Tag: tucson

Art Happens in Storied Congress Space

November 1, 2014 |
Krikawa Jewelry

The Krikawa Family, left to right: LeCarie Whitfield, Chief of Operations (Patrick’s Wife); Patrick Swartz, Master CAD Modeler (Lisa’s brother and John’s best friend from High School); John Krikawa, Chief Technical Officer; Lisa Krikawa, Founder, CEO, Head Designer. Photo © Balfourwalker.com

Art Happens in Storied Congress Space
Krikawa Jewelry Designs is upping the ante downtown, adding its new design studio, gallery and retail space to an already critical mass of cool on Congress

The eastern end of Congress exerts a gravitational pull downtown – with a steady diet of food and drink phenomena. But it’s time to start walking west, where a faceted flash has been added to the mix…and a long-standing Tucson designer has raised the game along the far reaches of downtown’s entertainment corridor.

Lisa Krikawa – award-winning jewelry designer and the last graduate of the University of Arizona’s metal-smithing program in 1997 ––is moving her studio downtown, the first jewelry house devoted to a mix of contemporary wearable art gallery, jewelry bench, local artisan resource and offices. It’s an ambitious new project launched by her 17-year old Tucson family-operated company, following a year of research and planning. Leasing the 4,200 square-foot space once occupied by one of Tucson’s first jewelers (Daniel’s Jewelers), Krikawa has carefully renovated the historic jewelry store, exposing its brick and tiles, and preserving touches like the Daniel’s mosaic street tablet, under the sparkling direction of Baker-Hesseldenz Design and architect J. Chauncey Meyer, known for their innovative urban modern spaces.

Since opening shop in her garage, Lisa has forged a singular niche in an international arts landscape, where her couture-design custom rings, her extremely detailed layering of the old-world mokumé-gané technique on heirloom pieces, and her high-tech, intricate swirls of gems set in precious metal are renowned. As much at home carving her own jeweler waxes as crafting 3-D CAD-modeled designs, Lisa has built a business showcasing environmentally-clean and ethically-certified pieces, with a mystique unlike anything else you’ll see in Tucson. Krikawa has thrived under Lisa and her family’s symbiotic partnership, growing into an organization of 11 employees and over 5,000 custom designs for clients from Australia to Canada, and from Germany to New York, California and Tucson.

After multiple moves across the city, from garage, to a Sam Hughes studio and most recently to St. Philip’s Plaza, Krikawa says the 21 E. Congress St. relocation, opening November 22, signals that her studio is growing up, a perfect marriage of high art, community vision and unerring instinct for what’s cool.

“We’re artisans who belong downtown,” confirms Krikawa, who notes that everyone working at the company has his/her own art. “All our choices convey our vision of creative expression, and sustain our desire to be part of a dynamic community integral to our customers’ experience.

“When I saw the space I saw it as a possibility for anything,” she continues. “I knew it was right for Krikawa.”

With its tall ceilings and brick walls left raw, the innovative structure is being built out in a multi-faceted layout resembling a small design city. In a bright front exhibition area, visitors will observe handcrafted modern displays showcasing works of top-tier artisans; further into the 1,600 square feet of gallery showroom space will be a congenial lounge area as well “play stations” for customers to visualize and personalize the process of creating custom jewelry pieces. Further back, Krikawa gets even more interesting with window views in to the creative nurseries – the soldering, CAD and tooling stations, as well as the jeweler’s bench. Krikawa offices are in the back.

Lisa Krikawa has a vigorous agenda for her front exhibition space, and has invited approximately 30 premier artisans to be part of the first show, an installation called Local Flavors, on view through January 31. The collection features contemporary jewelry pieces, hats and other wearable art, making for a gallery experience that’s both intimate and communal, spiced up by unusual offerings that mix metals and patterns. Intuitive and diverse, the Local Flavors show is influenced by local design and what feels right. “It’s experimental, it’s fun,” Lisa observes. “It’s thoughtfully curated, but it also has a freshness relatable to everyone.”

Architecturally-styled Erik Stewart jewelry, as well as urban designs by Maureen Brusa-Zappelini and unique silverwork by Sam Patania, are among the works and artists represented. Like a fine digital mix made by a friend, the collection works because of the detail and the quality.

