02-24-2023

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City’s status growing as a foodie hotspot

By Jimmy Magahern Inside Tucson

If America still needed proof that the Tucson culinary scene is hotter than ever, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate party at Super Bowl LVII presented a pretty convincing case. There, among a select group of eight Arizona restaurants invited by the “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” host to present restaurant “pop-ups” outside Glendale’s State Farm Stadium, three of Tucson’s most popular eateries — Inca’s, Renee’s and Tumerico — offered samples of their Peruvian-spiced saltados, vegetarian pizza and butternut squash tostadas (respectively) as Diplo spun tunes for an estimated 10,000 guests.

“It was quite the invite,” said Renee Kreager, who co-owns Renee’s with her husband Steve. “When I do this again, serving only one item, with more signage and a food photo, is what I learned works best.”

The Flavortown showcase was just the latest in a series of shout-outs from the foodie world that Tucson’s been receiving over the past few years.

In 2015, Tucson became the first U.S. city officially designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, an international honor recognizing Tucson’s rich culinary heritage and agricultural history, along with the

10 ways to incorporate technology into teamwork

In today’s fast-paced business world, technology plays a crucial role in teamwork. From communication and collaboration to automation and data analysis, technology can help teams work more efficiently and effectively. Read on to learn how technology can enhance teamwork at the workplace; from utilizing cloud-based tools to optimize collaboration, to prioritizing cybersecurity to protect sensitive information. Whether you’re a small startup or a large corporation, these tips can help improve productivity, communication, and optimize team performance.

ware. Project management software like Asana can help to keep team members on track and ensure that projects are completed on time. Most tools also have mobile apps to help employees check on their projects and to-do lists on the go.

6. Leverage virtual reality and augmented reality. A new and engaging way to collaborate is with VR and AR. These technologies can help to enhance collaboration and communication, allowing team members to visualize and interact with projects in a more immersive way.

individuality and ingenuity of its local chefs.

Janos Wilder, president of Tucson City of Gastronomy, the nonprofit organization overseeing the designation, said the accolade honored “the nexus of culture and food” to be found in the city.

Since then, the TCoG has capitalized on the recognition, presenting monthly presentations on the business of heritage foods and sending a squad of eight “chef ambassadors” to cities around the world to “share Tucson’s food heritage abroad.” It’s apparently been working: in February, London’s Daily Telegraph highlighted Tucson in an article touting Arizona as “the surprising U.S. state that’s a dream come true for foodies.”

At the same time, the restaurant industry as a whole is still in recovery from a score of substantial setbacks since COVID-19: declining guests counts, staffing shortages, supply

chain issues, rising food costs. How can Tucson restaurants take advantage of all that skyrocketing culinary recognition in the midst of such formidable challenges?

Perhaps no one understands this predicament better than the Kreagers, who were all set to move into larger quarters to accommodate their growing customer base in March 2020 when the pandemic shut everything down.

Renee’s stayed put and pivoted to takeout, and their loyal base kept the business afloat until Tucson restaurants were allowed to welcome dine-in customers again in May 2021. But Kreager says it’s a different ballgame now.

“The crushing reality is everything costs more,” she said, “but guests know this at every turn in their lives as well.”

Nationwide, workforce shortages have hit the

1. Virtual training. Virtual training can be used to train remote team members on new skills, processes or procedures in an interactive, immersive way. Make sure your business has a strong high-speed Internet connection and enough bandwidth as provided by Cox Business, for clear video streaming.

2. Utilize cloud-based tools. With the rise of remote work, it’s important to have tools in place to allow remote team members to collaborate effectively. Cloud-based tools allow team members to access and collaborate on documents and files in real-time, regardless of their location.

3. Prioritize cybersecurity. As technology becomes more integral to teamwork, it’s important to implement strict cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information and prevent data breaches. To give businesses another tool in their toolbox, Cox Business offers peace of mind with an Essential Security package that includes cloud backup and recovery to protect against critical data loss.

4. Implement automation

Automation tools can automate repetitive tasks such as data entry, appointment scheduling, and email responses, freeing up employees to focus on more important tasks.

5. Use project management soft-

7. Blockchain-based collaboration. Blockchain technology can be used to enhance teamwork by providing a secure, decentralized platform for collaboration. For example, blockchain can be used to create a secure, tamper-proof record of all team member’s contributions and collaborate on projects in a decentralized way.

8. AI-powered team management. Artificial intelligence can be used to optimize team performance by analyzing data on team member’s productivity and identifying areas for improvement.

9. Chatbots. Chatbots can be programmed to automatically respond to common questions and inquiries, allowing team members to get the information they need without having to wait for a human response. This can improve communication and reduce delays.

10. Virtual team-building activities. Virtual team-building activities such as online games, quizzes, and scavenger hunts can help to build camaraderie and improve communication among team members.

Lisa Lovallo is the Southern Arizona market vice president for Cox Communications, leading a team of more than 260 Cox employees, with over 1,500 jobs supported by Cox locally. Prior to joining the Cox Southern Arizona team, Lisa ran a family business in Tucson and is a graduate of the UA. Reach her at lisa. lovallo@cox.com.

(Tran/Contributor)

Tucson restauranteurs are adjusting to a new normal that includes higher costs, staff shortages and supply chain issues.

Conner promoted to market expansion manager at Cox

Sheena Conner has been promoted to the position of manager for market expansion within Cox’s government affairs unit. In her new role, Sheena will lead the public and government affairs activities of Cox’s growth throughout Arizona communities including Arizona City, the city of Maricopa, San Manuel, Oracle, Black Canyon City, Congress, Huachuca City, Sun Lakes, SE Sierra Vista, Eloy, Toltec, Desert Hills, Wickenburg, Douglas and Summit View. With a background in construction planning, Conner most recently held a strategic partnership development role on the Cox Construction team in Southern Arizona.

“With her strong background in construction and understanding of the telecom industry, Sheena will be a valuable expert for city and county officials particularly in our new expansion markets,” said Rachel Aja, director of government relations in Arizona and Nevada, Cox Communications. Conner resides in Corona De Tucson with her husband and two daughters. Her spare time is spent busing kids to basketball, practice, cheerleading and horse-riding lessons, and whatever new hobbies her kids decide to like that week.

Anderson promoted to tax manager at BeachFleischman

Viktoriya V. Anderson was promoted to a tax manager for BeachFleischman. She serves as a team member for the firm’s financial and professional services and health care practices. She provides tax planning, compliance and consulting services for various privately held businesses and their owners. Anderson earned a Bachelor of Science in business and a Master of Accounting. She has worked in public accounting since 2014 and is a certified public accountant, licensed to practice in Arizona.

Perron promoted to tax manager for BeachFleischman

Ashlea Perron was promoted to tax manager for BeachFleischman.

Perron is also a member of the firm’s real estate client service team. She provides tax services, including planning and compliance for a variety of privately held companies.

Perron has worked in public accounting since 2018, and she is a certified public accountant licensed to practice in Arizona.

Sheena Conner

Ashlea Perron

Viktoriya V. Anderson

Halo Infusions’ new facility to support 7 production lines

By Inside Tucson Business Staff

Halo Infusions & Extractions LLC is building the state’s largest dedicated infusion kitchen, with plans to open in the middle of this year.

The $2.5 million stateof-the-art kitchen will initially provide more than 7,000 square feet of manufacturing space, supporting seven production lines, and thousands of square feet of refrigerated storage and distribution space.

A year ago, as part of a $30 million sale of its retail and cultivation licenses, Halo Infusions spun off its infused product manufacturing business.

“Selling the licenses enabled us to focus on our first true love: infused products,” said Murray Stein, CEO of Halo Infusions.

“Without the distraction of the demands of retail, we felt that the 10 years of infusion experience we’ve gained would prepare us for even greater opportunities.

“This is really the original vision of our founders. We are software, electronic and optical engineers by training and vocation, so it’s easy to appreciate why we’re so formal and process driven. We’ve always believed that we could create better infused products by

applying the disciplines of science, engineering, and manufacturing that we learned elsewhere.”

Plans include new automated gummy and candy lines, multiple beverage production systems, and multiple large ovens and freezers.

“We’ve designed the space to employ an agile reconfiguration model that allows us to shift production lines based on our real-time needs and those of our customers,” said Brandon Hamm, infrastructure manager at Halo Infusions.

