Scottsdale Arts Festival and Old Town Galleries

It's Monday morning and I'm trying to update by blog, though Blogger is having "upload issues", but I think I have finally finished adding the photos. They were uploaded to Photobucket instead of Blogger, so they may appear larger than usual (not a bad thing).

Yesterday was a beautiful Sunday, with the weather absolutely perfect. I had breakfast and coffee at the Plantation Coffee shop and most of the people were talking about doing something outside. It was definitely not a day to stay indoors.

Luckily I had plans to attend the Scottsdale Art Festival in Old Town Scottsdale. The festival is over 30 years old, and hundreds of artists from around the country were going to be there. I parked easily enough in the Arts District. The Arts District contains numerous blocks of art galleries in Old Town, all near Main Street. To the east of Scottsdale Ave. on Main Street, near the city offices and the Performing Arts Center, the festival was underway.

The corner of Main Street and Scottsdale Ave. in the heart of Old Town.

The Ancient Arts Gallery in the Arts District. Very cool statues out front.

Looking east on Main Street, the Arts District. Both sides of the street are lined with fine art galleries.

I saw this bronze sculpture in a display window. God bless America.

As you walked toward the Festival in the city plaza, you could window shop for fine art. Many of the galleries were open, though most were closed since it was a Sunday. I don't know why an art gallery would be closed during the Festival, even on a Sunday.

The plaza near the Scottsdale City Offices.

I entered the Arts Festival here, and paid my $7 for a ticket.

The Festival had two live performance stages. This one was near the Food Court, so many were eating lunch and listening to the live bands.

This particular group was playing music from around the world using all kinds of weird instruments from Greece, Egypt, and the Middle East.

After I took the above shot, I had to go the Men's Room for some relief. I asked a security guard for directions to the nearest bathroom and she told me the Performing Arts Center was the best place. So I walked there in a semi-rush, if you get my meaning.

As luck would have it, the Men's Room inside the Performing Arts Center was hard to access due to a live performance of "Audio Ballerinas" which had just begun when I arrived.

If you'll notice, the Men's Room is to the right of the small tree, in the above photo. The performers of this "artistic performance" by four cute girls were in mid-stride making there way through the foyer toward the exit doors leading outside. I asked the guy next to me, "How can we go to the bathroom when it's center stage in some act?" He laughed, and cringed, because we both had to "go".

To be honest, the performance was really cool. An artist (can't remember his name) came up with this artistic "dance" where four girls slowly walk a path from upstairs, then through the foyer, then outside into the crowd. The girls were wearing a contraption around their waist that produced a weird king of monotone music, like something you would hear from the soundtrack of the movie "Blade Runners". They each had a rake on their shoulder, too.

Once they cleared the Men's Room, I finally made it inside. Since the girls were walking very, very slowly, one step at a time, in rhythm to the music, I returned just in time to see them continue their "dance" outside. They dropped their rakes on the concrete, and began to drag them in rhythm. I noticed that the rake was actually wired to their waist, and producing a very loud "screeching" sound as they dragged it along the sidewalk.

Notice the wires running from the rake, the speakers around the waist.

Once outside, they continued their slow pace into the crowd. Watching the reactions of the people to the strange performance and music was entertaining. Some laughed, some were in awe, some covered their ears. I was just thinking, "This is really cool." Each performer was in perfect unison with the others, each had no expression on their face.

When I left the Festival, I visited some of the "tourist" shops along the way back to the Arts District.

Annual Tucson Museum of Art's "Arts and Crafts Fair"

This morning I spent two hours walking through over 100 booths of local artists and craftspersons at the annual Arts and Crafts Fair at the Tucson Museum of Art.

University of Arizona Tour, Photography and Art

Yesterday, Friday, I spent a few hours walking the University of Arizona campus. My reason for going there was to attend a exhibit at the Center for Creative Photography.



My first problem was finding a place to park. Like most large univerisities, the UA public parking situation is a nightmare. Take my advice and bring a bike, or ride the bus, if you visit the campus. I finally found the parking gargage across from the Marriott Hotel that sits near the campus. It took me a while, but I finally found a spot. Signs were posted everywhere: "Take your parking ticket with you. Pay at the cashier BEFORE you return to your car." When I left, I went to the cashier and had to wait in line behind twenty other people. What a pain in the neck.





The campus itself is beautiful, of course. I walked from the garage in search of the Center for Creative Photography (CCP). I saw the Arizona Historical Society Museum building first, so I visited them.

My next stop was the UA Museum of Art. On the first floor, there were two exhibitions: from El Anatsui and Jacques Lipchitz. El Anatsui is from Ghana. His work "Versatility" was a massive quilt-like material made from whiskey and other alcoholic bottle labels that he collected. His other exhibit was a room full of "anthills" created from the tops of milk cans. Jacques Lipchitz's exhibit included numerous sculptures and some of the tools he used while creating the pieces.

The UA permanent collection is exhibited on the second floor. While I was there, students were performing musical works on classical guitars in one of the galleries. It provided a nice soundtrack for my visit. I viewed masterworks from artist like Diebenkorn, Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock, Picasso, Matisse, O'keeffe, Jacob Lawrence, Reginald Marsh, and Jusepe de Ribera. I especially liked Ribera's "A Greek Sage" from 1630.


