Thursday 11
SEED SOIREE. Top writers spread the preservationist word in Voices of the Land, a special reading and fund-raiser for Native Seeds/SEARCH.
Terry Tempest Williams, Luci Tapahonso, Margo Tamez and Byrd Baylor will read from their work. Williams, a native of Utah, has received numerous awards for her nature-based work; Newsweek calls her someone likely to make "a considerable impact on the political, economic and environmental issues facing the western states in this decade."
A distinguished poet, essayist and short-story writer, Tapahonso was born on the Navajo Reservation in Shiprock, N.M. Her work is subsequently grounded in the rich traditions of Navajo verbal arts of storytelling, song and prayer. She teaches in the UA American Indian Studies Department.
Byrd Baylor has written many charming books for children, including When Clay Sings, They Put on Masks, Everybody Needs a Rock and The Desert is Theirs. A native of the Southwest, she's long made her home in Arizona.
Texas born and bred, Margo Tamez is a direct descendent of Nde-Dne, Coahuilteco and Spanish peoples who commingled in the southernmost tip of Texas and the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Her work has appeared in many high-end publications and anthologies, and she currently teaches English at ASU and at Cook.
As for Native Seeds/SEARCH, the Tucson-based non-profit works to conserve traditional crops, seeds and farming methods that have long sustained folks in these parts. It conducts ongoing education, research and training "to protect biodiversity and celebrate cultural diversity."
Voices of the Land begins at 7 p.m. in the International Arts Center-Nations Hall, 516 N. Fifth Ave. Advance tickets are $9, $8 for NS/S members, and available at the group's retail store, 526 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets are $1 more at the door. For information, call 622-5561.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES. In 1692, the community of Salem, Massachusetts, was engulfed in witchcraft hysteria. When the dust cleared, 19 people had been hanged, hundreds imprisoned, and the town was left psychologically devastated.
Those dark days are revisited when the Arizona Repertory Theatre presents Arthur Miller's classic, The Crucible.
Widely considered a searing attack on the McCarthyism of the '50s, The Crucible focuses on victims, indicted without proof, by "afflicted" young women who suffered under the curses of the accused witches. The accused men and women had but two choices once they were brought to court: confess to sorcery, or hang as witches. Subsequently, many chose the former, whether there was truth to the allegation or not.
Show time is 7:30 p.m. in UA Marroney Theatre, south end of the pedestrian underpass at Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue. Performances continue through November 21; show times vary. Tickets are $16, $14 for seniors and UA employees, and $10 for students. Call 621-1162 for information.
Friday 12
BEATS ALL. Southern Arizona's ornery little cultural compendium, Border Beat, puts its literary mindset in motion with an intimate evening of music and literature.
Headlining this powerful parley are Dave Alvin and Tom Russell, accompanied by guitar master Andrew Hardin. On the written beat are locally based, nationally known authors Tom Miller and Rachel Strubas, who will read from their work.
If you don't know about Dave Alvin, you must have been holed-up in a Tuff Shed for the last 20 years. Formerly of the seminal rockabilly band The Blasters, Alvin has been setting rock-and-roll trends since your daddy was in knickers, and his song writing and blow-out performances are the stuff of legend. Badlands troubadour Tom Russell follows suit, with a voice perfectly wedded to the rugged frontera -- a gritty combination of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings spiced by the spirit of Freddy Fender.
The party comes on the heels of Border Beat's long-awaited 10th issue, Damas de la Noche.
Show times are 7 and 10 p.m. in the Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theatre, 330 S. Scott Ave. Advance tickets, available at Hear's Music, are $20. Admission will be $23 at the door. Call 321-0928 for details.
FROZEN FELINES. Catch some dicey on-ice action today and tomorrow, when UA Icecats blade their way into our hearts -- and all over Rutgers University.
These hometown felines have proven their stuff for eons, and it's as good as rough-and-tumble gets. Get out and support their chilled skills.
The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. in the TCC, 260 S. Church Ave. Admission is $6, $4 for seniors, students, military, and children ages 12 and under. For details, call 749-2590.
Saturday 13
HISTORY AFOOT. Stroll in the footsteps of pioneers when the Sosa-Carillo-Fremont House Museum hosts walking tours of historic Tucson.
Professional guides lead leisurely treks through the haunts of former Old Pueblo denizens from Snob Hollow on down, all centered around Tucson's downtown.
The walks run from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays, through March 25. Cost is $5, and reservations are required. For reservations and other information, call 622-0956.
HENRY'S HIT PARADE. That's Mr. Ford to you V-dub drivers. Today, the founder of assembly-line mo-tation is celebrated with the seventh annual Ford Fall Festival, hosted by the Old Pueblo Mustang Club.
Paean to the godfather of gridlock, or fealty to fossil-fueled behemoths, the gathering is open to all classic Ford-powered Ford vehicles and interested rubber-neckers. Dash plaques will be given to every participant, while choice balloting will pick top winners in each class.
The car show runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with award ceremonies at 3 p.m., at Casino of the Sun, 7406 S. Camino de Oeste. Call 544-2014 for information.