“Every one of these production lines has a minimum of three stages, or as many as 10 when we

include product and lot packaging. Accomplishing this accurately requires that our production, packaging and quality teams work together effectively. Scaling that model is our mission.”

Halo Infusions’ brands are among the longest available in the Arizona market and include Aunt Ellie’s, Cannabliss, Canna Confections, Chronic Health, and Pure & Simple. Soon to be released is a suite of canine pet products under the Canine CBD Therapy brand.

“Our unique wholeplant approach using RSO extraction methodologies allow us to retain more of the plant’s compounds

than many other approaches,’’ said Chad Johnson, Halo Infusions’ infusion R&D manager.

“Our infusion model relies on capturing minor cannabinoids, terpenes, and even flavonoids. We genuinely believe that the synergy between all of the cannabinoids and other compounds in the plant is lost when overprocessed or refined. Our infusion model minimizes that loss for a better product and experience.”

Opportunities in the Arizona cannabis market are limited by the relatively small number of dispensary and cultivation licenses available through the state’s program.

“Every infusion kitchen has to operate under a state-issued license.” Hamm added.

“There is a lot of responsibility that comes with operating under that license. Maintaining compliance with Arizona’s strict rules requires dedicated staff and expertise. Semi-annual inspections of dispensary, cultivation, and kitchen operations determine how well the rules are adhered to, and not doing so can mean significant fines or worse. Arizona’s rigorous cannabis product testing program, now in its third year, places additional

burden on operators. It is all about safety.

“We have a staff of five quality management and quality control staff, and we are still super busy.”

The team helped formalize a system that documents processes, procedures and responsibilities for achieving regulatory compliance, product safety and meeting customer expectations.

“Every day we remind ourselves of the importance of the safety of our products. Patients and adult users alike look for consistency and quality. They don’t have to worry about the product safety because we do,” Hamm said.

While Arizona may have a limited number of li-

censes, it has not restricted the proliferation of new brands.

“There are well over 75 individual infused product brands in Arizona, with more than 30 making gummies,” said Suzy Tracy, corporate marketing manager for Halo Infusions.

“Many of these businesses are challenged by limited product space and operations staff. They are also at the whim of the license holder, who may not want the risk of an operation they do not fully control using their license.”

Another key factor affecting the Arizona cannabis market is the impact of multi-state operators.

“MSOs like Curaleaf, Verano, and Harvest (now Trulieve) obtained

their in-house brands through acquisition of the dispensary licenses they were associated with,” Tracy said.

“And while some of the brands and their products are decent quality, many are not, so we have a lot of independent brands in Arizona, some struggling in-house brands with multiple dispensary operators, and many small infusion companies hoping to build market share.”

As Halo Infusions began looking to the future, it realized that sharing its expertise and operations resources represented the greatest opportunity.

“Our partners got together and decided that our greatest contribution to the infused product market would be to help others excel as well,” said

Linda Bell, chief financial officer, for Halo Infusions.

“Our new kitchen will enable us to do several exciting things we couldn’t before. For example, we’re planning a white label operation for smaller operators to help establish and build their own brands. And we expect to provide manufacturing facilities and support to enable independent – even currently out-ofstate brands – to better penetrate this market.

“Using our new kitchen, our well-established current good manufacturing practices, our comprehensive testing program, and our statewide distribution capabilities, we expect to become a real catalyst for maturity in our market. It’s going to be a terrific ride.” ITB

(Halo Infusions/Submitted)

Linda Bell, CFO, And Murray Stein, CEO, of Halo infusions & Extractions at the construction site of the company's planned infusion kitchen.

restaurant industry hard, prompting a need for higher expenditures to attract labor.

As of January, average salary for a restaurant worker in Tucson is $15.73 per hour, about 14% above the national average.

Kreager has responded by offering higher pay to her employees, which she says has lessened staff shortages — and she said her customers understand the resulting upticks in

Restaurant Association, 96% of operators surveyed said their restaurant had experienced supply delays or shortages of key food or beverage items in the past six months, and 92% reported higher food costs. Most have passed those increases on to the customer. Nationally, 87% of restaurants report that they have increased menu prices over the past six months.

For Renee’s, which used to be known by the name Renee’s Organic Oven, the difficulty in sourcing locally grown organic ingredients

to preparing more items in-house as the shortages and extreme cost changes continue. “Many of us have not done this yet. And we will have to create an understanding that connects with our guests. We are reflecting true cost and that their investment in our success is what keeps the cooks cooking, the servers caring for their experience and the owners able to keep the doors open.”

The spending patterns of diners also changed during the pandemic, and to a large extent those patterns

with delivery.

In a December study by the global company Deliverect, which monitors delivery service, 42% of people in the United States said they were getting up to three food deliveries a week. Pick-up and drive-thru service has also persisted: the National Restaurant Association study reported that those options now account for 39% of all restaurant traffic.

“We’ve also put a strong focus on take-out now, continuing that convenience for guests by offering smiling at the customers when they arrive to pick up,

Tucson as a destination,”

the increased interest in

(Tran/Contributor)

A recent National Restaurant Association survey showed that fewer people are dining in but ordering out has increased.

Spring Arts

The UA Center for Creative Photography mounts the exhibition, “The Linda McCartney Retrospective”, the first U.S. retrospective of the late photographer's work. More information on page A-2. (Center for Creative Photography/Submitted )

Spring art exhibits paint perfect picture of talent

By Margaret Regan Tucson Local Media Contributor

Tucson has been an art town for years, a haven for artists and art lovers alike. From the big museums downtown and at the University of Arizona, to the upscale galleries in the Foothills to the small edgy warehouses on Sixth Street, and the newer venues in Barrio Viejo, there’s plenty to choose no matter what your fancy.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CENTER FOR CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY

“The Linda McCartney Retrospective” ccp.arizona.edu/

The highlight of the season is a major exhibition of Linda McCartney’s wonderful photography. As a young woman in the 1960s, she emerged as a hot-shot photographer of rock ‘n’ roll musicians. Later, when she married Paul McCartney, she started doing many pictures of her

children and of the beautiful lands around their country home in Scotland. She also loved to do photos on the streets of people who were not famous.

Some Tucsonans have known for years that the McCartneys have had a ranch on the east side of the city. But many don’t know that the New York-born McCartney lived in Tucson long before she met Paul. She came to Tucson to study art history at the University of Arizona. During her short time here, she met Hazel Archer, an extraordinary photographer and teacher. McCartney made her first photos under Archer’s guidance at the Tucson Arts Center, which later became the Tucson Museum of Art. McCartney would al-

ways say, “It was Hazel who made me a photographer.”

The Center for Creative Photography at the university is at long last mounting a show honoring her work, featuring 176 photos from the family archive in London. It’s McCartney’s first retrospective in North America. The show is in three sections: family and domestic life, experimental, and the popular portraits of musicians and others. Keep your eyes open for the many events that the center is planning. Runs Saturday, Feb. 25, to Saturday, Aug. 5

“WOMAN-OCHRE”

Across the way at the University Museum of Art, the dazzling “Woman-Ochre” stands in splendor. If you have not visited her then get thee to her heavily guarded perch. As everyone knows, this abstract painting by Willem de Kooning, done in 1955,

See ART Page A-4

(Etherton Gallery/Submitted)

Chris Rush, “Anna and Madda”, 2023 print.

The LINDA McCARTNEY Retrospective

The University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography is proud to host the North American premiere of “The Linda McCartney Retrospective,” opening Feb. 25!

Celebrate McCartney’s 30-year, barrier-breaking career, and her connection to Tucson. Free to all!

Linda. New York, 1967.

© Paul McCartney

/

Photographer: Linda McCartney.

Linda McCartney, Jimi Hendrix. London, 1967.

© Paul McCartney /

Photographer: Linda McCartney.

was stolen from the museum in 1985 but recovered in a shop in Silver City in 2017 and restored at the Getty. It returned to its home in Tucson last fall. Closes Saturday, May 20.

The museum has built a whole show, “Abstract Perspectives in Mid-Century Art,” around de Kooning and his contemporaries, with a large collection of abstract paintings from the same period, roughly 1950 to 1970. Among the artists who are in the show are Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner. Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. That show closes Saturday, March 25. artmuseum.arizona.edu/

THE ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM statemuseum.arizona.edu

ASM, also on campus, is sparkling with Southwest native jewelry for the exhibition, “Ancient — Modern: Continuity and Innovation in Southwest Native Jewelry,” which closes Saturday, Oct. 28.