For the opening, Krikawa also is introducing a new line of sterling food-related charms, a whimsical nod to the foodie and fashionista locavorism of her Congress counterparts. A portion of charm sales will support the Food Bank, a philanthropic practice Krikawa routinely provides to local nonprofits.

A hint of Krikawa’s unique downtown programming is evident in its planned extracurricular activities, including DIY workshops, which will allow customers to be involved in the CAD design and even the polishing of their custom pieces. “Art is personal expression and we want those who wish it, to have a hand in their own jewelry,” she asserts.

This type of DIY involvement, although somewhat revolutionary in the jewelry business, is of growing interest, and Krikawa excitedly talks about the creative empowerment planned in her studio.

“I’m a Tucsonan who always has believed in the spirit of downtown,” the metalsmith says. “With this space, I can continue my business as a successful commercial venture, but also open up to new creative options for myself as an artist and for the community as a whole.”

Krikawa’s dynamic sense of possibility is jumping at the chance to explore the less orthodox. “I don’t want to put any limits on what Krikawa might do downtown,” she smiles.

Krikawa Jewelry Design’s new space opens Saturday, November 22, 6-9pm., with its Local Flavors exhibit, 21 E. Congress St., downtown. Showroom and design appointment hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9am-5pm; Saturday, 10am-4pm. (520)322-6090, Krikawa.com.

 

 

PACC’s $100K Challenge

July 1, 2014 |
Pima Animal Care Center's $100K Challenge events includes community adoptions and puppy cuddles. photo courtesy: Pima Animal Care Center

Pima Animal Care Center’s $100K Challenge events includes community adoptions and puppy cuddles. Photo courtesy: Pima Animal Care Center

If you are considering adding a furry friend to your family, doing so before the end of the summer can help Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) win a huge chunk of cash.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is in its fifth and final year of their annual $100K Challenge and PACC is in the running for the grand prize of (no big surprise here) $100,000. Fifty shelters from across the country were selected from hundreds of applications to compete for a total prize pool of $600,000 by rescuing more animals in the months of June, July and August than they did in the previous year during the same three-month period.

PACC sees an average of about 24,000 animals come through its facility on Silverbell Road each year with between 600 to 900 dogs and cats on site at any given time. Last summer between June and August, PACC’s Development Director Karen Hollish says that the shelter was able to save a total of 3,046 animals, meaning that in order to win the grand prize they will need to find homes for well over 1000 animals each month this summer.

To help make this happen, in addition to their regular monthly adoption event on site, Hollish says that PACC will be running adoption specials and events at their facility throughout the competition. Some of these events include a community dog walk and cat cuddle on Friday, July 4, which will be coupled with a freedom week adoption special; a Community Art Fiesta on Saturday, July 19 featuring more than 40 pieces of art in a silent auction; a Family Fun Fiesta on Saturday, August 2; regular “Free Cat Fridays,” with all of it culminating in a Cat’s Pajamas Countdown Party at the end of August, during which the shelter will remain open for 36 hours straight for that final push to meet their goal. And, says Hollish, all of PACC’s animals “come fully-loaded,” meaning that they are “spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, vaccinated, and up to date on all of their shots” before you take them home, not to mention the free vet visit you are entitled to afterwards.

Though they are excited about their opportunity to compete in the $100K Challenge’s last gasp, Hollish says that if PACC had it their way they probably would have chosen another three-month block in which to hold the contest. “Tucson’s a snowbird community,” says Hollish, “so we really need our locals to come out and help us this summer. As a fundraising director, I wouldn’t normally have an art auction in July.” But, she says, things being what they are, they’ve pushed much of their calendar forward so as to remain competitive with the other shelters in their division.

Recent additions to PACC’s budget to the tune of about $400,000 are also helping the facility to beat last year’s numbers, having provided the facility with a climate-controlled outdoor tent to house additional adoptees as well as their first on-site vet (no one wants to take a sick puppy home, after all). Though it is outside the scope of the challenge, PACC will also see a measure on the November ballot which could provide them the funding they need to build a state-of-the-art $22 million medical facility, though they are having to put that thought on the back burner for at least the next few months.

Not in the market for another mouth to feed? Adopting an animal isn’t the only way you can help PACC make headway in the challenge — Hollish says that the ASPCA is actually monitoring and giving out awards for community engagement as well for sheer number of lives saved, so visiting PACC’s Facebook page and sharing their posts, leaving comments, and Tweeting with the hashtag “#100kChallenge” or “#100kSaved” will all help the cause in one form or another.

