Tempe Conventions & Visitors Bureau

Visitors to the Valley have the exceedingly rare opportunity to see art from one of the best contemporary collections in the world — right here in Tempe’s own ASU Art Museum, on the corner of 10^th Street and Mill Avenue.

Turn Off The Sun: Selections From La Colección Jumex is on view now until Sept. 7, 2013, and features more than two-dozen impressive pieces from Mexico City’s spectacular Fundación/Colección Jumex – whose works have been exhibited in the United States only one other time.

Based in Mexico City, the Jumex brand is popularly known as the manufacturer of beloved juice and nectar drinks in little blue cans. You’ve probably seen them at the grocery store. But what most people don’t know is that Jumex has a 10-year history of supporting contemporary art through collecting, exhibitions and educational programs. In fact, La Colección Jumex contains more than 2,600 works by emerging and established contemporary artists from Mexico, Latin America, the United States and Europe.

Turn off the Sun brings to the Valley major pieces and installations by artists rarely or never seen in Arizona, exploring diverse media and practice. Some are small photographs, others huge, room-sized installations. More than 20 artists from around the world have pieces on display in Turn Off the Sun, including Doug Aitken, Dan Graham, Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Miguel Calderon, Jose Damasceno, Mark Dion, Monica Espinosa, Cao Guimaraes, Santiago Sierra, Superflex and Jeff Wall.

The work has been selected around the complex relationship between the state of Arizona and Mexico, with broad references to borders, labor, movement and site, and is co-curated by ASU Art Museum Senior Curator and Associate Director Heather Sealy Lineberry, ASU Art Museum Curator Julio César Morales and Curator Michel Blancsubé of Colección Jumex.

This exhibition is already attracting national attention, having received excellent press in Art in America and been featured on the cover of the San Francisco Arts Quarterly. The press agrees with what we at the museum already knew: No matter what kind of art turns your mind on, you’ll find it when you escape from the heat and come to Turn off the Sun.

We’ll see you at the museum!

–Juno Schaser

For more information about Tempe events, visit the Tempe Tourism Website or call 800-283-6734.

“I’m the most important person in the lives of almost everyone I know and a good number of the people I’ve never even met.”

I love this quote.   It makes me laugh every time I read it.  That’s the beauty of David Sedaris.  He makes you laugh with his satirical genius but you know there is nothing but truth to what he says.  The best selling author will be at ASU Gammage, tonight at 7:30 p.m., reading excerpts from his new book, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls.  His new collection of essays examines world travel through the eyes of Americans and vice versa.   The nice folks over at Amazon summed it up best when they said, “From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler’s experiences.”  If that doesn’t leave you intrigued, nothing will.

Sedaris was born in New York but moved to North Carolina as a child.  He attended Kent State University before transferring to, and graduating from, the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 1987.  He published his first collection of essays in 1994 and has been described as one of the “rock star writers”.  Currently, he lives in West Sussex, London.

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls will be his ninth published collection of essays.  Some of his more famous works include Me Talk Pretty One Day and When You Are Engulfed in Flames.  One of the funniest essays of his I’ve ever read is called SantaLand Diaries.  It’s about his supposed experience as an elf in New York when he was working at Macy’s during Christmas time.  Now, I wasn’t a bad kid growing up.  But, like most children, every once and while, you have a tantrum because that’s what kids do.  He describes a child, having a tantrum.  His mother calls over to Sedaris, dressed as one of Santa’s elves, to tell her son that if doesn’t stop screaming and yelling, Santa won’t bring him any toys.  I love this because I can picture my mom doing this.  His response is priceless.  “I said that Santa changed his policy and no longer traffics in coal. Instead, if you’re bad, he comes to your house and steals things. I told Riley that if he didn’t behave himself, Santa was going to take away his TV and all his electrical appliances and leave him in the dark…I said, he’s going to take your car and your furniture, and all of your towels and blankets and leave you with nothing.”