Beautifully put together by cura-

tor Diane Dittimore, more than 70 pieces are on display, created across the ages, from ancient, historic and contemporary times. Indigenous artisans created these jewels to adorn themselves and their loved ones. Their styles vary and denote different regions and practices. Many used shell, silver and turquoise.

Another show at the museum, “Sámi Dreams,” explores the history of the indigenous people of northern Europe, with photographs by Randall Heyman. It runs Saturday, March 18, to Saturday, June 17.

DOWNTOWN

ETHERTON GALLERY

ethertongallery.com

Etherton Gallery shows off two excellent Tucson artists in the new exhibit “Chris Rush and Ellen McMahon: Again with the Real.”

At one time, Rush was mostly known in town for a giant baby mural. Now, in this big show of his paintings and drawings, he covers many of his styles, from remakes of 19th century documents to compassion-

ate portraits of children. In this show, he has another baby, this one flying happily over a lake and woods.

Ellen McMahon has created two melancholy series. “Lost Language of the Desert” uses a letterpress to make letters and symbols, known and unknown, and colored in gray and red. “What Is Lost and What Remains” features moody landscapes on paper, colored in ink, chalk or pastel. Closes Saturday, April 15.

ANDREW SMITH GALLERY

andrewsmithgallery.com/

Next door, an excellent photography gallery is showing another Tucson artist: Michael Hyatt. For years, Hyatt has made images of people of all kinds; his pictures of desperate migrants in the desert led to a successful book, “Along the Migrant Trail.” The new show, “Crossroads: The Music & Streets of Los Angeles 1969 –1981” takes us to gritty downtown neighborhoods. He made beautiful black and white pictures of musicians and sex workers, drinkers and gospel singers and the down-and-out. Hy-

att’s own grandfather was a regular on Skid Row. His new book, “Fifth and Wall Street: Skid Row, Los Angeles in the 1970s,” can be purchased at the gallery. Closes Thursday, March 30.

PHILABAUM GLASS GALLERY

philabaumglass.com/

A new exhibition at Philabaum has the enticing name: “Stories Reimagined.” The four glass artists don’t disappoint.

Sandy Pendleton of Cave Creek and Pinetop makes fused glass pieces that interestingly have cloth and textures inside. Phoenix artist Andrew Shultz is inspired by southwestern landscapes and colors. Look for one of his lovely pots of sky blue, desert yellows and sienna. Richard Satava of Chico, California, is a master of glass; he wields his wares with gleaming glass jellyfish and glass petroglyphs.

Jim Scheller uses kilns for bowls whose designs are somehow between paleolithic and midcentury modern. The longtime gallery,

See ART Page A-6

RECIPIENT OF AN EDGERTON FOUNDATION NEW PLAY AWARD

Mimi Kennedy (Mom, Dharma & Greg, Midnight in Paris) stars as Prudence “Pru” Payne, an esteemed critic widely recognized as a wit, a scholar, and a public intellectual. But as her memory begins to fade, all her preconceived notions — about herself and, more importantly, others — also slip away. Gordon Clapp (NYPD Blue, Emmy winner) stars as Pru’s unconventional love interest Gus in this remarkable, funny, and emotional journey about the evolution of love and identity in the face of memory loss.

CAN’T LIVE WITH ‘EM, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT ‘EM

This hilarious classic comedy starts when an explosive divorced couple and their new spouses inadvertently honeymoon in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. When combustible chemistry reignites, mayhem occurs, and strong passions and stronger personalities take over.

A BIG-HEARTED, FIERCE, MUSIC-FILLED COMEDY

When successful Elvis impersonator Casey loses his gig, a drag show moves in and “The King” transforms into an all-out queen with some help from his new friends. With snappy zingers and dance-worthy numbers, this wildly entertaining story is full of sass and good spirits.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

founded by glass artist Tom Philabaum, is now happily owned and directed by Alison Harvey and Dylan Harvey. Closes Saturday, June 24.

TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART

tucsonmuseumofart.org

All winter, the museum has been showing the American West from a new point of view. In “More Than: Expanding Artists Identities from the American West,” you’ll find African American cowboys on their horses captured in photography. Among other photographic works is a giant installation of six life-sized native women wearing traditional skirts and contemporary black T-shirts, each inscribed with the name of her tribal nation. Closes Sunday, March 19.

In early February, a companion show opened, “Enduring Legacies: The James T. Bialac Indigenous Art Collection,” with paintings, prints and works on paper by Native American artists from around the country. Tohono O’Odham Michael Chiago, a favorite in Tucson, is represented with

a painting of tribal baskets. Be on the lookout for the late Julian Martinez’ charming watercolor of a barnyard battle between a skunk and a roost-

er. Martinez was from San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico. Closes Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.

Later in the spring, fans can visit the

Arizona Biennial 2023. The popular juried exhibition brings in the work of artists from all over the state. Runs Saturday, April 1, to Sunday Oct. 1.

MOCA MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART moca-tucson.org

The latest MOCA show is inspired by centuries-old Indigenous art from South America. Among the ancient peoples of the Andes, webs of knotted cords called quipus were used to record community histories. Even after the Spanish banned them in the sixteenth century, local peoples continued to make them. Now artist Cecilia Vicuña has reimagined them as an artform. Vicuña, from Chile, invited people and organizations in Tucson to gather everything from discarded kitchen waste to alleyway junk for their own “Sonoran Quipu.” The piece is a multimedia sculpture, with videos and soundscapes. According to the gallery, the artist “invites viewers to consider the beauty and precarity of our world, and our

See ART Page A-8

(Image courtesy of the Artist and Bockley Gallery, Minneapolis, MN. © Dyani White Hawk) Dyani White Hawk in collaboration with photographer Tom Jones, “I Am Your Relative” (front), 2020, two-sided archival pigment prints mounted on Dibond.

interconnected relationships to the environment and to each other.”

Closes Sunday, Sept. 10.

WEST

LOUIS CARLOS BERNAL GALLERY AT PIMA COLLEGE WEST

pima.edu/community/the-arts

The Bernal Gallery is bursting with 19 painted panels of the Grand Canyon. Each gorgeous painting, 7 feet high, represents one hour of the day’s 24. From the pinks of sunrise to the golden shadows of sunset to the darkness of night, the colorful shadows and light move across the landscape. Five of the original 24 panels are not in the show, but who’s counting!

The creator of this masterpiece, Joseph DiGiorgio, painted the work in pointillism, a style that makes images with colorful dots. The Brooklyn artist (1931-2000) typically worked in the pointillist style and often showed his paintings in Tucson.

DiGiorgio gave the whole of “The Grand Canyon” as a gift to the Tuc-

son Museum of Art years ago. A portion of the work was first exhibited in New York City, but has been shown in its entirety just once, here in Tucson, at the museum in 1997. Thanks to a collaboration between TMA and the Bernal Gallery, now, at last, it is being shown again in Tucson after more than a quarter century. Closes

Friday, March 10.

Pointillist fans who come to see the painting in early March can also see a student performance of “Sunday in the Park with George,” a play that honors George Seurat, a French master of the style. Runs Thursday, March 2, to Sunday, March 12. Also, over at the Visual Arts Gallery

on campus, an exhibition honors Pima College professors the late Darla Masterson, known for innovative monotone landscapes, and Phillip Bellomo, for his ceramics. They helped found the Visual Arts Department. Closes Friday, March 24.

WAREHOUSE DISTRICT RAICES TALLER 222 ART GALLERY

raicestaller222.com/ Raices Gallery opens the spring with two shows, jointly titled “Historias, Lugar, y Tiempo/Histories, Place, and Time.” John Salgado, the gallery’s co-director, said he is excited to bring in nine UA undergraduates from the College of Fine Arts. When Raices started more than 25 years ago, student artists were among the first to be shown there. In the new batch, all have stud-

Head over heels

April 9-23, 2023

See ART Page A-9

Bobb Vann, “Ranch Wrangler,” 2010, oil on canvas, 24 by 48 inches. Collection of the Tucson Museum of Art. Gift of the artist, through the Western Art Patrons.

ied with Alejandro Macias, an exciting new member of the faculty. The second of the two shows presents the work of established members of the collective in the large room to the back. They have happily given over the front gallery to these promising young artists. Open only 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Closes Saturday, March 11.