What do you say, Tucson? Are you up to the challenge? Then throw a dog a bone and bring home a new buddy.

The ASPCA’s $100K Challenge runs through August. More info at webcms.pima.gov/government/pima_animal_care_center or by calling (520) 243-5900. Pima Animal Care Center is located at 4000 N. Silverbell Rd.

Where L’Chaim Illuminates

November 30, 2013 |

Head to Downtown’s Jewish History Museum to learn local Jewish lore that goes beyond this month’s Hanukkah candles and Christmas-Day Chinese dinners. 

The front of the Downtown Jewish History Museum. photo courtesy Jewish History Museum

To delve into the sometimes-odd-but-always-fascinating corners of Southwest Jewish history, you need to turn onto the road less traveled: Go south on Stone Avenue, past the police station and the cathedral, to the simple, classical revival structure that was the original synagogue in the Arizona Territory, in fact the first house of worship for Jews throughout the Southwest.

There’s lots of what you might call the stranger side of Tucson Jewish folklore there to be discovered.

Before 564 S. Stone Ave. was re-opened as the Jewish History Museum in 2001, iterations as a Mexican radio station and a flophouse collected in the 1910 building’s long and storied history. Abandoned after Temple Emanu-El moved further east from Downtown in the 1940s, the building thankfully survived and is now a restored showcase of one-offs and collections depicting a rich regional Jewish history.  The museum specializes in found objects — amazing stuff that somehow made its way out of owners’ hands and into this house of treasures.

Take, for example, one of the first 48-star flags flown in Tucson (February 14, 1912). Mercantile businessman Charlie Gold flew the flag over his shop on Congress Street, just west of Church Avenue. There’s also a Tucsonan-owned pocket watch with a Hebrew-inscribed time-face that was given to Jewish soldiers who served the Kaiser during World War I. And there’s an 1897 centavo Mexican coin, which was in the time capsule placed in the cornerstone laid at the synagogue in 1910.

A timeline of western Jewish lore and the personalities who shaped it surround the meticulously-preserved original woodwork and pews as well as the cases of memorabilia. The Jews of the late 19th and early 20th century territorial Tucson were an interesting mix of miners, bankers, merchants and businessmen prominent in the entertainment business. Some of these Jewish pioneers include Drachman (earliest Tucson Jewish businessman), merchandiser Zeckendorf (and nephew Steinfeld), Mansfeld (founded first public library and helped found UofA), Levin (founded first entertainment district, whose descendants include Linda Ronstadt), and Strauss (Tucson’s first Jewish mayor). Gabby Giffords and her family also are highlighted (Gabby’s dad Spencer became a bar-mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El, when it was still on Stone Avenue, and just last month Gabby, a member of Congregation Chaverim, was honored with the Museum’s 2013 Jewish Heritage Award.)

This picture of Charles Strauss – the first Jewish mayor of Tucson, with his son – can be viewed at the Jewish History Museum. photo courtesy Jewish History Museum

Local volunteers conduct enthusiastic, informative tours, regaling visitors with tales of territorial Jewish oddities. One story worth listening to involves Southern Arizona mine owner Mark Lulley, the scrappy proprietor of Wandering Jew Mine who captured bear cubs in the Santa Rita mountains. Lulley apparently made a saloon wager which called for him to walk the bears down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House if McKinley was re-elected in 1900. The January 1901 newspaper clip of McKinley’s inauguration, and also Lulley’s presentation of the Southern Arizona bears to the National Zoo, are on display through December at the museum.

Because you can’t look at memorabilia all the time, the museum also is ringleader of a number of quirky Tucson happenings, including trivia and Brooklyn nights. It also masterminds the annual Christmas Day Chinese Dinner; however, this year the overworked and tiny volunteer museum staff has decided to give the formalized Chinese-food-for-Christmas dinner a rest. Would-be yentls, however, are encouraged to continue the tradition via their own serendipitous gatherings at Chinese restaurants across the city on Dec. 25.

And instead of Christmas day sesame chicken, museum staffers hope you’ll join them New Year’s Day, when a museum gathering will offer 2014 New Year refreshments, a fashion show and the kick-off of a new exhibition.

