Arts & Culture

The Big Cactus will be present at this event, which aims to take in enough donations of food and personal-care items to provide for 1,600 families. Fri., Nov. 21, 2:30 p.m., 2008…

The three-day, ASU-sponsored event features free lectures, films, and performances examining “the various metaphorical meanings surrounding, shrouding and illuminating the desert as a site for meditation, activation, and exchange.” Participating venues include Tempe’s Valley Art Theatre and downtown Phoenix’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Modified Arts. Thu., Nov. 20;…

The artistic salute to the Arlo Guthrie anthem features symbolically appropriate works by Bill Bailey, Jon White, Todd Olsen, and Richard Lee, plus “Blue Plate Special” glassworks created by member artists at Phoenix Center for the Arts. (Pictured: a detail from Jon White’s Odi et Amo.) Fri., Nov. 21, 6-10…

Uh-huh. That’s right. Your local billionaires will get behind the bar and the grill and work for pocket change at this annual fundraiser for Suns Nite Hoops. The admission price includes complimentary nibbles, a silent auction, games, and photo opportunities. (Raja Bell is pictured at the 2007 incarnation.) Sun., Nov…

The PHX artist and Fuzzy Balls Attire entrepreneur (“Cute and Creepy Teeshirts and Things”) shows off new sculptures, prints, tees, and custom toys. Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Nov. 8. Continues through Jan. 31, 2008…

Author/uber-geek Steve Kelley signs his book Star Trek: The Collectibles and the magazine The Unofficial guide to Star Trek Collectibles. Mon., Nov. 24, 7 p.m., 2008…

The acclaimed artist and Royal College of Art grad, who was born in Iraq and lives in London, presents screenings of her works Flock and The Guide in conjunction with the three-day, ASU-sponsored event examining “the various metaphorical meanings surrounding, shrouding and illuminating the desert as a site for meditation,…

Get all subcontinental at this annual event, which features traditional eats, yoga and cooking demos, a clothing and jewelry bazaar, a children’s mela, and more. Sun., Nov. 23, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., 2008…

There’s nothing like being in a public place without the public. We’ve achieved this higher state of being twice, and we’re not about to tell you where or how. Find your own deserted public crib to crash. As an example, take the Phoenix Zoo, a facility that’s difficult to navigate…

ASU prof Dombrowski (pictured) reads poetry and discusses Merge magazine (which she edits) and her “former life as a tap dancer.” Bowden and Dickson present a program titled Words & Spaces. Wed., Nov. 26, 7:30 p.m., 2008…

The host of KMLE Country’s Dave Pratt in the Morning signs his new memoir, Dave Pratt, Behind the Mic: 30 Years in Radio. Proceeds from book sales benefit the American Cancer Society. Fri., Nov. 21, 4 p.m., 2008…

From the lazy shopper’s point of view, it’s the ideal holiday gift. It’s suitable for everyone on your list — except sullen teenagers, whose agony over its lameness will be entertaining. You don’t have to brave crowds at the mall, it gives you something to do after the other presents…

Arizona Opera presents the timeless and charming Gilbert & Sullivan classic, starring mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as Katisha and baritone Neal Davies as Ko-Ko. Thu., Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 23, 2 p.m., 2008…

Photos depicting the “quirks and eccentricities of the original Sin City” by Phoenix native Steve Weiss of Candid Landscapes. Fri., Nov. 21, 6-9 p.m., 2008…

The exhibit features works by artists Barri Chase, Petra Groen, Ana B. Hernandez, Mona Higuchi, Karrie Hovey, Saskia Jorda, Christy Puetz, Ingrid Restemayer, and Denise Yaghmourian, who used fibers to address “issues of mimicry, process and repetition.” Fri., Nov. 21, 6-10 p.m., 2008…

See what the loquacious president of the Arizona Diamondbacks has to say for himself and his team. Mon., Nov. 24, 7 p.m., 2008…

Former CNN lead anchor Aaron Brown hosts a conversation with the PBS anchors. Fri., Nov. 21, 4-5:15 p.m., 2008…

New York artist France Scully Osterman shows off new wet-plate-collodion, salted-paper, and albumen works. Fri., Nov. 21, 6-10 p.m., 2008…

ASU’s theater department presents Naomi Iizuka’s loose adaptation of The Odyssey. Fri., Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 22, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 23, 2 p.m.; Thu., Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 7, 2 p.m., 2008…

Graffiti artist Such provides “a backdrop for the history of tattooing and tattoos from other cultures” in conjunction with the exhibits “Low and Slow” and “Beneath the Skin.” Fri., Sept. 12, 7-10 p.m.; Fri., Sept. 26, 7-10 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 10, 7-10 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 24, 7-10 p.m.; Fri., Nov…

Young American Comedy Tour. Dull name, granted, but this annual tour of comics tears up the Improv whenever they stop by for their one-night stands, and they’re back for another go. Host Mike Young (who had a sitcom in the works with ABC titled Forever Young) and his boy-wonder yukmeisters…