BEST Things To Do In Tucson Today
The Event Oracle knows ALL the fun things to do in the land of the Tucson sun. Select your date above then scroll down for all the Arts, Entertainment, and Events in my crystal ball...
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Carnival of Illusion
Scottish Rite Grand Parlour
160 S Scott Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
Carnival of Illusion is an evening of Old-World Magic in the style of classic entertainers such as Buster Keaton, Mae West, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Harry Houdini. The hosts have performed as house entertainers at the world's top resorts, Fortune 100 CEOs, to the 200 Most Powerful Women in America and operate the longest-running Arizona theater show. Carnival of Illusion is “Magic, Mystery, and OOOH La La.”
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The Retablo of Ciudad Rodrigo
University of Arizona Art Museum
University of Arizona, 1031 Olive Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85721
The Altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo is a jewel of the University of Arizona Museum of Art's collection and one of the most important works produced in 15th-century Spain. This altarpiece, also called a retablo, was made for the cathedral of the city (Ciudad) Rodrigo in the province of Salamanca, Spain, between the years 1480 and 1488, and after 1493. This exhibit is on permanent display, Tuesday-Sunday, at the University of Arizona Museum of Art.
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Welcome to the Critical Zone
1601 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85721
What makes life on Earth possible? That’s the big question behind the “Welcome to the Critical Zone” exhibit. Scientists use the term “Critical Zone” to describe the thin layer on the surface of the Earth that supports life – that layer extends from the top of the trees down through the soil and groundwater to bedrock. We live in the Critical Zone and we depend on it for the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.
Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the University of Arizona is home to a Critical Zone Observatory that brings together scientists from many different Earth Science disciplines to study this zone. Geologists, soil scientists, hydrologists, ecologists, microbiologists, and many others all study the same field research sites. Come explore the exhibit and discover Critical Zone science. Journey from the tops of the tree canopy down through the layers of the Critical Zone, from the surface where we live alongside plants and animals, down into the soil that is full of microbes, and below that into the Deep Critical Zone where groundwater circulates and microbes help break down rocks into soil.
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Woven Through Time: American Treasures of Native Basketry & Fiber Art
1013 E. University Boulevard
Tucson, AZ 85721
Arizona State Museum's new permanent exhibit features a sampling of the more than 35,000 specimens of basketry and other fiber art in the museum's extensive collection, ranging from millennia-old objects to modern-day masterpieces that celebrate the Southwestern U.S. region's ancient and abiding fiber-weaving traditions. ASMs total assemblage of basketry and fiber art specimens dating back some 8,000 years represents the major indigenous basket-making cultures from across North America. The museum's unparalleled collection of basketry and pottery has been designated an American Treasure by the National Endowment for the Humanities Save Americas Treasures Program.
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Solar System Revealed
1601 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85721
Featuring scale models of the planets, you’ll be amazed to see just how tiny the Earth and Mars are in comparison to the size of our Sun. Discover interesting facts about all 8 planets along with Pluto the dwarf planet, the Asteroid Belt, and the Kuiper Belt. Build your very own Solar System at the Solar System Creator. Learn about the amazing science being done in our Solar System by researchers here at the University of Arizona. Plus, you’ll learn about NASA’s new OSIRIS-REx mission to return a sample from an asteroid. The University of Arizona is leading this breakthrough mission and the mission headquarters is right here in Tucson!
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HiRISE: Eye in the Martian Sky
1601 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85721
Come explore the HiRISE gallery and take a closer look at the mysterious and beautiful planet Mars. This gallery features a selection of incredible high-resolution images taken by the powerful HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft currently orbiting the red planet. These captivating photos show the vast diversity of Martian surface features with stunning texture and color.
HiRISE is a University of Arizona instrument, and each image sent back from Mars arrives at the U of A for processing. These photos of the Martian surface are like nothing you’ve ever seen before! Come learn about this unique scientific instrument and its marvelous achievements.
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Sharks: Magnificent & Misunderstood
1601 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85721
Shark. The very word sends a shiver up the spine. Turn your fears to fascination as you explore the science of sharks in Flandrau’s new exhibit Sharks: Magnificent and Misunderstood.
Full of interactive displays, this exhibit experience will transform your understanding of these captivating creatures and the future of Earth’s oceans. Take the controls of a deep-sea research submarine in the Deep Sea Explorer simulator. Play family-friendly learning games like Hungry Shark and Shark Racer that will teach you about shark biology and physiology as you test your skills. You’ll discover the wide variety of shark species, the surprising senses they use to hunt, and how scientists investigate these denizens of the deep. Plus don’t miss a family photo next to towering tail fins and massive shark jaws!
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Latin American Folk Art
140 N Main Ave
Tucson, AZ 85701
Latin American folk art is a source of pride by the artisans who make it and the communities and countries from which it originates. This exhibition features more than 200 works of 20th century Latin American folk art from some of the most acclaimed folk artists from Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, and other Latin American countries. Including devotional and ritual objects, depictions of festivals and everyday life, utilitarian objects, and trees of life, this exhibition is a selection of the museum’s collection of more than 2,000 folk art objects given by more than fifteen donors. They reveal a harmony of the utilitarian, the ceremonial, and the decorative. Created with exuberant colors, rich imagination, and reverence for tradition, these works speak of the resilience, resourcefulness, and creativity of individuals and cultures.