Combining Judaism and art, the Jewish History Museum’s exhibition will feature Ketubahs, beautifully-decorated Jewish marriage contracts written in Aramaic, and wedding dresses. Even Tucson has a long tradition of creation and signing these formal contracts that are ceremonial works of Jewish art and the January exhibition, with its collection of dresses and related items dating back to the late 1800s, should be perpetually absorbing.

“You don’t have to be religious to enjoy it,” promises Dr. Barry Friedman, the hardy Jewish History Museum president and all-around advocate.  “The museum is a carefully-preserved collection-turned-public treasure that’s relevant, incredibly diverse and phenomenal fun.”

In October, in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, the museum opened The Holocaust History Center – a walk-in, floor-to-ceiling installation that’s a poignant yet ultimately inspirational depiction of over 130 Holocaust survivors who made Southern Arizona their home.

Photos and digital displays immerse the visitor in a tiny space, opened adjacent to the Jewish History Museum in a portion of a partially-restored 1880s territorial purchased by the museum.

There is a Jewish custom of placing stones rather than short-lived flowers on graves as a sign of permanence. A bowl of small stones sits at the entrance to the museum’s Holocaust center, for all who wish to leave such an offering for the survivors.

Open to the public Wednesday-Thursday, Saturday-Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., and Friday from noon to 3pm, the small museum (JewishHistoryMuseum.org) and its carefully-curated homage to Tucson Jewish lore helps you travel back in time. There’s everything to surprise you, with displays that treat Tucson history with respect and thorough documentation. A visit here also will make you laugh. Your eyes will be opened and so will your heart.

in pictures: the street fair, duh

December 10, 2012 |

interview: alexsey’s art

November 22, 2012 |

I came across Alexsey Kashtelyan, a local artist and illustrator, as he was working on a t-shirt design for local band Young Hunter at Café Passé. I was intrigued by the piece he was working on, which combined the graphic impact of hyper-stylized text (a note: Alexsey does some work in Hebrew, and/but, interestingly enough, the style of his “Young Hunter” text reminded me a lot of classic Arabic script) with the nuance of detailed illustration. I took a few photos of him as he worked, then followed up on the meeting by emailing him with a few questions about his work and the sources of his inspiration. Check out the photos and interview below, and take a look at more of his work here.

 (Click image above for detail.)

Zócalo Hannah: What has your art education—formal and informal—consisted of?

Alexsey Kashtelyan: My art education isn’t too different from that of other artists around the world. I started doodling since I could, and didn’t stop! Otherwise, formally, I have a minor in Studio Art from the University of Arizona, with a Marketing Bachelors. I still wish it were the other way, but… Cold feet got me.

ZH: There seems to be a macabre element and/or fantastical element to much of your work. Where does that impulse derive from?

AK: You know… I really can’t say! I’ve just always been drawn to the horrific and fantastical  Maybe it’s because my brother forced me to watch horror movies when I was a child, an Frey and Jason somehow burrowed their ways into my psyche. I’m also a fan of metal, especially the doomier side of things, and the art that follows along has always fascinated me. But – ironically, I was terrified of evil, satanism, etc. all throughout my early youth because of irrational fears stemming from an overactive imagination, or something. I once didn’t even let myself listen to a single KISS song because I thought they really were knights of Satan! Anywho…these days, it’s mostly just a side of the imagination that really inspires me. And if nothing else: it looks cool. Skulls will never go out of style.

ZH: A lot of your text is in Hebrew. Also, you’re originally from Russia. What international, multicultural, or religio-cultural influences does your art contain? How does your life as an American but also as a multicultural citizen inform your art?

AK: Well, I suppose I should tell the story about that. So, every Jewish person has default citizenship in the state of Israel should you decide to move there. Along with that, to promote American-Jewish relations, as well as subtly try and boost the Jewish population, there’s the “Birthright” program that allows any Jew from the ages of 18-26 to get a free ten day trip to Israel. I went on that trip as a pilgrimage to the Uganda Bar in Jerusalem, where the band Om performed a five-hour long set released as a double vinyl called, simply enough, “Live In Jerusalem.” Anywho: I get to the bar, an there’s this band setting up called “Lili Franko.” They had a great set, I rocked out, and they invite me for falafel. Sadly, I had to get back on the tour bus to get to our hotel. Some facebooking later, I proposed that I do some art for them, and a few months later… Here we are! Great folks. And writing in Hebrew is a great artistic challenge as well; I’m a huge fan of the style of writing used in Torahs. And then, of course, there’s the old Russian fairy tales and the artwork that goes with them — I’m a huge fan of Bilibin and Repin. Those two are pure magic. But enough ramblin’ — in sum: Being multicultural has had a huge effect on my art, from the way I view it in an international and historical perspective, to the influences that physically manifest themselves in my work.

