Bob "Daddy-O" Wade knows weird when he sees it -- or makes it. The "King of Texas Kitsch," as fans and art enthusiasts call him, has long turned the dull into dazzling and the useless into priceless. His Technicolor-terrific revisions of early 1900s Western photography will be on display at Victoria Boyce Galleries Thursday, October 21, through Sunday, November 14 as part of Scottsdale's annual Western Art Walk and Wade's traveling show, "Kitty's Cowgirls."
The show features Wade's specialty -- vintage black-and-white photos and postcards of early rodeo days, which Wade has enlarged, stretched and touched up with his own concoction of muted colors and airbrushing. The actual "Kitty's Cowgirls" print -- one of Wade's more recognizable -- will take the stage for the show, depicting seven rodeo champs in all their cowgirl glory.
In addition to his touched-up prints, the "Pioneer of Texas Funk" dabbles in massive side-of-the-road sculptures, writing and any otherwise one-of-a-kind hobbies. The Austin-born artist had plenty of material to work with growing up. He traveled Texas as a child, watching his second cousin Roy Rogers compete in rodeos.
Victoria Boyce Galleries is located at 7130 East Main Street. A free reception lasts from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visit www.vboycegalleries.comor www.bobwade.com. -- Ashlea Deahl
Off the Vine
Go frolic in the pumpkin patch
10/23-10/24
Sure, that Pinot Grigio goes great with the chicken. But what pleases the palate while complementing the pumpkin pie? Find out at the Desert Botanical Garden's "Great Pumpkin Festival" on Saturday, October 23, and Sunday, October 24, when the DBG (1201 North Galvin Parkway) pairs a pickable pumpkin patch with wine tastings from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $9. Call 480-941-1225 or see www.dbg.org. --Joe Watson
Welcome Home
Roosevelt District opens its doors
Sat 10/23
To raze, renovate, or build new real estate? That is the question for downtown Phoenix. Yet the Roosevelt District balances the old with the new; homes dating back to 1895 neighbor modern lofts and commercial developments. Tour all sorts of properties in the Roosevelt District on Saturday, October 23, during the "Roosevelt Historic TourFest." There's a free festival from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Portland Park (one block north of Roosevelt Street and Central Avenue) with food booths, fine art, alcohol, and performances by the Alice Tatum Trio, Sistah Blue, Ratio, and John Good and Steve Colby of Oceans Apart. The home tours, $15, start at 11 a.m. Call 602-799-7720. -- Niki D'Andrea
Design of the Times
Urban plans made in the Shade
Thu 10/21
Phoenix has experienced its share of growing pains. While people who live in new desert developments complain about displaced snakes and scorpions in their homes, many old inner city buildings stand in disrepair. Luckily, protgs of the ASU College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) have drawn up proposals for everything from urban groves in vacant lots and "alleyscaping" to a rail system and the preservation of the ASU art archives. The articles will be published in a special section of Shade magazine, titled "For Phoenix to Flourish," for which CAED professor Nan Ellin serves as guest editor. "This is a city on the verge of blossoming," says Ellin. "The proposals . . . aim to tip the scales towards vitality." Join CAED in launching the Shade special issue at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 21, at the Phoenix Art Museum Caf, 1625 North Central Avenue. Admission is free. -- Niki D'Andrea