If you’re looking for some laughs to get you through the rest of this week, go see him tonight at ASU Gammage.  He’ll be having a book signing after the show, so you’ll be able to meet the satirical genius yourself.

Do you want to know about more great events happening in Tempe?  Be sure to check out our WEBSITE or call 800-283-6734.

The Hall of Flame Firefighting Museum

Hall of Flame Firematic Flea Market. Now that’s a mouthful! But, if you are fascinated by, or are a collector of firefighting paraphernalia and memorabilia, or just love to browse flea markets in general, this event is for you.

The Hall of Flame is a fantastic place with a huge collection of fire engines and other equipment. In fact it’s the world’s largest firefighting museum and has been in the Valley since 1972. Now, the museum is clearing space to make room for its growing collection by holding the  first ever Firematic Flea Market, Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. It will be a great opportunity to find one-of-a- kind items such as fire service heirlooms, firematic toys for kids of all ages, decorative knick knacks and many more museum quality collectibles. While you’re there be sure to browse the six galleries inside the museum. I think you’ll be impressed.

The Hall of Flame is located in Papago Park at 6101 E. Van Buren St. For more information about the Firematic Flea Market, call 602-275-3473. For more information on the Hall of Flame, visit http://www.hallofflame.org/.

Last weekend, Tempe had its annual Spring Festival of the Arts on Mill Ave.  Like most of you, I walked around and left with some new wall décor.  I was pretty bummed out when I woke up on Monday morning, thinking that all the fun was over.  But then I remembered that Feast of the Street is this Saturday, April 13th in downtown Phoenix on First Street between Taylor Place and Moreland.

Feast of the Street is based off of London’s Feast on the Bridge.  It should be an amazing time and I can’t wait to check it out. They’ll have a half-mile long dining table, where you can sit back with some new friends and enjoy food that was locally harvested and prepared.

But the fun doesn’t stop there.  They’ll have food demonstrations, story telling and tasting stations, in addition to food trucks.  Favorite local restaurants like Matt’s Big Breakfast, Carly’s Bistro and Pita Jungle will be there, along with many others.  Not interested in food?  No problem.  Head over to the Cityscape Beer Garden.  Tempe favoriteFour Peaks Brewing Company and Lumberyard Ale will featuring their handcrafted beers.

This event is FREE – that’s right – free and there’s free parking as well.  This is all made possible by the ASU Art Museum and the Desert Initiative, Roosevelt Row CDC and the artists Clare Patey and Matt Moore. Patey and Moore also collaborated on an exhibition called Cu²⁹: Mining for You, at the ASU Art Museum through May 11.

So head down to Feast on the Street this Saturday, and if you see me, be sure to say hello.  It’s guaranteed to be a great time.

For more information about other events, be sure to visit the Tempe Tourism Office website or call 800-283-6734.

Tempe Spring Festival of the Arts | Friday, April 5 – Sunday, April 7, 2013
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily | Free Admission

It’s the event that everyone looks forward to each spring, and it’s on its way. Visitors from all over the country, even all the way from Canada, anticipate attending the great Tempe Festival of the Arts. It’s so good; Tempe hosts this festival not once, but twice a year! Lined up along the streets of Mill Avenue are white tents of over 350 artists, each displaying their own gems of work. Over 225,000 festival visitors come to enjoy our sunshine and eclectic array of art in display. Read below to check out what is in store – it’s not all art, there’s more!

Featured Artist - Armando Adrian Lopez from Abiquiu, New Mexico
“Maria de los Golondrinas”
The 2013 Spring Tempe Festival of the Arts has chosen Armando Adrian-Lopez as the featured artist. Though he is known for his works in basketry, sculpture, and 3-dimensional media, they have chosen his painting “Maria de las Golondrinas” as their Spring Festival featured work of art. Check out his work in the Featured Artist location at 5th Street & Mill Avenue!