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Sorting Out Race: Examining Racial Identity and Stereotypes in Thrift Store Donations
1013 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85721
This traveling exhibit provides an engaging opportunity to provoke discussions about race and stereotypes and what drives our perceptions of people who are different then ourselves. Every day thrift stores receive donations of items with racial imagery—antique advertising cards, collectible salt-and-pepper shakers, vintage children’s books, and mugs with sports team mascots. Are these harmless reminders of past attitudes or do they perpetuate stereotypes about race? Should thrift stores sell these objects? Or should they be “sorted out” of the resale environment? Created by the Kaufman Museum at Bethel College, Sorting Out Race arose out of a desire to divert these artifacts from thrift stores to an exhibit that would generate a healthy community conversation about our continuing struggles with race.
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Cabaret
Temple of Music and Art 330 South Scott Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
Cliff Bradshaw, an American author working on a novel in Berlin, encounters Sally Bowles, a talented cabaret performer, at the seedy Kit Kat Klub where she sings. When she is fired by the club’s owner, also her jealous boyfriend, she moves in with Cliff and the two fall in love. As the Nazis begin taking control of the German government, the atmosphere of the Kit Kat Klub and the lives of Cliff and Sally begin to change dramatically. For all the exuberant song and dance, the most powerful aspect of Cabaret remains the political wallop that it delivers. The horror gains momentum around them, as too many characters stay locked in denial or selfinterest. At its core, Cabaret is a devastating critique of apathy, and a clever and terrifying look at totalitarianism. Cabaret’s powerful story remains remarkably timely nearly 80 years after Isherwood’s original stories were published, which is why the piece continues to resonate with audiences more than 50 years after it debuted.
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Woven Through Time: American Treasures of Native Basketry and Fiber Art
1013 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85721
This exhibit celebrates the region's ancient and abiding fiber-weaving traditions by featuring millennia-old objects to modern-day masterpieces. Contemporary Native voices enrich discussions of materials and technologies and bring to life the many functions basketry has served and continues to serve.
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Art of the American West
140 N Main Ave
Tucson, AZ 85701
In the early 1980s, the Art of the American West collection was established by a donation of paintings, drawings, and sculpture by Ileen B. and Samuel J. Campbell. The collection has flourished and now includes artwork from over 200 years ago to the present.
The West embodies diverse cultures, traditions, and histories that can be traced through many art forms. Although styles have changed over time, Native American cultures, cowboy life, and landscapes continue to resonate in realistic or imaginative ways. Some artists represent idealized and romantic views of the West, while others seek to convey images as truthful as possible. As art of the West evolves, universal subjects remain steadfast but are revitalized and transformed.
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Saving an American Treasure: An Unparalleled Collection of Anthropological Photographs
1013 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85721
The photographic collection at Arizona State Museum has been designated an American Treasure, a status underscoring the importance of one of the nation's most prized assemblages of documentary materials. More than half a million prints, negatives, transparencies, and movie films document human ingenuity and cultural traditions in what is now the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico from 13,000 years ago to the present.
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Native American Culture and Arts
140 N Main Ave
Tucson, AZ 85701
Native American cultures have inspired artists of all backgrounds for decades. People from different tribal affiliations create objects that reflect their cultural ideals, beliefs, and knowledge. The designs, materials, and techniques used in pottery, textiles, baskets, and other items show how strongly art forms relate to their culture of origin. Today, Native Americans continue making traditional art with materials found near them: wool for textiles, grasses for baskets, and various clays for pots. In addition, there are artists who express their heritage in painting or sculpture using modern art styles.
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Selections from the Kasser Mochary Art Foundation
140 N Main Ave
Tucson, AZ 85701
The Mary Jo Brown Gallery displays selections of European paintings and sculptures from the late 19th to the mid-20th century by some of the most renowned artists of the time. Their works are marked by a new-found freedom prompted by a resistance to the conservative and restrictive art academies that dominated artistic taste. These works explore ideas about dreams and the inner mind, depict the human body with an expressive frankness, and showcase a personal iconography and individualized manner of creation.
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Turquoise Trail Guided Walking Tours
196 N Court Ave
Tucson, AZ 85701
Let one of the knowledgeable docents at the Tucson Presidio Museum lead you on a walk along the Turquoise Trail through downtown Tucson to see historic buildings and hear stories that bring to life Tucson's special history. The Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum is a re-creation of the Tucson Presidio built in 1775. Visitors travel back in time to learn about life as early Tucsonans would have lived it. Docent tours discuss life in the Santa Cruz Valley for early Native Americans, Presidio residents and Territorial Period settlers. See the archaeological remains of a pit house, walk along the original Presidio wall and experience a 150 year old classic Sonoran Row house.
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The Pottery Project
1013 E University Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85721
The Pottery Project celebrates 2,000 years of Native pottery-making traditions in the U.S. Southwest by showcasing 500 choice specimens from the larger, renowned collection of 24,000 whole vessels. The exhibit features interactive displays, interviews with archaeologists and Native potters, videos, and hands-on experiences.
