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A NASA astronomical imaging kiosk is at the Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of

the West. (Special to the Progress)

Museum of the West partners with NASA

BY ABIGAIL LACOMBE

Progress Contributor

ANASA astronomical imaging kiosk is an unlikely bedfellow with the Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

Thanks to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and NASA, the museum has taken on a new approach to art engagement.

After wandering through the historical art exhibits such as Edward S. Curtis’ masterful portrait collection, and Paul Calle’s “From the Mountains to the Moon” exhibit of sketch to paintings, the NASA kiosk paints a new perspective.

“Paired with the artwork for Paul Calle’s famous moon landing postage stamp, the NASA kiosk welcomes guests to create their own space art,” said museum Development Director Dr. Michael L. Zirulnik.

“They experience how scientists use color with telescopic images to explore the depths of our universe.”

Through Aug. 31, “Observing with NASA” or OWN, will offer an informal and interactive learning experience for museum visitors, education professionals, and young audiences looking to learn something new. For the first time, Arizona residents can see what astrophotography is really like.

By creating a personal masterpiece of the cosmos, engaging with robotic telescope image analysis, and exploring much more of the universe from a single screen, OWN aims to spark curiosity.

“The NASA kiosk illustrates how art and science are integral in communicating exploration, while investigating new frontiers,” Zirulnik continues.

Singer raises funds, awareness for veterans

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

Progress Staff Writer

Veterans are personal to singer Lee Perreira.

His father was in the Air Force and his grandfathers were in the Air Force and Marines. Following his mantra of “Inspiration inspires inspiration,” Perreira ran 16 marathons in 16 days in mid-June to raise $5,000 for an egress door and a handicap ramp at the Buckeye VFW.

“That was my attempt at running 100 miles in 24 hours to raise money for veterans through my nonprofit, 16 x 16,” Perreira said.

“The goal was $5,000 and we raised over $15,000. I have so much respect for veterans.”

He will present the check in early September. Previously, he collected funds for Chrysalis, AHCF and Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children.

“I recently donated my time at Chrysalis, which works with domestic violence survivors,” he says. “I went during a time when people were eating and played songs. Once I started playing, this little girl got closer and closer—then she got really close. Music brings out the best in people.”

Running 100 miles in one day was the goal; he stopped at 81. He longed to finish, so three days later he did just that.

“I’ve been pretty beat up since then,” he says with a laugh. “But seriously, I find it so fulfilling. It gives me extra motivation to work out and be physical. Whenever I do any of these things, personally, I grow a lot. I learned a lot about myself and

Singer Lee Perreira will perform Friday at the Musical Instrument Museum. (Courtesy Lee Perreria) pushing through tough times.”

A TV news outlet filmed Perreira with some of the veterans and, he says, good energy filled the room.

To celebrate finishing his run, he’s headed to Costa Rica with his fiancée and then returns to the Valley to play the Musical Instrument Museum on Friday, August 19. He’s pushing “Live @ MIM Pt. 2,” recorded last July.

“We actually filmed the night, too,” he says. “We’ll be back with a full 10-piece seePERREIRA page 24

At first thought, art and space wouldn’t be connected. The OWN kiosk, however, proves that it is the opposite. As Zirulnik states, art is necessary in space exploration and discovery.

OWN has six educational exercises that use real NASA data to provide a surreal interaction. People can find Apollo sites 11-17 by searching for small details on the moon’s surface and reveal images by using “invisible light.”

Objects, landscapes, gases and other features that originally are invisible can be seen with added light and other expansive editing software.

Guests also can observe planet rotation and animate the images over time and use processing tools to enhance and colorize galaxies, the sun and moon, Jupiter and Mars.

They can also combine multiple images to visualize the vibrant colors emitted by objects in space.

The last bit of the OWN kiosk is a robotic telescope. Museum visitors can

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | AUGUST 14, 2022 remotely send commands to a real-time telescope somewhere in the world and the image will be emailed to them as soon as its able to snap a good shot of the sky.

Discover celestial objects, change the color filters and exposure times to create your own unique photo.

Zirulnik is excited for this feature saying he “couldn’t wait to get the telescope images in my inbox.”

OWN is a perfect complement to Paul Calle’s exhibit, specifically his iconic oil painting “The Great Moment,” a depiction of Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon’s surface. The painting explores textures and the vast darkness that surrounded Armstrong. “We are so happy to be given the opportunity for OWN to be in our museum. When the opportunity came up, the first thing we thought of was that big painting of the moon landing. It’s exactly what was needed to bring a modern life to the exhibit.” Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is at 3830 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale. Information: 480-686-9539 or scottsdalemuseumwest.org.

PERREIRA ���� page 22

band. The horn section adds so much energy.”

Several years ago, Perreira decided to consistently release music, longing not to have gaps in release dates.

“I don’t make enough money to be able to invest the time and money into putting out a full-length album every year, which is what I would want to do,” he says.

“I have tons of tunes. I release something three to 10 times a year, whether it’s a single or an album or whatever. I have two singles ready to drop. I just don’t know when I’m going to do it. I may do fall and winter. I have enough music to get me through this year and all of next year.”

The plan works for Perreira and allows him to feel like he has forward momentum with music.

Perreira never felt like he was a bad guy, but “I definitely could have done better.” In prison for four months because of his DUI convictions, Perreria ran his first marathon. “I was this crazy white gringo running laps all day, but I needed to focus on something,” he says. “I said, ‘Let me break this down. What would a marathon be? Oh, 26.2 miles. That would be 102 laps.’ On Father’s Day 2018, he ran 26.2 miles in prison.” When he got out, he figured he would promote his record by running and performing at the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon. Forty-five minutes after he finished, he was on stage performing with his band.

“I was devastated afterward,” he says now with a laugh. “My feet were throbbing, and the band was like, ‘Are we doing this again?’ I said, ‘Hell no.’”

That, in turn, has lifted up every other aspect of his life.

“My business has gone up,” he says. “My songwriting has gone up. My original music reach has gone up. My relationship with my fiancée has improved. I really want to surround myself with positive people and people who are moving in a certain direction.”

Lee Perreira

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19 Where: Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix Cost: Tickets start at $30 Info: mim.org, leeperreira.com

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