CONTRERAS GALLERY AND JEWELRY

contrerashousefineart.com/index.html

Contreras Gallery, up the road from Raices Taller, is staging “Organic,” a three-woman show of abstract works. Sylvia Garland and Ann Tracy, regulars in the gallery, both seem to conjure the ocean. Garland’s richly colored paintings suggest tidepools and the ocean deep. Tracy also seems enamored by the sea. One of her pieces, to my eye, conjures the shoreline in Ireland. Eve McEwen is the guest artist. The highlight of her work in the show is a southwestern church, painted all in white, with signs asking for peace and unity. Closes Saturday, March 25

Later in spring, Contreras brings in nine artists for “A Group Show, No Theme, Any Medium” from Saturday, April 8, to Saturday, May 27.

STEINFELD WAREHOUSE

steinfeldwarehouse.org

The old Downtown warehouse is filled with small galleries. They include Untitled, Seven-Legged Spider Gallery, and Steinfeld Gallery and Studios. You never know just which ones will be open for their regular Art Walks, but give it try on the first Saturday of every month from 4 to 9 p.m.

MIDTOWN EVERYBODY GALLERY

everybody.gallery/

This avant-garde gallery at the unlikely location of 437 East Grant Road wraps up its current exhibition “Sunsets” this weekend on Saturday, Feb. 18. The show includes works by Amy Granat with Shane Rossi, Sundblad/ Granat Films, and DIRT. Starting in March, Josee Villalobos brings his multimedia and performance works to the gallery. His art explores border

cultures and the tensions between traditional and contemporary identities. One piece, “La Agua Que Nos Carga (The Water that Carries Us),” is a water jug encased in barbed wire, a haunting memory for migrants crossing the desert.

MADARAS GALLERY

madaras.com/collections/diana-madarasoriginals

Diana Madaras’ bright watercolors and acrylics are all over Tucson and fans love her saguaros, birds and desert landscapes. Besides her own work, the Madaras Gallery sells paintings, sculpture and photographs by other artists. One is sculptor Al Glann, whose metal horses can be seen along the Loop. Another is Rocky LaRose, a celebrated UA athlete who’s become an accomplished nature photographer.

EAST SIDE

TUCSON DESERT ART MUSEUM tucsondart.org

At the museum far east of town, a new photography show “¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues/ En los barrios y las grandes ligas” tells the history of baseball in Latino communities across the country. This exhibition was created in collaboration with the National Museum of American history. As the curators have written, “Latino players helped to make the game what it is today.”

A second show tells the dreadful story of the incarceration of Japanese Americans in camps during World War II. Photographs by Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee and others show the agony of those who were torn from their homes. Arizona had three camps, the Gila River War Relocation Center near Phoenix, the Poston Internment Camp in Yuma, and the Federal Honor Camp nearby in the Santa Catalina mountains outside Tucson.

Housed within the museum is the Four Corners Gallery, with small works by the Tucson Barrio Painters Group as well as paintings and sculptures by other southwestern artists. Ongoing.

FOOTHILLS

TOHONO CHUL GALLERY

tohonochul.org

Two of the best artists in Tucson — or anywhere else — take the stage at their home base in the old Pueblo with a show at Tohono Chul Gallery. In “Prescience Remains,” according to the gallery statement, both women “exalt the castaway, celebrating the wonder and beauty of nature while confidently looking forward, steadfast in the belief that beauty is found everywhere.”

Kate Breakey is a multimedia artist of photography and hand-coloring, and Barbara Rogers makes brilliantly colored large-sized paintings. Both are known nationally and internationally. Breakey is perhaps best known for her early work, “Small Deaths,” photographs of the beautiful remains of feathered birds made human-sized in hand-colored prints. She also makes gorgeous photographs of

the sky, the moon and the clouds over the ocean, and gives them a shine of gold. Rogers paints large oils, with bold planes of color overlayed with images from nature, such as acorns Opens Thursday, Feb. 16.

JANE HAMILTON FINE ARTS GALLERY

janehamiltonfineart.com/

Hamilton’s latest show is “Canyons and Cactus,” with Greg Heil and Dawn Sutherland. Both artists paint bright, richly colored oils of familiar western landscapes, many in Northern Arizona. Heil has an eye for architectural forms in mountain canyons, while Sutherland is known for her plein air work in the Grand Canyon. A party celebrates their opening from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. This year, the Jane Hamilton Gallery is celebrating 30 years in Tucson.

SETTLERS WEST

settlerswest.com/

Settlers West has opened a huge show of tiny paintings, miniatures

of the American West by 150 different artists. Closes Saturday, March 4. Starting Saturday, March 25, “Tales of the West,” will showcase six artists. Five works in oils, but Rachel Brownlee draws remarkably realistic images of cowboys and horses in charcoal. Closes Saturday, April 8. A summer show will follow, Saturday, May 6, to Saturday, May 27.

MARK SUBLETTE MEDICINE MAN GALLERY

medicinemangallery.com/mark-sublettebiography

The Medicine Man Gallery carries a wide variety of high-end Western and Native American art. On any given day, you may find Louise Serpa photographs of Arizona rodeos, early twentieth century oils of cowboy life by artists like Edward Borein, fine historic Diné blankets, or a painting of a Diné family by contemporary artist, Tony Abeyta. Sublette also is well-known for his collection of Maynard Dixon paintings, prints,

and memorabilia, a kind of museum within the gallery.

TUCSON JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER tucsonjcc.org

Artist Lauri Kaye has for years been making multimedia images of the people she meets in coffee shops and along the streets of Tucson. She gets their permission to make their portraits by using hand drawings, photography, digital coloring, and printing on metal.

Now her “Tucson Portrait Stories” will be the highlight of a fun art happening. On Sunday, March 12, the JJC hosts an afternoon event, with 60 of Kaye’s portraits. Some 15 of their subjects are scheduled to be on hand for what is billed as an interactive festival. Renowned Chef María Mazón, one of those lucky to get her portrait done, will run a tasting for her salsa and chips. Another is Yaqui classical guitarist, Gabriel Ayala, who will give a concert. The fun goes from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 12. Free for all. ITB

Dance springs eternal this season

By Margaret Regan Tucson Local Media Contributor

BALLET TUCSON

WINTER CONCERT, FRIDAY, FEB. 17, TO SUNDAY, FEB. 19

Leo Rich Theater ballettucson.org/

The four dances in Ballet Tucson winter concert are exciting and varied. Once again, Ballet Tucson is performing a cherished George Balanchine dance. His “Allegro Brillante” is a challenging, romantic piece danced to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The 13-minute performance demands strength and precision from the principal couple and eight other dancers. As Balanchine said himself, the piece “contains everything I know about the classical ballet.”

Resident choreographer Chieko Imada has created a new work, “Himiko,” inspired by the legendary Japanese Queen from the third century A.D. Thanks to the Tucson Desert Song Festival, she will have live music to pair with her dancers. Jing Xia will play the guzheng, a Chinese zither, and Bin Hu, classical guitar. Together they go by the name Duo Chinoiserie, and they will perform onstage with Ballet Tucson’s professional dancers. The score includes music by award-winning composer Yusuke Nakanishi.

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, the company mounts one of the sweetest duets in ballet, the “Romeo and Juliet Pas de Deux,” With music by Sergei Prokofiev. The two love birds dance in the beloved balcony scene. Artistic director Margaret Mullin has created a fresh new Pas de Deux to add to the company’s repertoire.

Price Suddarth, an award-winning choreographer based in Seattle, has contributed “Borderland,” featuring four dancers. The piece is about sleep and waking, tranquility and manic tension, dark and light, with music by Johann Sebastian Bach.

SPRING CONCERT, FRIDAY, MARCH 24, TO SUNDAY, MARCH 26

Leo Rich Theater

Ballet Tucson’s Spring Concert offers five dances, including another Balanchine piece: “Walpurgisnacht Ballet.” He originated it as a small piece for the final act of a 1925 Paris Opera production of “Faust.” In New York, in 1975, he reimagined it as a stand-alone ballet. The dance is known for its many roles for women, 24 total, as Balanchine famously said, “ballet is woman.”

Mark Schneider, a regular guest choreographer, mixes jazz and ballet. His piece “Joplin,” is a crowd-pleaser set to the ragtime

music of Scott Joplin. Imada’s piece “Bossa Nova” is a comedy for five dancers. Set in a 1950s Bossa Nova lounge, new connections lead to confusion and romance.

