To start off your 2020, this Happenings List includes 20 arts, craft, food, and cultural events worth taking note of.
They come from different corners of the globe – Arizona and Argentina, Australia and Astoria, Massachusetts and Milan, Wellington and Wisconsin, Southwest Ireland and the San Francisco Bay – and there’s at least one you can join in wherever you happen to find yourself at this dawn of a new decade!
I’ve listed events by date and added a few comments marked with “SN” for Steph’s Note.
Happy New Year!
Now – Jan 31 / Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place, Bairnsdale, Australia / free
First solo exhibition of painter Patricia Pittman, who creates aboriginal art in Bairnsdale, Victoria.
2. Creatures from the Land of Thra
Now – Feb 23 / Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, NY / $15 adults, $9 youth (ages 3-17)
Exhibit exploring the character design process for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a new Netflix series, which is a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson and Frank Oz film (The Dark Crystal). The exhibit features a selection of concept art, models, puppets, and behind-the-scenes images.
If you can’t be there, check out the musuem’s online archive!
SN: I remember being absolutley riveted by The Dark Crystal when I was a kid. I haven’t started the new series yet. I think I’m due for a re-watch of the original before I dive in.
3. Wild Rising Installation by Cracking Art
Now – May 10 / Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ / Included with admission.
Installation of hundreds of brightly colored animal sculptures along desert garden paths by Italian artist group Cracking Art. Their work is meant to bring attention to environmental sustainability, the problem of plastic in oceans, and the importance of recycling.
SN: I’ve been following Cracking Art’s worldwide installations ever since I spotted their striking red penguins at the 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky several years ago. So I was really excited to hear that their day-glo art has arrived in Arizona!
4. Hungarian Embroidery Level I
Jan 4, 10 am – 1:30 pm / Handcraft Studio School, El Cerrito, CA / $110
Workshop in Hungarian Written Embroidery, a folk style that originated in Transylvania, Romania in the late 18th century. Instructor Sarah Pedlow demonstrates how to stitch a heart or tulip design, as well as sharing her knowledge of the culture and history of Transylvanian textiles and her travel experience in Hungary and Romania.
- Includes take-home materials to create another embroidery project, along with resources on Hungarian needlework and patterns.
- If you also register for Sarah Pedlow’s Embroidered Flowers of Portugal workshop at the same time, you’ll receive a $20 discount.
5. Cambridge Winter Farmers Market
Jan 4 – Apr 4, Saturdays 10 am – 2 pm / Cambridge Community Center gymnasium, Cambridge, MA
The Cambridge Winter Farmers Market is a program of the Cambridge Community Center, a nonprofit that has been serving the Coast community for over 89 years. The Market strives to promote vibrant local economy, create access to fresh, healthy food, and provide a gathering space for community throughout the winter months with local food, craftspeople, and live music.
Jan 4, 5 – 9 pm / Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center, Las Vegas, NV / All ages.
Presentation by the Las Vegas Astronomical Society followed by an outdoor star tracking lecture. No registration necessary – just be sure to arrive before the park gates close at 5pm.
7. Book to Art Club: The Starless Sea
Jan 9, 6:00 – 7:30 pm / The ARTery at the Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI / Ages 14+ / free
Monthly book club with a hands-on component. For January, read The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, and then engage with the book further by joining in the art making and discussion at The ARTery. Art supplies are provided.
- Not in Sheboygan? Host your own Book to Art Club!
Jan 9 – Apr 23, 6 – 8 pm, Thursdays / Yuma Palms Regional Center, Yuma, AZ / free
Outdoor jazz concert series hosted by Yuma Jazz Company Quartet, featuring local performers, as well as student ensembles and bands traveling in from Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix.
SN: We saw duo Jason + Elle in a Village Jazz Series concert during a visit to Yuma and thoroughly enjoyed our evening!
Jan 10 – 20 / Downtown Tucson, AZ / Ages 12+
10-day destination festival with world-class jazz musicians.
- Mavis Staples: Jan 19, 7pm at Fox Tucson Theatre. $35-65
- Downtown Jazz Fiesta: Jan 20 (MLK Day). The final day of the festival features free performances on 4 stages in downtown Tucson.
Jan 11, 5 pm – 12:30 am / Asociación Japonesa de La Plata – Colonia Urquiza, La Plata, Argentina
Traditional festival of Japanese dance that has been celebrated annually in La Plata since 1999, as a way to share the culture, food, and customs of Japan with the local community.
