Donna Kreutz 09/25/2008 5:21:00 PM
Kathleen - Thanks for your article. Here's information you may find of interest about the arts in Tucson and the fall Open Studio Tour feature 153 artists throughout the metro area. For more info, visit www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org/ost
2008 OPEN STUDIO TOUR FEATURES 153 TUCSON ARTISTS
FROM EAST TO WEST, NORTH TO SOUTH, DOWNTOWN
Exhibit Opens Oct. 23, Reception Nov. 6, Tour Nov. 8 & 9
TUCSON, AZ � Throughout metropolitan Tucson � from north of Tangerine Rd. south to Valencia, from the Tucson Mountains to the far eastside � a record-setting 153 local artists will participate in Open Studio Tour events this fall.
Presented by the Tucson Pima Arts Council (TPAC), the 2008 Open Studio Tour includes an exhibition from Oct. 23 through Nov. 6, a meet-the-artist reception on Nov. 6 and the Open Studio Tour on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 and 9 from 12 to 5 p.m. All events are free.
The Open Studio Exhibit will feature a sample of work by many of the participating artists. This show provides an eclectic overview of the breadth and depth of Tucson�s visual arts community, including both emerging and established artists. Both the exhibit and the reception will be at Galeria Mistica, 2318 S. 4th Ave. One participating artist will be selected by a juror to receive the TPAC Board of Directors cash prize for innovation and excellence.
The Open Studio Tour is a chance for the public to discover Tucson�s extensive art community and meet the artists in the spaces where they create � in their homes, converted garages, backyard gardens, the historic downtown warehouse district, desert sanctuaries or shared studio spaces.
For a preview of the participating artists, samples of their work and a map of locations, visit www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org/ost. Veterans of prior tours recommend using this tool to plan your route in advance and choose what you want to see � since there are 153 participating artists and just five hours each day to visit them all across the metro area. The printed program � available free at each studio � is actually a 14-month calendar featuring color images of all the artists� work.
Throughout the metro area, in the foothills and in rural enclaves, Tucson artists create sculpture, glass, paintings, botanical solar photograms, photography, ceramics, archival prints, mosaics, jewelry, photographic digital paintings, architectural miniatures, textiles, pottery, gourd art, recycled art and interactive installations.
The Open Studio Tour features the spectrum of art styles. Discover giant alien flowers, tin collages, whimsical carvings, free-form sculpture, pop art and printmaking. These artists can be political, mythical, surreal or downright funny. Their source materials are alabaster, fiber, glass, wood, gold, bronze, found objects, clay, acrylics, oils, gouache, paper, ink, even the sun itself.
Meet a few of the artists participating in the 2008 Open Studio Tour:
�Northwest painter Nancy Denzler just won the $5,000 Superintendent�s Purchase Award at Zion National Park.
�Also in the northwest, Aureleo Rosano combines the strength of steel with the fragility of glass mosaics to create 3-D wall hangings and sculpture reminiscent of oversized jewelry.
�Laurel Hansen�s paintings draw the viewer in with her accomplished skills and dreamy narratives. A longtime member of the warehouse district studios, Laurel�s work is sought by collectors from all over the globe.
�Mat Bevel, nationally acclaimed performance artist is also a master of visual or �visionary arts,� as Bevel prefers. A wide range of sculpture, painting and collage are created at the Bevel Institute using primarily recycled and found objects. There will be live performances throughout the weekend.
�Working in Tucson and Oracle, Joan Pavernik�s ceramic work is luscious. From ethereal porcelain to dramatic Raku, visitors regularly discover the perfect piece for their collection.
�Susan Meyer at Hacienda Ensueno Studio on Tucson�s east side creates watercolor and acrylic paintings that reflect the rich culture and unique nature of Southwest.
�Eugene Contreras continues the family tradition of artists and silversmiths, since 1949. The Contreras Gallery features monthly exhibitions of local contemporary artists.
�Versatile glass artist Paul Stout teaches at the Sonoran Glass Arts Academy in the south region of the city and has studied with some of the world�s greatest glass blowers.
�West side area artist Ellen Sidor nourishes her creative spirit by living in Arizona, New Hampshire and Cap Cod, depending on the season. She�s known for both realistic and abstract images in stone and now explores ceramics.
For desert-dwelling Tucsonans, autumn color can mean the vivid, vibrant hues of new art, not the changing leaves on trees. All over Pima County, people are welding, sanding, drawing, assembling, thinking, painting, molding or pondering their art. Some work alone in intimate indoors spaces, on rooftops or outdoors. Others draw inspiration and energy by creating together in large shared spaces. Engaging with artists �at home� can be far more casual, intriguing and revealing than meeting them at a gallery exhibit.
The Tucson Pima Arts Council organizes this annual art event and publishes the detailed program with maps to make finding the studios easy. The full-color printed program also is a 14-month calendar featuring an image from every participating artist. It is available at locations throughout the metropolitan area and is posted the Arts Council website at www.TucsonPimaArtsCouncil.org.
The Tucson Pima Arts Council is the designated arts agency for the City of Tucson and Pima County. TPAC recently awarded $350,000 in grants to 56 non-profit arts organizations throughout the city and county. TPAC also oversees public arts projects throughout the county. In addition to the Open Studio Tour, TPAC presents the Family Arts Festival and the Lumie Awards. TPAC operates the Community Arts program, which serves neighborhoods and rural areas by funding residencies for professional artists and underserved youth. With $50,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Council led the process to create the new Pima Cultural Plan, which defines eight focus areas that are essential to cultivate and grow the vital arts and cultural industry throughout Pima County.