Suddarth’s choreography returns with the Ballet Tucson premiere of “First Light.” This fastpaced and athletic ensemble piece is set to the piano music of Carly Comando.

Each year “Footprints at the Fox” invites company dancers to choreograph their own pieces. Last October, the audience got to vote for their favorite, and, in the March show, dancer Brooke Amundrud will get to bring her winning piece to the Ballet Tucson mainstage.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA SCHOOL OF DANCE

dance.arizona.edu/news-events/events

In April, the professors and

the young dancers will be hitting the stage at the Stevie Eller Dance Theater on the UA campus. In “Dance Springs Eternal,” the teachers and guest artists show off their own choreography, handing off the performance to their students. But the students have the stage to themselves for “Awakening: Student Spotlight,” presenting and performing works they have choreographed themselves.

The two shows alternate on different days on consecutive weekends in April, from Wednesday, April 19, to Sunday, April 30. To conclude the spring season, on Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, Arianna Aquino, Cat Cogliandro, Gabriel Speiller, and Halston Strange will present their MFA graduate thesis projects, Loud Undertone, in the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre. ITB

Tucson theaters serve up smorgasbord of stories

By Bridgette Redman Tucson Local Media Contributor

This spring, Tucson theater goers can choose from an eclectic mix of works, heavy on the comedies and musicals with a few dramas sprinkled in. From new works to classics, local theaters are offering a diverse selection of tales to tantalize their audiences.

ARIZONA REPERTORY THEATRE + NEXT PERFORMANCE COLLECTIVE theatre.arizona.edu

“Romeo & Juliet,” Thursdays through Sundays, Sunday, Feb. 26, to Sunday, March 19

William Shakespeare’s story of two star-crossed lovers whose feuding families force their love to happen in secret with tragic results. Matinee performances for high schoolers available.

“Head Over Heels,” Thursdays through Sundays, Sunday, April 9, to Sunday, April 23

The musical features songs by the Go-Go’s and follows the escapades of a royal family on a journey to save their kingdom. Based on Sir Philip Sidney’s “The Arcadia,” the musical celebrates love as the royal family learns the secret to survival is in their hearts.

New Directions Festival, Fridays through Sundays, Friday, April 21, to Sunday, April 30

The second festival showcasing undergraduate student-created, student-designed and student-performed content.

ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY

atc.org

“Pru Payne,” Wednesdays through Sundays, Saturday, March 4, to Saturday, March 25

This world premiere by Steven Drukman explores love and identity in the face of memory loss. Critic Pru Payne, a wit, scholar and intellectual, questions her preconceived notions of identity and finds unexpected love.

“Private Lives,” Wednesdays through Sundays, Saturday, April 15, to Saturday, May 6

Noël Coward’s most popular comedy about a divorced couple having honeymoons with their new spouses in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Combustible chemistry reignites and mayhem ensues in this battle of equals.

BROADWAY IN TUCSON

broadwayintucson.com

“Dear Evan Hansen,” Tuesday, Feb. 21, to Sunday, Feb. 26, the hit musical’s national tour.

A high school student inserts himself into a tragedy, taking on a role he

has no right to. The teen story deals with suicide, survival and loneliness.

“Mean Girls,” Tuesday, March 28, to Sunday, April 2, the national tour.

The musical based on the movie in which a new student has to make choices about what clique she will belong to and how she will treat people. With a book by Tina Fey and music by Jeff Richmond, this coming-of-age story finds Cady adapting to life in a Chicago high school after growing up in Kenya.

Riverdance, Friday, April 28, to Sunday, April 30

The Irish dance troupe makes its 20th anniversary tour with their Irish dance, music and song.

GASLIGHT THEATRE

thegaslighttheatre.com

See THEATER Page A-14

Where nature, art, and culture connect.

“The Ballad of Two-Gun McGraw: A Wacky Western Adventure,” Tuesdays through Sundays, through Sunday, March 26

Gaslight Theatre brings back its 2015 melodrama set in San Pecos, Texas, in the 1880s when corrupt businessmen come to town and are challenged by a singing, gun-toting Texas Ranger, Two Gun McGraw.

“Robin Hood,” Tuesdays through Sundays, Thursday, March 30, to Sunday, June 4

A wacky musical adventure of Robin Hood, as he and his merry men steal from the rich, give to the poor, try to protect the throne for King Richard and defy the evil sheriff of Nottingham. Also known as “It Sherwood be Fun.”

INVISIBLE THEATRE

invisibletheatre.com

“The Sabbath Girl,” Tuesday, Feb. 15, to Sunday, Feb. 26 This rom-com by Cary Gitter is

about Angie, a successful woman working at an art gallery with a new apartment on the Upper West Side, who runs into Seth, a divorced Orthodox Jew who needs someone to help him with tasks he is forbidden from doing on the Sabbath.

“Billie! Backstage with Lady Day,” Saturday, March 18, to Sunday,

March 19

(Submitted)

An NAACP-award winning musical that follows the haunting journey of Billie Holiday, some of her amazing songs and the winding road of love, joy, blues and racism.

“Small Mouth Sounds,” Wednesday, April 19, to Sunday, April 30 This play tells the story of four

strangers who go on a silent retreat in the woods. Bess Wohl’s humor-filled play is a compassionate look at how people address life’s biggest questions when words fail them.

LIVE THEATRE WORKSHOP

livetheatreworkshop.org

“On the Verge, or the Geography of Yearning,” Thursdays through Sundays, Thursday, Feb. 23, to Saturday, March 25

Set in 1888, three female explorers attempt to conquer Terra Incognita, an unexplored territory where they encounter cannibals, trolls and artifacts. Eric Overmyer’s fantasy/sci-fi tale is a study of ambition and the human condition.

“Tell Me About You,” Fridays and Saturdays, Friday, March 3, to Saturday, March 11

Set on the theater’s new Etcetera Stage, this one-woman show takes place on a first date. Playwright, director and actor Ally Tanzillo plays

See THEATER Page A-15

LATIN KITCHEN&BAR

Broadway in Tucson brings its musical version of Mean Girls to the Centennial Hall.

a version of herself in this comedy about modern dating.

“Tooth Fairies in Training,”

Saturdays and Sundays, Saturday, April 15, to Sunday, April 30

Richard Gremel’s children’s show takes place on the first day of tooth fairy training for Bridget Bicuspid and Marty Molar. Their miscues make Calvin McCavity threaten to end the Fairy Flight Force forever and they must save the day.

MYSTERY AND MAGIC DINNER THEATRE

tucsondinnertheater.com

“Murder at the Magic Show,” Saturdays and Sundays through Saturday, April 1

This dinner theater production includes a murder mystery and a magic show. A candlelit three-course dinner is served along with a comedy three-act murder mystery. Actors serve the meals, providing clues to the audience who can win prizes by solving the mystery.

ROGUE THEATRE

theroguetheatre.org

“The Seafarer,” Thursdays through Sundays, Thursday, March 2, to Sunday, March 19

Conor McPherson’s classic play is about an alcoholic drying out and living with his blind brother. He reluctantly hosts a Christmas Eve gathering with friends and must confront a promise he made decades ago to an ambiguous figure with supernatural echoes. A dark, funny and intense play.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Thursdays through Sundays, Thursday, April 27, to Sunday, May 14

Shakespeare’s comedy comprises four lovers and forest full of fairies. Hermia and Lysander run away into the woods when she is told she must marry her father’s choice, Demetrius. He chases her along with Helena, who is in love with Demetrius. Fairies intervene and rude mechanicals rehearsing for the wedding of the prince provide additional hijinks.

SCOUNDREL AND SCAMP THEATRE scoundrelandscamp.org

“Brontë,” Thursdays through Sundays, Thursday, Feb. 16, to Saturday, March 5

“Brontë” is a dramatic and literary examination of the lives of the three Brontë sisters by Polly Teale. It is 1845 and Branwell Brontë returns home in disgrace, turning the lives of his three literary sisters upside down as they live their isolated lives.

“One Twig at a Time,” Thursdays through Sundays, Thursday, April 13, to Sunday, April 30

A world premiere of Wolfe Bowart’s physical theater, the show incudes found art puppets, poetic visual theater, humor, pathos, drought, flood, overabundance and the vacuum of space. Five multigenerational actors explore community through visual poems.

“Pooh,” Fridays through Sundays (with weekday matinees for schools), Friday, May 12, to Sun-

day, May 21

A new Scoundrel and Scamp adaptation of A.A. Milne’s beloved characters from “Winnie the Pooh” features humans and forest-dwellers romping through the Hundred Acre Woods learning about courage, friendship, growth and acceptance.

