Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of green fields and turbulent seas on Saturday, May 12, 2012 when the Southern Arizona Women’s Chorus performs a selection of songs celebrating the Earth, Sea and Sky at Etherton Gallery set against the land and seascapes of painters Joe Forkan, and Nancy Tokar Miller and photographer Lisa M. Robinson. The performance begins at 7:30 pm. Joe Forkan, Nancy Tokar Miller and Lisa M. Robinson are featured in the Etherton Gallery’s current exhibition, This Land, This Sea, which runs through May 26.

The event is Etherton Gallery’s contribution to Second Saturdays Downtown, a series of arts and entertainment events held the second Saturday of every month to celebrate Downtown Tucson. The evening is free and open to the public. Etherton Gallery is located in downtown Tucson at 135 S. 6th Ave, ½ block south of Broadway, upstairs from Downtown Kitchen+Cocktails. For information, contact Etherton Gallery at 520-624-7370 or info@ethertongallery.com.

Established in 1981, the Southern Arizona Women’s Chorus is a community performance choir of women from all walks of life who serve the Tucson community. The chorus has performed with the Tucson Symphony, the Arizona Symphonic Winds, the New England Symphonic Ensemble at Carnegie Hall and other numerous other local organizations.

Located in the historic Odd Fellows Hall in downtown Tucson, Etherton Gallery has been a destination for photography collectors for over 30 years. In addition to hosting museum quality exhibitions in a variety of media, the gallery participates in major art fairs, such as The AIPAD (Association of International Photography Art Dealers) Photography Show in New York, Classic Photographs LA, the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair and Art Basel Miami Beach. Terry Etherton is a Senior Member of The American Society of Appraisers and regularly consults on all matters relating to photography including conducting appraisals. For more details, visit http://www.ethertongallery.com

Art of Summer 2012 at The Drawing Studio
Studio Art Immersion for Youth, ages 9 -12, and Teens, 13 – 18
in a variety of formats and media
in June and July
Student Exhibition opens July 28

The Art of Summer is The Drawing Studio’s premier studio immersion program for youth (ages 9-12) and teens (ages 13-18). It is an opportunity for young people to experience art studio practice in formats that nourish deep explorations of the visual world and develop skills useful in many avenues of life beyond art. The only prerequisite is a desire to create.

There will be an OPEN HOUSE for interested youth, teens, parents, and friends on Sunday, May 6,  2 – 4 pm at: The Drawing Studio, 33 S 6th Avenue. Phone 520.620.0947 for more information. Download the Art of Summer 2012 Brochure.

Tucson Barbershop eXperience

At 1:00 p.m. there will be a free performance by the Tucson Barbershop eXperience. Tucson Barbershop eXperience is the performing chorus of the Tucson Sunshine Chapter of the Far Western District of The Barbershop Harmony Society. The performance will feature a Very Large Quartet, which is a 16 member choral group with four singers per harmony.

Author Talk: Melissa Diane Smith
Going Against the Grain of What You Think You Know About Nutrition

At 3:00 p.m., nationally known nutrition author Melissa Diane Smith will reveal groundbreaking information that will make you question what you think you know about nutrition. She will disclose startling truths you haven’t heard before about refined grains, whole grains, gluten grains, and genetically modified ingredients in common grain products, and will reveal a simple way to use this information to dramatically improve your diet, reverse disease processes, and revitalize your health.

Melissa Diane Smith is the author of Going Against the Grain, Gluten Free Throughout the Year and User’s Guide to Preventing & Reversing Diabetes Naturally, and coauthor of the national bestseller Syndrome X: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent & Reverse Insulin Resistance.