Must Eat Food – On 7^th St., just west of Mill Avenue
You will find many options to satisfy your festival cravings: Beer Batter Delights, Blue Banjo BBQ, Crepes and More, Island Noodles, Maile & Son (Fried bread), Paradise Hawaiian BBQ, Chan’s Concessions (Chicken & Fried Rice Plates), Sally’s BBQ, Tornado Fries (with corn dogs) and more.

There are also many snack vendors: Grandma Goes Nuts, Kabob Shack, Kettle Pop Productions, Little Jimmy’s Italian Ice, Miss Hannah’s Gourmet Popcorn Co., Nutz about Nuts and San Francisco Chocolate Factory.

Beer & Wine Galore - On 7th St., just west of Mill Avenue
Beer $10 for 5 samples or $5 by the glass -  Taste the best variety of microbrewery craft in Arizona with Four Peaks Brewing Company & Sleepy Dog brewery.
Wine $15 for 6 sample tickets – Bringing the best in Arizona wines to complement the ambiance of a fine arts festival environment, thirteen Arizona wine growers are on hand for tastings.

Fun for Kids Too - 6th Street Park surface parking lot, on the west side of City Hall
This is  a fun & FREE offer that allows hands-on educational art entertainment for children, where they make their own masterpieces to take home!

Live Music – Festival Stage – On 7th St., just west of Mill Avenue
Come enjoy live music from artists all around. Each artist offers a unique array of style – enjoy music from jazz to reggae, to rock to blues – you will find what fits best for your ears. Friday through Sunday there will be 4 different set times of artists with the first set starting at 11:00 a.m. and the last set at 4:15 p.m. See program for featured artists.

Street Entertainers – Continuous cameo appearances from Festival Street Entertainers will be surrounding the center of 5^th Street and Mill all three days of the festival. Some to look out for include: Living Trees-Stilt Characters, Shawn Greer-Magician, Keith Johnson-Steel Drums and Canyon Records-Native American Recording Artists.

For more information about the Tempe Festival of the Arts and other upcoming events in Tempe, be sure to visit the Tempe Tourism Office website or call 800-283-6734.

Arizona Dragon Boat Festival

Who would have thought that dragon boat racing, with its roots in southern China as an ancient folk ritual for the past 2,000 years, would find its way to a modern, man-made lake in the middle of the Arizona desert? Since emerging in modern times as an international sport event in Hong Kong in 1976, dragon boat racing has spread throughout the world. It found its way to Tempe Town Lake ten years ago and has been going strong ever since.

The 10th Annual  Arizona Dragon Boat Festival, March 23-24 will celebrate Asian culture in Tempe, Arizona with two days of dragon boat races, vendors, food booths and performances by martial artists, musicians and dancers. The beautifully decorated dragon boats are manned by teams of up to 20 paddlers. One team member pounds a drum to keep the paddlers’ oars in sync; the drum represents the heart of the dragon.

Here’s a sample of the huge variety of events going on in Tempe this week. View a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

• March 19: Open Jam, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• March 19: Vicki McDermitt Trio: Vicki McDermitt, Dwight Kilian, Todd Johnson, Mad Hatter Brew Pub
• March 19: Performance with a View: ASU Guitar Ensembles; March 19: Brubeck Brothers Quartet: Dave Brubeck Tribute, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 20: Walk-in Wednesdays Open Mic Night, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 20: David Bernstein; March 21: Colin Barley, Studio Vino
• March 21: Third Thursday on Mill: Black Carl and Opening Act Video Challenge, Hayden Flour Mill
• March 21: Tim Hawley, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• March 21-May 30: Outliars Comedy Club, Robby Fox’s  Public House
• March 22: ASU School of Music Guitar Series: Celso Machado, ASU Katzin Concert Hall
• March 22: Tempe Comedy Concert Series: Improv Night at TCA; March 23: Dominick Farinacci Quartet, Tempe Center for the Arts
• March 22: Keltic Cowboys; March 23: Jeff Hunt Band, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• March 22: Steph King ; March 23: Rex Williams, Top of the Rocks
• March 22: Traveler Featuring Scott Jeffers; March 23: Eclipses For Eyes, Tempe Marketplace District Stage
• March 22: Ariana Loraine; March 23: Michael V., Tempe Marketplace Barnes & Noble Fountain
• March 23: Stu Siefert Combo, Robbie Fox’s Public House
• March 23: Agave on the Rocks, Desert Botanical Garden
• March 23: Tempe Kiwanis Nuevo’s 9th Annual Catch A Wave Car Show: Celebrating Arizona’s Classic Cars, Kiwanis Community Park
• March 23: Rhythmic Variations, ASU Evelyn Smith Music Theatre
• March 23-24: 2013 Arizona Dragon Boat Festival, TempeTown Lake
• March 24: Catalin Rotaru and Andres Martin with ASU Students, ASU Katzin Concert Hall