WINDING ROAD THEATRE ENSEMBLE windingroadtheater.org

“Tick, tick, BOOM,” Friday, Feb. 24, to Sunday, March 5

Jonathan Larson’s autobiographical musical, written before “Rent,” is the story of a composer and the sacrifices he makes. It features 14 songs, 10 characters and three actors. It’s the story of a composer’s journey to a big Broadway blockbuster.

Eight 10s in Tucson, Friday, May 19, to Sunday, May 28

The fifth annual 10-minute play festival features eight original scripts chosen from hundreds of blind submissions, vetted and curated to create an eclectic collection of comedies and dramas. ITB

TICKET

Music strikes a chord this spring

By Laura Latzko Tucson Local Media Contributor

This spring in Tucson, music fans can experience to a variety of acts. Here is a cross-section of what listeners can expect.

• Folk singer and activist David Huckfelt, the founding frontman for Minneapolis indie group The Pines, Saturday, Feb. 18, Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• LA-based electronic/soul/garage rock band Inner Wave, Saturday, Feb. 18, Club Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Twiddle, a Vermont four-piece band, Saturday, Feb. 18, 191 Toole, 191toole.com

• In four decades, Steel Pulse has been tackling subjects such as global racial injustice and human rights in its music, Sunday, Feb. 19, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• Maryland ska/punk/reggae band Ballyhoo!, Sunday, Feb. 19, Club Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Peaceful Sky Benefit Presents an Evening of Desert Voices, Monday, Feb. 20, Club Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Haley Reinhart, a Chicago-born singer who now lives in Los Angeles, appeared on season 10 of “American Idol,” Monday, Feb. 20, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• A Mardi Gras celebration will feature live music from Dr. Mojo and Zydeco Cannibals and the Mysterious Babies Traditional Jazz Band, Tuesday, Feb. 21, Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• Cuarteto Casals, Wednesday, Feb. 22, The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, tucsonmusichall.org

• Americana/folk artist Mark Stuart, Thursday, Feb. 23, Hotel Congress, hotelcongress.com

• A Phoenix native who now lives in New York, Michael Eckroth will return to Arizona to perform with his trio, Friday, Feb. 24, Century Room of Hotel Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Metal Fest 22, Friday, Feb. 24, 191 Toole, 191toole.com

• Locash w/Drake Milligan, Saturday, Feb. 25, Desert Diamond Casino, Sahuarita, ddcaz.com

• Tucson Symphony Orchestra: Latin Fire, Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26, The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, tucsonmusichall.org

• Piano Explosion! w/Ricky Nye, Eric-Jan “Mr. Boogie Woogie” Overbeek, Saturday, Feb. 25, Century Room of Hotel Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Brujeria, Saturday, Feb. 25, The Rock, rocktucson.com

• Coco Montoya has spanned blues, rock and soul genres with his music and released 11 albums since going solo in the ’90s, Friday, Feb. 25, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Sunday, Feb. 26, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• Wildcat Jazz Band performs Fats Waller music, Monday, Feb. 27, Century Room of Hotel Congress, hotelcongress.com

• South-Korean hip-hop trio Epik High, Monday, Feb. 27, Rialto Theatre, rialto-

theatre.com

• Southern blues rock guitarist and singer Tinsley Ellis, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 191 Toole, 191toole.com

• Gary Mullen and the Works will bring “One Night of Queen,” Tuesday, Feb. 28, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• Post-punk’s Holy Faint, Friday, March 3, Club Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Longtime friends Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore bring blues/folk music, Saturday, March 4, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• Artists John Pizzarelli and Catherine Russell will play homage to Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, Saturday, March 4, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• The Queen’s Cartoonists, Saturday, March 4. Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• Southern Gothic’s The Legendary Shack Shakers, Wednesday, March 8, Club Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Dawson Hollow w/Nite Tides, Thursday,

(Submitted)

Locash with Drake Milligan will perform at Desert Diamond Casino on Saturday, Feb. 25.

See MUSIC Page A-17

March 9, Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, theseaofglass.org

• Skeletal Remains, Friday, March 10, The Rock, rocktucson.com

• Liam St. John, Friday, March 10, Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, theseaofglass.org

• Los Lobos, Friday, March 10, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• Tucson Swing Festival, Friday, March 10, to Sunday, March 12, Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• Wisconsin-based pianist Geoffrey Keezer, Saturday, March 11, Century Room of Hotel Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Rapper Aaron Smith, also known as Shwayze, Saturday, March 11, 191 Toole, 191toole.com

• Led by Dublin-born singer Dave King, Flogging Molly is a Celtic punk rock group formed in Los Angeles in the 1990s, Tuesday, March 14, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tuesday, March 14, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• Blues/Southern rock’s North Mississippi Allstars, Wednesday, March 15, 191 Toole, 191toole.com

• Tucson Symphony Orchestra: Tantalizing Tricksters, Friday, March 17, to Sunday, March 19, The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, tucsonmusichall.org

• The Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation will pay tribute to Arizona Blues Hall of Fame artist Anna Warr with a special memorial concert, Sunday, March 19, Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• Greta Van Fleet, Monday, March 20, Tucson Arena, tucsonmusichall.org

• Black Violin, Tuesday, March 21, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• Mexican musician Oscar Alfonso

Castro, otherwise known as Caloncho, Wednesday, March 22, Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• Tucson Symphony Orchestra: An Evening with Hilary Hahn, Wednesday, March 22, The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, tucsonmusichall.org

• “Stayin’ Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees,” Thursday, March 23, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• Country singer-songwriter and author Rosanne Cash, Friday, March 24, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• Country’s Jimmie Allen, Friday, March 24, Desert Diamond Casino, ddcaz.com

• Metalachi blends mariachi and metal, Friday, March 24, Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• Nashville gospel/country singer Josh Turner, Friday, March 24, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• Tucson Symphony Orchestra: The Magic of John Williams, Saturday, March 25, and Sunday, March 26, The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, tucsonmusichall.org

• Saxophonist, singer/songwriter Vanessa Collier, Sunday, March 26, Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• TobyMac’s Hits Deep Tour, Tuesday, March 28, Tucson Arena, tucsonmusichall.com

• Formed in 1985, the Silos are a New York-based alternate country, rock and Americana group, Wednesday, March 29, 191 Toole, 191toole.com

• Postmodern artist Meow Meow, Wednesday, March 29, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• After performing during Tucson Jazz Week, Christian Sands and his trio return, Friday, March 31, Century Room of Hotel Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Tucson Symphony Orchestra: Mahler’s Resurrection, Friday, March 31, to Sun-

day, April 2, The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, tucsonmusichall.org

• Gabriel Ayala, Friday, March 31, Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, theseaofglass.org

• Jazz’s Wynton Marsalis, Friday, March 31, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• Over a 20-year career, funk and soul musician, composer and producer Eddie Roberts has worked with pop names in the music scene, Saturday, April 1, 191 Toole, 191toole.com

• Drummer Holly Channell, the winner of the Jazz Education Network’s 2023 Sister in Jazz honors, will pay tribute to composer Dorothy Fields, Sunday, April 2, Century Room of Hotel Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Foreigner: Greatest Hits Tour, Monday, April 3, The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, tucsonmusichall.org

• Grammy-nominated Christine Santelli, a New York-based singer, and Heather “Lil Mama” Hardy, an inductee into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame, Tuesday, April 4, Hotel Congress Plaza, hotelcongress.com

• Grammy-Award-winning twins and Julliard graduates Peter and Will Anderson will pay tribute to the music

of George Gershwin, Friday, April 7, the Century Room of Hotel Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Indigo Social Club, Saturday, April 8, Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, theseaofglass.org

• South-Korean group SURL plays British rock music, Sunday, April 9, Club Congress, hotelcongress.com

• Third Eye Blind, Wednesday, April 12, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• A five-piece Americana group, Brothers Comatose bring high-energy bluegrass, country and rock music, Saturday, April 15, 191 Toole, 191toole.com

• Los Angeles Azules de Iztapalapa, Saturday, April 15, Casino Del Sol, casinodelsol.com

• Canadian artist Gordon Lightfoot, Thursday, April 13, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• Silverstein, Tuesday, April 18, Rialto Theatre, rialtotheatre.com

• The Cream of Clapton Band, a group of musicians with ties to Eric Clapton, Friday, April 28, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

• Melissa Etheridge, Saturday, April 29, Fox Tucson Theatre, foxtucson.com

MUSIC from Page A-16

Artist donates pieces to support nonprofits

Special to Tucson Local Media

In celebration of her 81st birthday, Carolyn Eastman Cazares has commissioned The Center Gallery Fine Art in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, to sell her personal “legacy” collection.