For more information, go to http://www.library.pima.gov/

Eight of Tucson’s most respected bartenders will face-off on the Hotel Congress Tequila Tower in an iron-chef style competition to win the judges’ favor with the creation of a cocktail using a secret ingredient. The main rule? NO MARGARITAS ALLOWED! Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 picks. The all-star judging panel includes celebrity chef Janos Wilder, PR- whiz Matt Russell, Plaza Liquors Owner Mark Thompson, and surprise guest judges! Plus, an award will be given to the restaurant bartender who wins the people’s choice vote for their signature cocktail.

Cost of $25/person includes 12 tastings, light appetizers and a raffle ticket for amazing prizes. Hotel Congress’ specialty tacos are $2/piece. Tickets are available online at www.hotelcongress.com or in person at the Hotel Congress front desk, or Plaza Liquors (2642 N. Campbell Ave.) Ticket quantities are limited, so make sure to get yours early!

Agave Fest is sponsored by Corralejo Tequilas , the Arizona chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild, and Plaza Liquors.

The Historic Hotel Congress is located in Downtown Tucson’s East End. Equal parts hotel, club, restaurant and event/banquet venue, Hotel Congress is where the classic charm of the Wild West meets urban edge.

City High School will be hosting the 4th annual Pennington Street Block Party on Friday, April 20, from 4-7 p.m. This event will be held in conjunction with a Food Truck Round-up, in the heart of downtown Tucson, designed to welcome families and downtown employees to a hands-on celebration of youth creativity, learning, and community involvement.

The Block Party is an annual event that showcases, celebrates, & encourages youth involvement in our community. Exhibitors and performers include community organizations engaging young people in arts and service learning to make an impact on the world around them.

The Pennington Street Block Party will feature:
– Performances and workshops by Capoeira De Ouro, Tucson Youth Poetry Slam, Flight School Acrobatics, Stories That Soar, and more;
– Live music from youth bands
– Jumping castle and mathematical carnival games for children;
– Art installations including a variety of media: video, photography, and an on-site mural creation with Tucson Arts Brigade
– Interactive booths by numerous community organizations – The Drawing Studio, Ironwood Tree Experience, and Non-Violence Legacy Projects are just a few highlights;
– Bike tune-up and bike craft area hosted by BICAS;
– Earth Day Alley including hands-on learning about urban gardening, cooking, & water usage;
– Hands-on learning about urban gardening, cooking, & water usage in Earth Day Alley;
– On-site interviews for Your Family History project;
– Interactive cancer awareness art project;

The Pennington Street Block Party is the regional launch for Global Youth Service Days, an international event established in 1988 that mobilizes millions of youth to positively impact their community. The Block Party is a showcase of what young people are doing locally — and it is also a perfect opportunity for youth to find out about other volunteer opportunities.

This year’s Block Party will happen on a Friday evening in conjunction with a Food Truck Round-up and is designed to be a fun and welcoming event for downtown employees.

The event is hosted by City High School, with generous support from corporate and community sponsors: Providence Service Corporation, Zocalo Magazine, Brooklyn Pizza, Downtown Tucson Partnership, 2nd Saturdays Downtown, Volunteer Southern Arizona, and Dinnerware Artspace.

City High School is a small charter school with a focus on civic engagement and is located in downtown Tucson in the historic Cele Peterson building on Pennington Street.

Volunteer Southern Arizona  is the lead agency for GYSD in Southern Arizona, coordinating projects such as at the Marana Heritage Farm and the Las Milpitas de Cottonwood Farm on Saturday 4/21 and Sunday 4/22.

Michael grew up in Tucson. He attended the U of A, College of Fine Arts, graduating in Landscape Architecture. Michael taught Design Studio at the U of A Department of Landscape Architecture, owned his own landscape architecture firm, and later worked as a consultant in the field. Throughout his career Michael studied and practiced art, much of which is reflected in his landscape architecture work including the artificial cliffs and landscape on North Swan Road, Tucson Museum of Art Plaza of the Pioneers, Pima Canyon Estates, The Canyons, and Dove Mountain. Michael’s southwestern upbringing and love of this unique land is seen clearly in his current paintings. Michael has painted professionally since 1986, represented by El Presidio Gallery in Tucson, Karin Newby Gallery in Tubac, and galleries in Scottsdale, Santa Fe, and Laguna Beach. His medium is acrylic and oil and subjects range from southwest landscape to abstract art. The show extends through April 13.