The great philosopher Plato once said, “He was a wise man who invented beer.” Plato was a wise man himself, but he knew to give credit where credit was due.

There won’t be one person at the Great Arizona Beer Festival this Saturday who doesn’t agree with Plato.

The Great Arizona Beer Festival, Saturday, March 2 at Tempe Beach Park, is a favorite of locals and tourists alike. Really, what’s not to love? The event will feature more than 200 brews from more than 50 breweries from across the state, country and around the world. Attendees can sample their favorites from this impressive collection of craft beers. The event runs from 2-6 p.m., which also happens to be an opportune time to take in some of the famous Arizona sunshine.

There will also be food vendors on-site and live music from local favorites Big Nick & The Gila Monsters and The Groove Merchants.

Beer lovers can look forward to sampling the best from local favorites such as Four Peaks and San Tan Brewing Co., and new this year, Beer by Cartel. Yes, the folks from Cartel Coffee Lab are starting to brew beer too. Popular breweries such as Boulder Beer, Deschutes, Mother Road, Blue Moon and Dog Fish are just a few of the big names in attendance. See the full list of microbrews on the event website.

Since this is always such a popular event, you might want to get your tickets early. This Friday is the last day to buy tickets online for $85 for VIP admission providing early entry at 1 p.m., catered food and VIP restrooms, $45 general admission, $10 for a designated drivers (great idea!) and $20 for VIP designated drivers.

For more information, visit www.azbeer.com/tempe or call (480) 774-8300.

All proceeds benefit Sun Sounds of Arizona, a non-profit radio reading service helping 49,000 people in Arizona with print disabilities.

Visit the Tempe Tourism Office website for more spring events in Tempe or call 800-283-6734.

This week’s hefty roster of arts and cultural events culminates with the 12th Annual Self-Guided Ceramic Studio Tour, February 23-24.  The tour presents the work of dozens of professional ceramic artists in the Phoenix metropolitan area, including several in Tempe. It’s a great opportunity to view working and living spaces of participating artists. Even better, you get to actually watch many of them demonstrating different aspects of creating in clay, including wheel-throwing, hand-building and glazing techniques.  Be sure to take your check book and plastic because many of the artists will have pieces of their work for sale. I’ve taken this tour several times and I always find something beautiful to take home.

Start your tour at the ASU Ceramic Research Center where you can see the current exhibition Born of Fire: The Pottery of Margaret Tafoy, AND Re: Generation: A Survey of Margaret Tafoya’s Descendants a stunning survey of ceramics by Margaret Tafoya and her descendants. This exhibition of pueblo pottery provides a unique overview of one of the most accomplished potters from the 20th century.  Margaret Tafoya was one of the pioneering Pueblo artists who sustained the ceramic tradition of her ancestors by transforming it from a process for making functional vessels to an art form.

As you can see, there’s a lot going on all week. Check out this list and view a complete listing of Tempe events, or call 480-894-8158 for more information.