Cazares is donating the profits from the sale of some 200 originals to her two favorite causes: The Sierra County Student Art Show (aka Tiger Art) and TorC’s People Growing Together.

When Cazares was 4 years old, she drew a tree that she notes did not look like the “lollipop trees” that her peers drew. Her nursery teacher proclaimed her an artist and her parents supported her art by buying $1 Walter Foster “how-to” books, which she “preferred to classes.”

At 7, she received her first set of oil paints. At 14, she took life drawing classes taught from renowned artist Warren Hunter. She said drawing the human figure still fascinates her.

Her work broadened over the years and from her 20s to 40s, she explored fashion design and sculptures, collage, acrylics, pastels, air brush and watercolors.

In the ’60s, she painted with Alberto Mijangos, a member of San Antonio’s “angry young artists” and was the Mexican American Institute of the Arts’ director at the time. She studied sumi painting (Chinese brush and ink) in Virginia with sumi master, I-Hsiung Ju.

Cazares said sumi came to her quite naturally and has influenced almost everything she’s done since. Her sumi master calls sumi painting a performing art.

“The brush dances and the ink sings,”

she said.

She has produced thousands of pieces, from large paintings to calligraphy of Hebrew letters, as well as ink drawings as small as a postage stamp. Cazares is fond of saying “no piece of paper is safe around me.”

She summarizes her body of work as the four Fs — faces, figures, flowers and fruit. She is including her “small treasures” in this show gleaned from her years of accumulated sketchbooks, many which had never been shown.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cazares opted for quarantining at home and devoted herself to further studies in “ancient wisdom, comparative religion, conspiracy theories, historical fiction, and the relationships between humans and extraterrestrials.” With no TV or radio, she found “a book a day keeps reality away.”

Cazares calls this stage of her life the fat lady’s swan song:

“If I live, I live and if I die, I live,” she said.

Tiger Art is the popular name of the Sierra County Student Art Show, sponsored annually by the Sierra County Arts Council and The Center Gallery Fine Art.

The show allows sixth- through 12thgrade students, selected by a panel of judges, to sell their art at the show and compete for scholarships and prizes. The second Student Art Show will be held at the TorC Civic Center from April 21 to April 22.

The nonprofit, People Growing Together, organizes community assets to maintain Sierra County food security through building an underground sustainable greenhouse for year-round production. ITB

(Carolyn Eastman Cazares/Submitted)

Carolyn Eastman Cazares’ “Cowgirl,” watercolor on paper, framed, 21 inches by 24 inches.

José Luis Gomez, Music Director

REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION

Real estate transactions

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Tucson Local Media

Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, announced the sale of Elevate, a 144-unit apartment property in Tucson. The asset traded for $21.8 million, or $151,389 per unit.

“Previous ownership enhanced all the common area amenities and implemented a two-tiered interior renovation program,” said Clint Wadlund, IPA senior director.

“A multifamily asset like Elevate will continue to attract prospective residents with its attractive amenities and convenient location in East Tucson,” added Hamid Panahi, IPA senior vice president.

Wadlund, Panahi, Steve Gebing, Cliff David and Lane Schwartz of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, Sheiner Group/Living Well Homes, and procured the buyer.

The property is close to Tucson’s historic Old Spanish Trail, which gives residents easy access to the Broadway Boulevard corridor and Tucson’s Eastside. Notable nearby employers include Afni, the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Agero, Alorica, and the University of Arizona Tech Park at Rita Road. There are approximately 44,400 jobs within a 5-mile radius.

Constructed in 1985 on 4 acres, Elevate is a three-story, six-building property with a business center, swimming pool and fitness center. Apartments have private balconies or patios, oversized/walk-in closets and all-electric kitchens. The average unit size is 817 square feet.

(IPA/Submitted)

Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap, brokered the sale of Elevate, a 144-unit apartment property in Tucson. The asset traded for $21.8 million, or $151,389 per unit.

Marcus & Millichap announced the sale of The Zone, a 26-unit apartment property located in Tucson. The asset sold for $13.8 million. “The Zone is a build-to-rent property characterized by its unique architectural design and distinctive, condominium-quality finishes,” said Hamid Panahi, senior vice president of Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap.

“The scarcity of developable land near the University of Arizona provides shelter from future multifamily supply and increases their long-term investment appeal,” added Clint Wadlund, IPA senior vice president. Panahi, Clint Wadlund and Art Wadlund in Marcus & Millichap’s Tucson office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, Brad Management, and procured the buyer, Texas Capital Partners.

The Zone is located at 1330 E. Drachman Street in Tucson.

Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale of Dakota Canyon, an 80-unit apartment property located in Tucson. The asset sold for $9.5 million.

Clint Wadlund, Hamid Panahi and Art Wadlund, investment specialists in Marcus & Millichap’s Tucson office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, an individual/personal trust and procured the buyer, Break of Day Capital.

“The seller achieved their investment goal over a four-year hold period and is actively reinvesting in the Tucson market in order to continue to expand their footprint in the market,” Panahi said.

“The buyer is excited at the opportunity to acquire an asset located 0.4 miles from Icon, another one of their assets, and continue to build upon the Icon brand withing the Tucson market,” Clint Wadlund said.

Dakota Canyon is located at 6201 E. Pima Street in Tucson. Built in 1973, the property is comprised one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Units feature fully appointed kitchens and ceiling fans, and ±28 of the units include a washer/ dryer. Residents enjoy various community amenities including

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Realtors offer glimpse into Tucson’s housing market

By Justin Liggin Inside Tucson Business Contributor

While the past few years have been red hot for the Tucson real estate market, recent trends and marketing adjustments have yielded a slightly cooler market that is more balanced for both buyers and sellers.

“Tucson’s housing market is currently in a leveling stage after years of high performance. With mortgage rates dropping slightly and an increase in housing inventory, more buyers are jumping back into the market to find their dream home,” said Eric Gibbs, 2023 Arizona Association of Realtors president and designated broker of Realty One Group Integrity in Tucson.

The Arizona Association of Realtors is the largest trade association in Arizona, current-

ly representing over 55,000 Arizona Realtors. Its members are active real estate licensees and includes professionals from all areas of the industry – residential, commercial, land and property management.

Arizona Realtors advocates for protecting private property rights and balancing laws and regulations that impact property owners and renters.

While 2022 saw Arizona have approximately a three-day supply of homes, it now looks more like a three-month supply. Even though more inventory is available, this element could remain a challenge for Tucson home hunters due to pricing.

“Buyers are in the market and on the move, however the problem many buyers have faced is affordable inventory in the

median price range. If someone is looking for a home under $300,000, there may only be a few available to them, which is causing some of the slowdown in homebuying,” Gibbs said.

This slight slowdown in the market is encouraging Tucson home sellers to be more realistic on pricing and the condition of the home that they are selling. Realtors suggest that prospective home sellers prioritize the photography of their home in the selling process and make all major repairs prior to selling to prevent an impact on pricing. While the past few years have been a frenzy in the Tucson market due to low interest rates and low inventory, interest rates are on the rise in 2023 and have become a trending topic of discussion in real estate, especially in conjunction with

the fluctuating stock market. However, Realtors are confident in the stability of the market and predict a shift to a more even market that doesn’t favor buyers or sellers too heavily.

“The market will improve as 2023 continues,” Gibbs said.

“While we still may face obstacles with rising interest rates, as we get past the first, second and third quarters of 2023, we are going to see those interest rates come down.”

Before you embark on your home search, it is critical for buyers to be prepared and to work with a professional realtor that has extensive knowledge of not only the area, but the overall market to help you act fast and get exactly what you are looking for.

“A realtor brings value to the transaction and represents your values and needs,” Gibbs said. “We are here to help you navigate the process by identifying trends, providing contract assistance and cost awareness to efficiently find a home that fits your budget.”

One of these trends identified by Gibbs is the shift to remote work over the years and its impact on the housing market. For many, remote work has become the norm rather

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a swimming pool, fitness center, and picnic areas with barbecue grills.