ZH: Who commissions art from you? What sort of art do you like to do?

AK: Most of my commissions come from bands in Tucson, though as I noted before, I’ve had some commissions from Israel, and from some friends in Portland, including illustrating a short story or two. But mostly: Tucson bands. I’ve always been interested in the psychedelic artwork that came from the 60s/70s San Francisco scene. All the illustrations for the Fillmore are gorgeous. But more importantly, I love the way that the style brought an outward sense of unity and closeness among the city’s culture. My goal is to help catalyze Tucson’s art & music scene in a similar way, if I can. Which is why most of the work I do so far is pro bono. I just want to collaborate and help people grow, and if my art brings the kids in to watch the show, that’s great. One day I hope to be selling prints, shirts, etc. an making a tidy profit… But I’m patient.

ZH: How long have you lived in Tucson? What do you think of the art scene here?

AK: I’ve lived in Tucson for the past 18 or 19 years, since I was five years old or so. I used to hate this town when I was younger because I couldn’t really do much downtown, couldn’t really participate, or simply just didn’t know how. But as of late, I’ve grown to love it. First of all, it’s just simply pleasant to sit around a patio, and always meeting up with someone you know, randomly walking down the street. That same “smallness” is great in that every band seems to knows every other band and plays within every other band, and so on. Just feels good. The “art” scene, however, I’m not too sure of. There’s some unity, but I think just because “art” (as in drawing, painting, etc.) is more of a personal thing, it’s harder to collaborate or even simply meet up over the sake of art. It’s still there, of course. The Art School at the UA really helped me to meet other artists, and get that same sense of community I’m sure musicians here feel. As well as the Art Phag meet up at the Surly Wench, and other art happenings around town. It could also be that the type of art I do primarily deals with musicians, rather than galleries. So… overall… not sure! I still have yet to fully discover it, and that’s amazing.

in pictures: the international wildlife museum

November 9, 2012 |

Aka the Dead Animals museum. Whatever. Let’s talk morality another day… For now, pictures! (FYI: this trip was part of Holly’s and my “Discover Tucson” series. It’s not really a Zócalo Hannah thing, but more of a hey-whaddayou-wanna-do-on-our-days-off thing. Part one was the M.T.D.E., part two was the un-reported-upon trip to the San Xavier Mission, and part three was [the practically un-reported-upon] All Souls Procession. Welcome to part four of many.)

Right off the bat, Holly and I were inspired to light-hearted gaity (a.k.a. idiotic photoshoots) beside this majestic beast that graces the entrance to the museum:

“What a treat! / greeted by the sight / of this majestic beast.” – Anon.

(After the lion, the next notable thing we were greeted by was a sign that informed us: “This is NOT the Desert Museum.” Duly noted.)

Then we learned about horns vs. antlers (as far as I remember, horns are bone covered in keratin, common to males and females alike, and they are not shed. Antlers are bone covered in velvet, aka skin; they are shed seasonally; found only on males; and they are larger on mature animals but grow smaller with age. Both horns and antlers are cool, though I personally have a soft spot for antlers.):

I really want to try to convey to you how confused the following display made me. It was in the “Mythological” section, which was pretty interesting stuff: displays of prehistoric bones (many from the Mediterranean region), along with explanations as to how the bones could’ve inspired myths about creatures like cyclopes and griffins. But the centaur was hilariously confusing because its explanation was not phrased in hypothetical language—it was phrased as fact. “This centaur was found… Confirms suspicions that centaurs were forced by humans into the mountains… Centaurs like to drink…” etc. Weird stuff. Entertaining. I believe in centaurs now.

This room was cray (yes, cray… I’m always afraid to—for instance—use “cray” in a text message because it will look like a typo. It’s not.):

Click to enlarge!