11. Contemporary Gilding on Paper + Mixed Media
Jan 11, 10:00 am / San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA / Fee $170
One-day workshop offering makers from every background a step-by-step process for incorporating metal leaf into mixed media collages and compositions on paper, wood, stone, and other materials. Advance registration required.
12. FOG
Jan 16 – 19 / Fort Mason Center for Arts + Culture, San Francisco, CA / General admission tickets (advance) $25
Design and art fair featuring 48 leading international galleries and a series of panel discussions with notable figures working in art, design, and technology. All programs are included with admission.
SN: Fort Mason Center is where I went to Re:Make. It’s a really cool combination of historic, museum, and art spaces right on the edge of the Bay.
13. Local Art Loves
Feb 1 – 29 / wherever you are / free
Monthlong celebration of local art around the world. Join in by posting photos of your favorite murals and other art from your community on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #localartloves!
14. Phoenix Chinese Week’s Culture and Cuisine Festival
Feb 7 – 9 / Hance Park, Phoenix, AZ / Free admission.
Annual festival that features the arts, food, dance, entertainment, history and heritage of China. It will ring in the Year of the Rat with performances of folk and traditional dances, music, and martial arts demonstrations. There will also be children’s pavilion activities, a Chinese culture and history booth, arts and crafts booths, and vendors offering a taste of authentic Chinese cuisines.
H/T Scottsdale Fashion Square’s Lunar New Year celebration.
Feb 8 / Monterra at WestWorld, Scottsdale, AZ / Single tickets $150 (includes 1 human + 1 dog)
Dog-friendly brunch to support animal-assisted therapy at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Feb 7 – 9 / Superstudio Più , Milan, Italy / Tickets €10.50 – €33
The Milan edition of the Affordable Art Fair will showcase thousands of original contemporary artworks priced between €100 – €7,500 from over 85 local, national and international galleries. Besides shopping a curated selection of paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures, you can enjoy hands-on workshops, live performances, guided tours, talks, kids’ activities, and a café.
- New York Spring Affordable Art Fair: Mar 26-29 at Metropolitan Pavilion
17. VNSA (Volunteer Nonprofit Service Association) Book Sale
Feb 8 – 9 / Arizona State Fairgrounds, Ag Center Building, Phoenix, AZ / Free admission, parking fee set by State Fairgrounds.
Annual sale that makes used books available to the general public at reasonable prices, while raising money for charities in Maricopa County.
SN: It seems like I was always hearing about everyone’s great finds at this book sale after the fact and never knew when it was coming. So here’s your heads up!
18. New Zealand Festival of the Arts
Feb 21 – Mar 15 / Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand’s leading arts festival, featuring cutting-edge theatre, dance, music and “art for everyone”.
- Talanoa Mau: Feb 24 – 25 at Soundings Theatre, Te Papa. Historic two-day gathering of artists, public thinkers, culture makers and visionaries from around the world and Aotearoa to stimulate critical conversations for our time.
19. Riders of the Purple Sage Opera
Feb 28 – Mar 1 / Phoenix Symphony Hall, Phoenix, AZ / Tickets $35-145
The return of Arizona Opera’s first commissioned opera, based on the novel by Zane Grey.
- Tucson Music Hall: Mar 7 – 8 / Tickets $25-120
SN: We really enjoyed seeing Riders when it premiered in 2017!
20. 7-Night Southwest Ireland Luxury Knitting Retreat (2020)
Apr 22 / Southern Ireland / €2,999
Tour of Ireland that combines seeing the countryside with knitting workshops and meeting local craftspeople. Includes knitting workshops (with yarn and patterns), accommodations, Irish breakfast daily, sightseeing (accredited guide, transportation, and entrance fees included), and activities like a traditional music show and whisky and chocolate tasting.
- 9-night Wool Lovers Tour of Ireland Knitting Tour (2020): May 31. Book before Jan 10 to receive 10% off per person.
SN: This sounds like an amazing way to see Ireland – especially if you love knitting!
The Happenings List is my seasonal, handpicked list of events for people who love art, craft, and culture. I may use details from event organizers and edit descriptions for length and clarity. While I do my best to check that information is accurate, there could be typos or changes, so I can’t make any guarantees.
If you go to anything on The List, let me know how it goes!