An entertaining, tasty trip through the history and culture of Mexican food in this country. When salsa overtook ketchup as this country’s favorite condiment in the 1990s, America’s century-long love affair with Mexican food reached yet another milestone. In seemingly every decade since the 1880s, America has tried new food trends from south of the border. As a result, Mexican food dominates American palates to the tune of billions of dollars in sales per year. It’s a little-known history, one that’s crept up on this country like your Mexican neighbors-and left us better for it.

Gustavo Arellano’s ¡Ask a Mexican! column has a circulation of more than two million in thirty-eight markets (and counting). The column won the 2006 Association of Alternative Newsweeklies award for the best column in a large circulation weekly. He has received the President’s Award from the Los Angeles Press Club, an Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and a 2008 Latino Spirit Award from the California State legislature. Arellano has appeared on the Today show, Nightline, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and The Colbert Report. He is the editor of the OC Weekly, an alternative newspaper in Orange County, California, and a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times Op/Ed pages.

2nd Saturdays Downtown will be host to the launch of a new community movement, I am Tucson, on Saturday, April 14 in downtown Tucson from 4 – 10 p.m.

I am Tucson is a project of the Greater Tucson Leadership (GTL) Class of 2012 focusing on the positive attributes of Tucson. The goal of the project is to celebrate, unify, engage and build pride in those who call Tucson home.

The I am Tucson Kickoff party on April 14 will feature several activities for the entire family:
• Create a tile for the I am Tucson mural, to be permanently displayed downtown
• Be the first to purchase the official I am Tucson and Yo soy Tucson t-shirts
• Create your own I am Tucson message at an interactive photo and video booth

As part of the celebration launch, Mayor Jonathon Rothschild will declare Saturday, April 14 “I am Tucson day” at the April 10 City Council Meeting 5:30 p.m. at 255 West Alameda Street.

The 2nd Saturday kick-off celebration is the beginning of what the 2012 GTL class hopes will be a lasting movement. The second phase of the project will include the launch of iamtucson.org where Tucsonan’s can upload pictures, videos and stories of why they are proud to be Tucsonans, enter design ideas for additional I am Tucson product lines, purchase I am Tucson t-shirts and other items.

The final phase of the project is the creation of an I am Tucson mural in partnership with Ben’s Bells. This collective art project will be created by Tucsonans and cover what is known as “the hump,” or the foundation of what was to have been the twin tower to One South Church Tower at Stone Avenue and Broadway.

Those attending 2nd Saturdays on April 14 can visit the I am Tucson booth, sign a Ben’s Bells Kindness contract and paint a tile to personally contribute to this community beautification project.

“This year’s GTL class was very passionate about creating a project that would have a lasting impact in our community,” said Kent Simpson. “The I am Tucson movement is something that reaches across all cultures, all socio-economic sectors and all demographics. Everyone is unique, which is what makes this community such a joy to live in. This is an opportunity for anyone to share their qualities and to build pride in our wonderfully diverse region.”

For more information about 2nd Saturdays downtown visit http://www.2ndsaturdaysdowntown.com/. Follow the I am Tucson movement on Facebook and Twitter by visiting Iamtucson.org.

To pre-order an “I am Tucson” or “Yo Soy Tucson” t-shirt, please go to iamtucson.org. Pre-orders must be completed by March 31st, 2012. However, there will be a limited supply of t-shirts available at I am Tucson’s launch event.

About I am Tucson: I am Tucson is a movement to share the positive attributes of community. Our goal is to celebrate, unify and engage those who call Tucson home. As we share our stories, we find even more reasons to be proud to live in Tucson. I am Tucson is a project of the Greater Tucson Leadership Class of 2012. www.greatertucsonleadership.org.