Sunday 14
BOWL O' BROADCASTING. Lend a supping hand to Tucson's best -- and only -- community radio station, KXCI, as well as to Tucson Community Food Bank and the St. Demetrios Hellenic Community Center, at Share Our Soup.
The simmering party will feature savory, all-you-can-eat soups from several area restaurants, including Kingfisher, Barrio Grill, Nonie, The Grill at Hacienda del Sol, India Oven, Lotus Garden, Karuna's Thai Plate, El Parador, Vivace, El Greco's Grecian Gardens and Sakura.
Abundant bread and brews will also be on hand, thanks to Beyond Bread, Nimbus Brewing Co. and Pepsi Cola. "Besides great soup, bread and brews, everyone will also receive a handmade soup bowl from the Southern Arizona Clay Artists," says co-organizer Tony Ford. That's in addition to dozens of door prizes, and music spinned by KXCI's reigning maestro of roots-rock, Kidd Squid.
Share Our Soup runs from 4 to 9 p.m. in the St. Demetrios Hellenic Community Center, 1145 E. Ft. Lowell Road. Admission is $25. Call 888-0505 for details.
CHORALE CACOPHONY. The Tucson Masterworks Chorale pulls out the stops for their fall concert.
This season's show, The Young Handel, features a bevy of works by the prodigious master from the Italian Years, 1705-1710. The program includes "Music from the Roman Vespers," including psalms "Laudate Pueri"; "Dominum," featuring Tucson soprano Elena Todd; and "Dixit Dominus."
Show time is 3 p.m. in Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St. Tickets are $10, $8 for seniors and students, and available at the door, or by calling 884-3506.
Monday 15
THE BIG PICTURE. The Tucson Museum of Art explores divergent talent with two new exhibits.
The western departure of an artist more often connected to New York's 1950s abstract expressionists is revealed in Adolph Gottlieb and the West. This little known aspect of Gottlieb's work emanated from the time he spent in Tucson in 1937-38 for his wife's health. Nestled in the outskirts of town, the painter was struck by the starkness of the desert, which was in deep contrast to the lush vegetation of the East Coast. During his stay, he developed a subdued palette reflecting the region's muted tones -- dusty browns, pinks and green -- and a simplification of form that continued to his later paintings.
Gottlieb also incorporated the Native American art he saw, and the petroglyphs around his house. Those colors and forms became prevalent in his "Pictograph" series, as represented in his "Imaginary Landscapes" and "Burst" paintings. They're among the 50 pieces in this show, many of them on display for the first time.
Also opening at the museum is Reflections: Pre-Columbian Inspiration in Mexican Silver Design, 1930-1970.
In the 1920s, two Americans, Frederick Davis and William Spratling, revived the silver industry in Taxco, Mexico. As tourism became a thriving business there, Taxco's silver production flourished; today, there remains a silver shop on nearly every block of "Silver City."
Both Spratling and Davis looked to the past for inspiration in their silver designs, including Pre-Columbian art and architecture. As a result, the 150 pieces in this show are arranged around design motifs represented by Pre-Columbian objects or photographs of Pre-Columbian sites.
Both shows run through January 9 in the TMA, 140 N. Main Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Call 624-2333 for details.
Tuesday 16
CULTURAL BLEND. The Friends of the Humanities plumb societal depths when they host a lecture by ethnobotanist Gary Nabhan titled Moving Among Cultures.
Nabhan is currently director of conservation and science at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. He's also a co-founder of Native Seeds/SEARCH, and the internationally known author and editor of 12 natural history books. His appearance, and the preceding reception, are part of the ninth annual Lorraine W. Frank Lecture in the Humanities. Both events are free.
The reception is at 6 p.m., the lecture at 7 p.m., in the Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. Second St. Reservations are required. For reservations and other information, call 257-0335.
POLAR PROVOCATEUR. Could it really be true? Did the mean and treacherous Wilhelm really steal Santa's list? Does this mean that children everywhere will wake up to find no presents under their Christmas trees?
Find out when Sandy, Clarrisa and Phineous begin an arduous Yuletide journey in The Gaslight Theatre's production of On the Road to the North Pole. The play is written by Peter Van Slyke, and directed by Richard Hanson, with musical direction by Lisa Otey.
Show time is 7 p.m. in The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway. Performances continue though December 31. Show times vary. Tickets are $13.95, $11.95 for seniors, students and military, $6 for children ages 12 and under, and available by calling 886-9428.
Wednesday 17
CREATIVE LEAPS. Rich artistic variety lies at the heart of Disparities III, a new show in the Philabaum Contemporary Art Glass Gallery.
"Dissimilar, different and distinct" is how the gallery describes the work of Lonnie Feather, Robert Gardner, Mies Grybaitis, Therese Lahaie, Koichi Matsufuji, Milon Townsend and Mary B. White. Each express their divergent visions in glass with this wide-ranging show.
Disparities III runs through January 22, with an opening reception from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (refreshments from 5 to 8 p.m.) Saturday, November 20, in the Philabaum Gallery, 711 S. Sixth Ave. Regular gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For details, call 884-7404.
