attended one of these magical sky lantern festivals, where you release your lantern and your wishes and hopes and dreams into the night sky along with hundreds of other people, it was not as idyllic as she expected. There is wind to consider. There are a lot of open flames. It was kind of cold. She tried sending off several lanterns and only had success with one. But take it from her: Watching her wish (finally) float away into the night in a magical scene full of people celebrating milestones, turning over new leaves, hoping for a better future or just wanting to be a part of something beautiful? It's one of her fondest memories, despite the wind and fire. 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8. 4600 N. Silverbell Road. $55.
Second Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch. It's time for the farmer's market! Heirloom Farmers Market hangs out up in Oro Valley on Saturdays along the shared use path, and the first 20 people to roll up (or walk up) via the path get a $1 coupon to use at the market. What better form of motivation to get some exercise than free stuff? While you peruse the rows of vendors, the kids can hang out at the craft section, where they'll be making a Fathers' Day photo frame. 8 a.m. to noon. Saturday, June 8. Steam Pump Ranch, 1901 N. Oracle Road.
The Pima County Home & Garden Show. There's no place like home. Especially when you get your home all decked out and beautified after attending a home show. And boy, is this home show going to deliver. Your landscaping, contracting, design, entertainment and remodeling dreams will all come true. Get new, energy-efficient windows and doors! Win a barbecue island! Look into solar panels, like you've been meaning to for years! Take a "how-to" seminar on anything from cooking to construction to finance. You'll go home inspired. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 9. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. $8, or free for kids 16 and under.
Tucson Cars and Coffee. There's nothing like the hot weather to make you appreciate the air conditioning of your car. But hey, there's lots more to appreciate about cars than that they keep you cool in Tucson. Some of them are real works of art! Obsessions Car Club's event at La Encantada is the group's Second Saturdays car show, held in the morning so we can beat the heat (and with coffee, so you can beat the sleep). This month's featured cars are rat rods, roadsters, hot rods and T-buckets. Be there or be somewhere not as fun. 6 to 9 a.m. Saturday, June 8. La Encantada, 2905 E. Skyline Dr. Free.
Astronomy & Wine at Flying Leap Vineyards. If you're looking to get out of town, or to a place where the stargazing is especially good, head about an hour southwest to the city of Elgin, where Flying Leap Vineyards is hosting a guided tour of the summer night sky. Chuck Dugan, a local astronomer and former Kitt Peak guide, will be leading the event and the gazing through 8- and 11-inch telescopes. Your ticket includes a glass of wine from the vineyard's tasting bar as well as a dinner of fried chicken biscuits and potato salad/slaw provided by Chef Adam Puckle. Come see the Omega Centaurus, Jupiter and its moons, the Sombrero Galaxy, the Ring Nebula and more! 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8. Flying Leap Estate Winery, 342 Elgin Road. $54.95.