I found the Center for Creative Photography across the street from the Art Museum. The photography exhibit was on the first floor and easy to find. The purpose of the exhibit was to show the creative process behind famous photographs, with particular emphasis on how the photographer works. The exhibition include contact sheets, letters, notes, personal journals, diaries, calendars and other original material from a number of photographers.

One photographer featured was Wynn Bullock. The exhibit revealed his philosophical approach to photography by emphasizing space and time. "The space of the room becomes a property of the room just as real as the room itself. . .space being an independent property of all containers," I noted while reading from his journal.

The exhibit also displayed actual contact sheets from Gary Winogrand (1928-1984), showing how he marked on each sheet his choices for printing and publishing. One of his favorite collections contained photos of women in public places. He wrote a letter to the University of Texas art department (1975), which was on display at the exhibit, and I noted his comments:
"Whenever I've seen an attractive woman, I've done my best to photograph her. . . I don't know if all of the women in the photographs are beautiful, but I do know that the women are beautiful in the photographs."

The exhibit from W. Eugene Smith was my favorite. For Life Magazine, he suggested shooting an essay of Albert Schweitzer. The Nobel Peace Prize winner founded the the Lambaréné Hospital in Gabon, west central Africa. Smith traveled to Africa and photographed Schweitzer in his office and elsewhere over a few days. The exhibit contained some of Smith's contact sheets, his journal, and his personal calendar from the trip that noted the photos he wanted to take.

Another great exhibit was the "pepper" display from Edward Weston. Weston began to take photos of "assorted peppers" in 1930. In a handwritten letter they had on display, he said he delighted in shooting ". . . a pepper, but more than a pepper: abstract, in that it is completely outside subject matter. . . (and it) takes one into an inner reality." It was also amusing to see that he was finacially struggling as well, when he states, "We have been living on deposits from sittings, more than I ever had in a given period of time."

Other photographers featured included Frederick Sommer and Ansel Adams.

Two Days in Santa Fe

Before leaving New Mexico it was a no-brainer to spend a couple of days in Santa Fe. Here are a few photos that reflect the time I spent there this week.

I drove north on I-25 from the Sandia Resort to Santa Fe, about 50 miles away. Once in town, I took Hwy. 285 north through the heart of downtown and continued on north until I reached the small rural community of Tesuque. I visited the Shidoni Foundry and Sculpture Gardens located there, and it's a must-see if you like large bronze sculptures. I spent an hour or so walking the gardens and visiting the indoor gallery.

After leaving Tesuque, I drove to the plaza area of downtown Santa Fe. I parked near the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. I walked up a few blocks and turned the corner and saw the Burrito Company, a small café just of the plaza. I had lunch there.

After lunch I continued to take a walking tour of the downtown area. I took photos and visited some of the retail outlets. The sidewalk vendors were out, and I was reminded of them from previous visits. They sell their handmade jewelry, blankets, and leather goods. I took a number of photos of the plaza, and the Civil War memorial at its center. It was a beautiful day, and just warm enough for a nice walk. I strolled on past the Cathedral Basilica and took a lot of photos on my way back to the car.

I left downtown around 3 p.m. and set out to find a motel for the night. I knew that Cerrillos Ave. was "motel alley", so I drove in that direction. When I passed the El Rey Motel, I had to stop. I decided to stay away from the franchise motels and find a local place, and the El Rey looked promising. I’m glad I found the place. Built in the 1930s, and expanded since then, the place has a real charm to it. Very clean, very nice, very Santa Fe. (A picture of my room is on the right. Each room has it's own patio, a great feature.)

I cleaned up at the motel and departed for the Filmmakers Intensive Open House and Screenwriter’s Program at the College of Santa Fe. I really enjoyed the evening. I took a tour of their facilities (sound stages, editing rooms, classrooms, etc.) and then stayed for the program. There were 30-40 people in attendance, plus the staff and actors. The presentation included readings from a dozen screenplays, and then actors presented a short scene from each play after a brief introduction from the writer.

I woke up early on day two, Wednesday, and had a free breakfast courtesy of the El Rey: granola, peaches, toasts, a small muffin, orange juice and coffee. I then checked out and drove to downtown once again. I spent the morning walking the plaza area and taking photos. Then about noon I drove to the Canyon Road area, the premier location for the Santa Fe art scene. Galleries galore are located along the narrow street, about a half mile from downtown. I spent a couple of hours visiting various art galleries. I then went to the Photo-Eye Gallery and the Garcia Street Bookstore.

For a late lunch I went to Posa’s Restaurant. I found it on Rodeo street, a few miles east of the mall. It was a small, local, informal place so I knew the food was going to be great.

After lunch I found scenic Hwy. 14 on the map, wanting to take the “Turquoise Trail” back to ABQ. What a beautiful drive! Hwy. 14 is the only way to travel between ABQ and Santa Fe, especially if you want to see some beautiful scenery. Along the way there are numerous tourist stops, little shops that sell jewelry and all kinds of local art. Madrid is the place to stop and visit, located about halfway between ABQ and SF. Unfortunately, they were paving the street in Madrid at the time, making it a pain in the ass to get through. But I stopped and spent some time there amid the smell of a new blacktop road surface and piles of road dirt.

The wonderful views of the mountains south of Santa Fe along Hwy. 14 are worth the extra time it takes to maneuver along the two-lane highway. You will want to stop in Cerrillos and Madrid before making your way south to catch I-40 west that takes you into ABQ.