• February 19: Dave Henning Trio with John Willis, Bass and Denise Martin, Vocals, Mad Hatter Brew Pub
• February 19: Open Jam, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• February 20: Walk-in Wednesdays Open Mic Night , Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 20: ASU Barrett, Honors College: John J. Rhodes Lecture: Warp Speed: How Technology is Accelerating and the Importance of Science, Technology Engineering and Math, Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 20: David Bernstein;  February 21: Colin Barley, Studio Vino
• February 21: The Arts and Sciences of Going Green, Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 21: Third Thursday on Mill: Geeks’ Night Out, 6th Street Park
• February 21: Tim Hawley, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• February 21-March 3: Stray Cat Theatre Presents: Sons of the Prophet, Tempe Performing Arts Center
• February 22: Class Clowns Comedy, Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 22: Sea Merchants; February 23: Love Brokers, Rula Bula Irish Pub
• February 22: Mojo Farmers;  February 23: Knee Deep Experience, Tempe Marketplace District Stage
• February 22: Grady Soiné; February 23: Blues Legend Hans Olson,  Tempe Marketplace Barnes & Noble Fountain
• February 22: Katastro; February 23: Victor Wooten; February 24: Take Action Tour 2013
• Featuring The Used, Marquee Theater
• February 23: ASU School of Music Guitar Series:  Scott Tennant, Katzin Concert Hall
• February 23: Lakeshore Jazz Series: Billy Childs Ensemble, Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 23: Stu Siefert Combo, Robbie Fox’s Public House
• February 23-24: ASU Ceramic Research Center Ceramic Studio Tour, ASU Art Museum/Ceramic Research Center
• February 23-March 3: Childsplay Presents: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type; Tempe Center for the Arts
• February 24:  Estun-bah, Desert Botanical Garden
• February 24: Sonoran Chamber Music Series: Proust Inspirations, February 25: Tempe Symphonic Wind Ensemble: Latin Fantasies, Tempe Center for the Arts

I’ve never aspired to be a geek. My technical abilities, at best, are just enough to get by. I pretty much avoid scary stuff like physics, chemistry, math or science in general. But, there’s an event coming up that is causing me to feel geek-like stirrings. I’m feeling confused, but curious. The source of my techno tumult is Geeks’ Night Out, which will take place on February 21, from 5-10 p.m. at the park outside Tempe City Hall.

To help spread the word about Geeks’ Night Out, members of the Tempe City Council, Phoenix Comicon, Arizona Steampunk Society, students from Tempe schools and regular folks got together to film, “Invasion of the Geeks!” an ode to ‘50s B movies. More than 40 people showed up for the filming. Mayor Mark Mitchell stars as a robot, with council members Shana Ellis, Robin Arredondo-Savage, Corey Woods and Kolby Granville playing pivotal roles. The Tempe 11 video team created this short video at no cost. Watch it at http://youtu.be/ao-Jy9kn-_I. The video is very funny. After watching it, I was totally geeked-out and ready to delve into the world of technology and science.

Geeks’ Night Out is part of The Mill Avenue District’s Third Thursdays on Mill and the Arizona SciTechFestival. From science fiction to the business of science and everything in between, Geeks’ Night Out will celebrate smarts with a bunch of fun activities. Here are just a few of the wonderfully geeky events taking place in this very short five hour time frame.

Geeks’ Night Out Costume Contest hosted by Phoenix Comicon – At 6:30 p.m. participants will have a chance to strut their stuff before the judging. Starting at the Comicon stage, Steampunk Gordon McConnell from ASU Venture Catalyst will lead the zombies, super heroes, super villains and other creatures on a walk around Tempe City Hall prior to the judging. Everyone is welcome to participate or gawk.

From the Stars and Beyond – Meet NASA reps and rock star of science, Geoff Notkin, one of the Meteorite Men from the Science Channel’s hit show. Geoff and his team travel the world searching for meteorites. He’ll bring his books, meteorites and other cool stuff that’s not of this world. He’ll be at Geeks’ Night out from 5-10 p.m. and at the Tempe Public Library at 3 p.m. NASA representatives will be on hand to talk about the amazing recent discoveries and what’s in the stars for space lovers.