WHEN:  April 27 & 28, 2012
May 4 &5, 2012
May 11 & 12, 2012

WHERE: 210 East Broadway, southeast corner of 5th and Broadway.

COST: FREE

The Worker Transit Authority asks the community, “How do you move through the city?” through interactive maps, brochures, surveys, drawings, sculptures, videos and text.

For three weekends, Tucson residents can participate in this important discussion about land use, infrastructure, transportation, environment and distribution. Like actual transit authority public process, the project is a form of civic engagement, but unlike actual transit authority pubic process the WTA events are fun! The project wraps art, parody, and beauty to format new and radical notions of how we can function as individuals and as a society. The projects include: an overview of the Worker Transit Authority (WTA), Consumer Transit System (CTS) & Bicycle-centric Approach to Planning (BcAP).

Funded through the Tucson Pima Arts Council / Kresge Arts in Tucson ll: P.L.A.C.E. Initiative Grants. In kind support from Reproductions Inc., Peach Properties, Organic Kitchen & Zocalo Magazine. Letters of support from City of Tucson Department of Transit, City of Tucson Ward I-IV, Living Streets Alliance, Downtown Partnership, Brachman Institute, Department of Geography University of Arizona, College of Architecture University of Arizona, City of Tucson Office of Conservations & Sustainable Development.

Bill Mackey, of Worker, Inc. will present events that incorporate performance, graphics, and data in a participatory manner designed to facilitate discussion about the issues of land use, infrastructure, transportation and the environment.

Worker Inc. is a company that specializes in exploring the human connections to the built environment bridging the theory and practice of the social sciences, planning and art. Since 2009, Worker Inc has been instrumental in the production of community exhibits – Downtown Tucson Master Plans, Food Paper Alcohol, and You Are Here. The exhibits combine ART + PLANNING creating unique platforms that is an act of discovery for the community.

For further information visit www.workertransitauthority.com from your PC or mobile device and get involved. Feel free to ‘take the survey’ on our homepage.

Also visit www.workerincorporated.com for more information about Bill Mackey and Worker, Inc.

The Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-12 Just for Kids series will conclude with The Really Big Just for Kids Grand Finale Concert on Sunday, April 1 at 2:00 pm at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. in downtown Tucson. The program, featuring the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and the TSO String Quartet, will include a musical enactment of Dusty Locks and the Three Bears, a story by local author Susan Lowell with music composed by Ilona Vukovic-Gay, TSO assistant principal viola. The approximately one-hour concert will be filled with story-telling and music including “He’s a Pirate” from Pirates of the Caribbean, “On the Trail” from Grand Canyon Suite and the Overture to William Tell. Copies of Dusty Locks and the Three Bears will be available for purchase and Ms. Lowell will be present to sign them.

The Really Big Just for Kids Grand Finale Concert is a family orchestra concert wrapping up an exciting Just for Kids concert season. Just for Kids is a popular series of fun, informal, interactive concerts lasting 45 to 50 minutes. The performances use humor, story-telling, demonstrations and participation to introduce classical music and orchestral instruments in an entertaining and kid-friendly environment to families including those with very young children. The Just for Kids Series is performed in Tucson, Sahuarita and Oro Valley most months during the symphony season.

Tickets for The Really Big Just for Kids Grand Finale Concert are $5 in advance, $7 at the door. For more information about the The Really Big Just for Kids program, call the TSO box office at (520) 882-8585 or visit www.tucsonsymphony.org for tickets and a map of where to park for this event. TSO Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The Just for Kids Series receives support from the Providence Service Corporation, the National Bank of Arizona, the Mary S. Gorin Fund, Sandra B. Um, the Learning Curve and Friends, the Arizona Lottery, Freeport McMoRan and Gold Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.