Sales

Mark Longhi Jr. and Anthony Longhi purchased the 8,000-square-foot former Family Dollar at 3035 E. 36th Street and Country Club for $400,000. Gordon Wagner with NAI Horizon represented

than commuting to the office five days a week. This has had an impact on the types of homes that people prefer while on their home search.

“Remote work has increased the demand for both suburban and rural areas,” Gibbs said.

“Homebuyers are in search of homes that provide comfort for both life and work; this means more space, an open floorplan, a sizable backyard and a home office that meets their needs.”

This flexibility in the workplace means that more potential homebuyers are free to discover new places. Tucson remains a destination for many with the warm climate and all the attractions and events the city has to offer from high-end golf courses to the rodeo to the world-famous Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase every year.

“People are realizing that Tucson is a great place to live with a lot to offer. In addition to events, Tucson is meeting homebuyer demands for amenities like lap pools, tennis courts, golf courses and more,” Gibbs said.

There has also been an influx of homebuyers looking to be near the places they love most.

According to Gibbs, Tucson homebuyers are in search of

the seller and Mark Longhi Sr. with Coldwell Banker represented the buyers in this transaction.

Tucson Commercial Buildings LLC purchased a 10.1-acre industrial parcel of land at 8650 E. Old Vail Road from the Ray Kimberlin Revocable Trust for $825,000. Gordon Wagner with NAI Horizon handled the transaction.

Leases

Percheron Professional

communities where their favorite stores and restaurants are within reach.

This move to Tucson doesn’t just include homebuyers.

Economic developers across the state are also continuing to attract new and expanding businesses to Tucson which will continue to have a positive impact on the housing market and make Tucson a great place to reside. ITB

Arizona Association of Realtors aaronline.com

Services LLC leased 2,495 square feet at 7720 N. Oracle Road. Ben Craney and Gordon Wagner with NAI Horizon represented the landlord and Julian Willetts with RE/MAX Excalibur represented the tenant in this transaction.

Pour My Coffee Company

LLC leased 1,462 square feet at Rita Ranch Shopping Center located at 9136 E. Valencia Road. Dave Dutson with NAI Horizon handled this transaction. ITB

(Eric Gibbs/Submitted) Eric Gibbs serves as the 2023 president of the Arizona Realtors and is a designated broker of Realty One Group Integrity in Tucson.

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What’s up in Tucson real estate?

By Gregory Richman Inside Tucson Business Contributor

The Tucson area enjoys a thriving real estate market. Of course there are ups and downs, as in all markets, that prompt questions in the minds of consumers. One basic fact underlies the Tucson-area real estate market: It has experienced nonstop growth for decades on end.

Due to constant and consistent growth in population in the Southwest in general, the real estate market has provided good returns over the short, medium and long haul. Should current economic uncertainty worry you? Well, yes, I believe there’s cause for concern. But economic data over the last six months plus has indicated inflation is easing, the job market is strong, and there are signs of hope for economic conditions improving countrywide. Plus, mortgage interest rates have eased a bit.

Mortgage interest rates are a strong driver of demand for real estate. We experienced years of unprecedented low mortgage interest rates. We became a bit spoiled, and expectations became skewed. The quick doubling of mortgage interest rates into the mid 6%s shocked consumers, and demand for housing quickly fell off. Prices naturally subsided a bit. But it seems consumers quickly got a reality check realizing mortgage interest rates in the 6%s aren’t bad (look at historical charts of mortgage rates), and demand has steadily returned. Lately, mortgage interest rates have eased a bit. I believe this bodes very well for the housing market.

Supply and demand for housing in the Tucson area are pretty well balanced. It’s neither a “buyer’s market” or a “seller’s market.”

Homes are taking a more traditional amount of time to sell.

The number of active

listings of residential property in the greater Tucson area is up from a low of around 2,200 listings a year ago to almost 4,000 current market listings. This number is close to “equilibrium.”

The average list time is almost two months (this is normal, unlike the recent past where homes were flying off the market in days), and many properties are taking longer than two months to sell. The average home price in the greater Tucson area is in the low $300,000s. This figure has been consistently rising. That’s a good sign for the housing market in general. The average price/square foot is just over $200. That’s up over 2% from last year. The sold price to list price ratio is at about 96% meaning sellers are slightly discounting (negotiating) their list price. Compared to the recent past, one can see we’re in a much more “normal” market condition. Yet, the Tucson mar-

ket is still competitive.

I feel Tucson’s market is competitive because, in part, we’re still a bargain compared to other metropolitan areas. Plus, Southern Arizona, and the Tucson area in specific, have very strong job markets.

There’s a lot to love about the greater Tucson area. In my opinion, our real estate market will continue to stay strong. Buyers and sellers should not fear overall economic uncertainty, and should act on their particular real estate needs instead of holding off due to prognostications.

Email me with any real estate-related questions, and I’ll either address them in my column or respond directly.

Gregory Richman is an associate broker with HomeSmart Advantage Group. He can be reached at 520-249-1239 or grichman@richmantucsonhomes.com. ITB

CBD is Catalina shop owner’s saving grace

By Hope Peters

Inside Tucson Business Contributor

Sean Lyons crushed his lower back 30 years ago after he jumped off an 80foot cliff into the unforgiving water below.

“I crushed my L1,” said Lyons, who avoided paralysis. “They (the doctors) gave me everything under the sun. They thew

everything at the wall to help me to see what would stick.”

Nothing stuck. He tried opioids, which only eased his pain for a short time. His doctors gave him cortisone shots, ibuprofen and a low dose of muscle relaxers to no avail. Lyons just learned to live with the pain.

Everything turned around when his wife, Monique, introduced him to CBD. She was working at a Sunmed CBD in New Orleans.

“My wife came home and said, ‘Hey what do you have to lose? Let’s give it a try,’” Lyons said. “I started to use it regularly, twice a day, every day. For me

it took six to eight weeks before it seemed to activate my endocannabinoid system (ECS).”

Lyons said endocannabinoid system is found throughout the body.

“Those physiological processes, your appetite, pain, mood, inflammation, energy, sleep, metabolism, it runs the gambit

on how you function on a regular basis,” Lyons said.

Lyon started taking the Sunmed CBD oil tincture. Now he sticks with an oral sublingual hemp tincture.

Lyons said the results of the CBD for his back pain were very subtle at first.

“My wife, Monique, said, ‘Hey are you messing with me?’” Lyons

explained. “‘You seem to be functioning at a much higher level. You don’t shuffle your feet in the morning...you aren’t all hunched over.’ I was really almost unaware that I was upright and not in pain, sort of back to normal.” Together, they now

(HomeSmart Advantage Group/Submitted) Gregory Richman, an associate broker with HomeSmart Advantage Group.

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own Catalina’s Your CBD Store, which exclusively sells Sunmed products. There are eight Your CBD Stores in Southern Arizona, including the Lyons’ store in Catalina, and others in Green Valley and Sierra Vista.

Lyons will forever be a supporter. He continues his CBD regimen and will continue to “take this stuff as long as I’m walking this earth.”

CBD, scientifically known as cannabidiol, is a naturally occurring compound that is found in high concentrations in hemp.

CBD is also the most-re-

searched cannabinoid. CBD and minor cannabinoids like CBG and CBN are outperforming other compounds without the side effects caused by THC.

CBD and THC are from the same plant, Lyons said.

Your CBD Stores are the country’s largest brickand-mortar CBD chain.

Lyons said Sunmed and Your CBD Stores stress “quality through transparency.”

“You can pick up any product within the Sunmed line,” he said.

“On the label is a QR code you can scan and receive a lab report for the thing you’re holding in your hand.”

The Lyons’ Your CBD

Restaurant Chains

(Your CBD Store/Submitted)

Thirty years ago Sean Lyons crushed his lower back in an 80-foot jump off a cliff. He found pain relief with Sunmed CBD. He and wife Monique now own Your CBD Store, located in Catalina, and carry Sunmed products exclusively.

Store holds the No. 1 spot in the CBD category from Entrepreneur Magazine as well as many best of products; Best CBD Pet Tincture Natural; Best CBD Topical Cream; Best CBD Cosmetic Skin Care; Best CBD Tincture Orange; Best CBD Pet Product for Movin’ Easy Pet Chews. ITB Your CBD Store Golder Ranch Plaza 15318 N. Oracle Road, Suite 160, Tucson 520-389-8531, getsunmed.com

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday

Independently Owned Restaurants