Robots – The Tempe School District Robotics Clubs will bring incredible, mind-boggling robots they’ve built in class, illustrating how what once was science fiction is now designed, built and operated by high school and middle school students.

More Robots – University of Advancing Technology will bring a variety of robots made by students and a new game creation, the Ultra Sketch. The 8-foot-tall video game lets you compete with others in a series of fun games or randomly find locations within the city of Tempe for opportunities for in-person fun. Far out!

Music – A Life of Science multimedia electronic rock band from Tempe will perform their futuristic robot apocalypse-themed music. Their album trilogy includes a novel, comic books, videos, animation and more. Far out!

Video Games – Evil Controllers will have their coolest new game controllers for you to try.

R2-D2 Builders Club – Check out full size replicas of R2-D2 and other Astromech Droids Evil robots from Greathouse Lab.

ASU College of Technology Booth – Learn how to be a pilot minus the oxygen, see a demo of a student-built, giant Tesla coil and lots more.

Rio Salado College and ASU’s NanoFab and Nanotechnology Applications Career Knowledge Center (whew!) will focus on the tiniest of the sciences, nanotechnology.

For sure, when it comes to technology, I’m definitely a few bits short of a byte. I’ll never attain the ultimate geek status of the likes of Leonard, Sheldon, Howard or Rashesh. What’s so great about Geeks’ Night Out  is that you don’t have to be super geeky to have a blast.

Tempe offers an eclectic  array of music throughout the town.  I enjoy many different styles from appreciating Classic orchestra to getting down with some good ‘ol Dub Step. There are great opportunities to find really great shows and see unique artists. I will highlight three of my favorite spots in Tempe to check out great music and some upcoming dates to remember.

Tempe Marketplace- 2000 E. Rio Salado Pkwy.
This place is more than just a shopping area and great place to find bites to eat. Hosting a great atmosphere with waterfalls, couches, and fire pits, there are two different areas that offer music from regular artists every Friday and Saturday nights and the best part is that it’s FREE!

• The District Stage hosts bands or groups and the Barnes and Noble Fountain (Right at the entrance to Barnes and Noble Bookstore) offers a more laid back style with many acoustic sets.

• Upcoming music:

Saturday January 19^th-
Peppermint James
District Stage, 7-10pm

M Squared- Acoustic Adult Contemporary Duo
B&N Fountain, 7-9pm

Friday January 25^th-
Think Horses- Original Alternative and Cover Band
District Stage, 7-10pm

Grady Soiné- Easy Listening Keyboardist
B&N Fountain, 7-9pm

Saturday January 26^th-
Knee Deep Experience- Funk, Soul, Jazz and R&B Band
District Stage, 7-10pm

Colton Avery- Original Indie Guitarist/Vocalist
B&N Fountain, 7-9pm

Sail Inn- 26 S. Farmer Ave.

Sail Inn offers a unique, edgy, funky vibe to itself. This is one of my favorite dive bars, that has been around for many years, and offers live music every weekend and most weekdays. It has an indoor stage and larger one on their outdoor patio in the back.

• Upcoming music:

Saturday January 19^th-The Shammy’s, Arden Park Roots, STRANGER, and KINDREAD

Tuesday, January 22^nd- Nicki, Bluhm and The Gramblers

Friday, January 25- Evil Beaver, The Venomous Pinks, Gomi, and The Oxford Coma

Saturday January 26^th- Xtra Ticket and Spafford

Marque Theatre- 730 North Mill Avenue

You can’t go wrong with this venue. I have seen man great shows here and many artists well known. You might pay more for a ticket but you will recognize many bands and will never be disappointed with a show. This indoor standing venue provides great opportunity to enjoy your favorite show up-close!

• Upcoming music:

Tuesday, January 22^nd – Social Distortion

Saturday February 2^nd- Pentatonix

Friday February 15^th- Rebelution

Tuesday February 26^th- Coheed and Cambria

Saturday March 9^th- Matt and Kim

For more information about upcoming Tempe events, visit the Tempe Tourism website or call us at 800-283-6734.