I will leave you, dear readers, with what is quite possibly the best advice Holly & I gleaned from our visit to the International Wildlife Museum: “Be a ferret.” Holly complied, I present her disappearing feet as evidence:

i’ll see you at: where i’ll be on election night!

November 5, 2012 |

So y’know how some people are all “the world’s gonna end if Romney gets elected!” and some people are all “the world’s gonna end on December 21st!” and people used to be all “Obama is the Messiah and will fix everything!” and other people still are all weirdly and endearingly optimistic about December 21st like are all, “there’s gonna be some chakra shift and feminine energy will flood the world and we’ll all move together to a higher plane” (no? Okay). Are you still with me? Did you have any idea that this post would turn into a plug for my favorite Tucson venue, Topaz?

Basically, I’ve decided that if Romney wins the election, then December 21st will spell death and destruction, and I’ll be one of the first to go because (a) I’ll be drunk when the apocolypse happens and (b—special three-in-one bonus) I don’t own a gun/have any survival skills/I’m basically blind without my glasses. BUT, if Obama wins… Maybe we’ll stand a chance.*

And now the plug: no matter who wins the election, I’ll see you at The Intelligence show at Topaz on election night, because um, no, I don’t want to sit in front of coroprate TV and watch the results come in. Because that’s boring, amirite?

* Okay, seriously. Politics in America are just so incredibly and pathetically messed up that the difference between Obama and Romney is at this point mostly symbolic, with a little bit of my reproductive rights thrown in. As I’ve said before, though, let’s get a beer and talk about politics in the USofA if you wanna hear my point of view, because in the public sphere I like to keep my opinions depoliticized to at least some degree. Oh, you want me to talk about Israel-Palestine? NO.

interview: krysta + joel of TOPAZ

October 25, 2012 |

OK. This might just be me, but y’know those sort of projects—be they restaurants, artistic creations, street festivals, zombie poodles, what have you—that make you think, Wow, who the hell was cool (or crazy) enough not only to come up with this idea but actually pull it off?  Now, I’m not claiming they’re up there with Calexico or equals to Christo and Jeanne-Claude (yet) or that they’re half as genius as whoever discovered that putting Mentos in Diet Coke makes the whole thing explode, but Krysta and Joel—the couple behind Topaz—are pretty damn awesome.

(Photo credit: http://www.topaz-tundra.com/sample-page/)

In case you haven’t stumbled across it yet, Topaz is the unassuming-yet-totally-rad arts venue situated on a bare stretch of St. Mary’s Road just east of the freeway. I covered one of Topaz’s shows a while back, and earlier that same day I was lucky enough to get to sit down with Krysta and Joel for an interview. I was curious to find out what inspired the creation of an arts venue as eclectic and unique as Topaz. How did it all come together? I ask them. Krysta and Joel exchange glances and then Krysta explains, almost sheepishly: “It happened by accident, pretty much.” So the story goes: Krysta was looking for a studio where she could work on her photography, and Joel needed space to store the vintage clothing he collects (and now sells—on Topaz’s second floor, known as Zia Vintage). “It was only once we’d found this particular spot that we realized, Hey, we could do shows here,” says Krysta. “It was very much the physical space itself that inspired us.” As Topaz illustrates in its very existence, a willingness to embrace instability, random strokes of insight, and fortuitous accidents can be a spectacular asset.

They were enthusiastic, but Krysta and Joel weren’t sure what sort of reception Topaz would get in the Tucson arts scene. Accordingly, they were thrilled when they found “a lot of respect, no drama, no pressure,” explains Joel. “If we’d done shows and no one’d come, we would’ve done something different. But there was support from the start,” and lots of people were eager to collaborate.

“We think of Topaz as a creative platform, so we love it when people approach us with ideas. We don’t have an overarching vision,” Krysta explains. “Or, rather, our vision is open-ended.” Topaz is primarily a music venue at the present moment (with 100% of profits going to the bands they host), but Krysta and Joel foresee an expansion into more polished art shows, poetry readings, literary events, and film screenings, among other projects.

So if you’re one of the many people in Tucson who would love to see the art scene of this city thrive, check out Topaz. It’s one of those crazy/cool ideas come to fruition that can inspire and enrich us all. And don’t forget to check the Zocalo Hannah blog for more Topaz updates—I’ll be keeping them on my radar, for sure!