Eat Your Hearts Out, Art Lovers!

Tucson Arts Brigade’s Edible Art Gala features culinary art & more on Jan. 18.

Monica Warhol, cousin of the famous pop artist Andy Warhol, is the celebrity emcee at the Edible Art Gala. photo: Randall Swindell

It should be no great revelation to anyone that, as human beings, we need a few things beyond food, water and shelter to thrive. We need a general knowledge base and special skills to make and manage goods, homes, and businesses. We need exercise to maintain our optimum level of personal health. And we need the arts to make it all worthwhile.

Says Vanessa Beard, Executive Director of the new artisan collective/café/beer and wine bar, Maker House, what people make without an art-first perspective “might be utilitarian, but,” she adds, “without art there is no beauty.”

Here, here to that.

Without that artisanal approach to engineering, there would be no Golden Gate Bridge. If there wasn’t a touch of artist in every great architect, then forget about Frank Lloyd Wright. If not for Steve Job’s attention to the aesthetes, you could say sayonara to all of those rounded rectangles. Put succinctly by Tucson Arts Brigade (TAB) Marketing Director Jodi Netzer: “Without arts education, you get zombies.”

Since both organizations were united in the goal to make art more accessible to the masses, and since Maker House had already scheduled a Black and White Art show opening for mid-January, the decision to bring the non-profit community arts and education group to Maker House’s newly-restored 10,000 square foot space in the historic (not to mention stunning) Bates Mansion for their first fundraiser bash of 2014 seemed only natural. And thus, two independent art events became one mega-party.

As far as art galas go, the Edible Art Gala may prove hard to top. Some highlights include art-inspired hors d’oeuvres provided by local culinary artisans (as of press time TAB was still accepting contributions, so local chefs and culinary professionals are encouraged to get in touch), live music by a number of local bands spanning every genre, plenty of booze, and a fabulous art auction featuring more than forty pieces from TAB’s Traveling Art Show and a dining set valued at over $3,000.

Attendees are encouraged to wear art-themed costumes and participate in the fashion show for a shot at winning some groovy prizes. Local artist Monica Warhol, a cousin to Andy Warhol who recently made headlines for a debacle involving her portrait of Kim Kardashian, has confirmed that she will emcee the event. As if that weren’t enough, the opening of Maker House’s Black and White Art Show with works by Danny Martin and Will Taylor will run concurrently.

The money raised from ticket sales and the art auction will go directly back to TAB to support their many ongoing and expanding programs, like the Mural Arts Project, which encourages community members, especially youth, to take ownership of their neighborhoods through beautification and revitalization efforts. The murals installed by the program—like the one put in place under the heavily-graffitied overpass at 29th Street and Columbus—can cost upwards of $20,000.

TAB Executive Director Michael B. Schwartz says there is also a high demand for the group’s after-school programs. Ideally, they would like to operate one such program in each of Tucson’s six Wards, though Schwartz says that the money just hasn’t been available. He says that as many as 15,000 people could benefit from a consistent after-school art program right now, but stresses that consistency is key.

“When we run these programs,” Schwartz says matter-of-factually, “the kids excel.”

So come one, come all to the Edible Art Gala and support a great cause, rub elbows with some of Tucson’s most popular artists, and make yourself feel like someone important as you schmooze,drink and dance the night away in a spectacular 1940’s mansion. What more could you possibly ask for?

It all goes down on Saturday evening, Jan. 18 from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Maker House, 283 N. Stone Ave. Food and mingling from 6 p.m.-8 p.m., the fashion shoe and auction are from 8 p.m.-9 p.m. and dancing from 9 p.m. to close. Tickets are $15 pre-sale and $20 at the door. More information is available online at TucsonArtsBrigade.org.

Category: Arts, Community, DOWNTOWN / UNIVERSITY / 4TH AVE