It’s the season of spring fever. Everywhere. Even in the Southern Hemisphere where it is, in fact, not spring but autumn.
We are antsy to get out, to gather, to return to so many activities we used to take for granted.
While we would not have chosen this time of crisis and quarantine, the choice we have – as Gandalf would remind us – “is what to do with the time that is given us.”
And, in this restless time, you can still find ways to break from your routine. Hike a lesser-known trail. Start some seedlings on your windowsill. See a concert with your dog on your lap. Chat with a friend from across their patio. Take a cooking class in your own kitchen.
Who knows? After this is all over, there may even be a moment you miss some of this madness, waxing nostalgic about way back when you could take a puppeteering workshop from your couch or attend a tequila tasting without worrying about a ride home – because you were already there.
With this in mind, here’s this season’s list of online and socially distanced Happenings!
Which would you like to try?
Upcoming
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Classes and Activities for Adults: Tucson + online
- INVASION! exhibition: now – Mar 7 in the Museum’s Baldwin Gallery. Conservation artist Rachel Ivanyi explores the complicated concept of invasion. Included with admission.
- Tucson Mountain Botany Hikes: Mar 5, 13, 20. Approximately 2-mile nature walks from different trailheads. Limit nine participants. $33 per person
- Animal Training Behind the Scenes: Mar 11 + 25, May 13 + 27. Opportunity to watch keepers’ training sessions with several animals and talk to the keepers while they work. The trainings take place on the museum grounds, and the price includes museum admission. Limited to 10 participants. $35 per person
- Free instructional videos and handouts!
Working from Home: Tucson
now – Mar 28 / Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson (MOCA) / free (donations accepted)
Exhibition featuring new commissions from five artists (Miguel Fernández de Castro, Nazafarin Lotfi, Mark McKnight, Nicole Miller, and Rocki Swiderski) and two poets (Dot Devota and Raquel Gutiérrez) connected to the Tucson region and who each have a unique perspective on this moment of pandemic and protest, as well as on the local landscape. Since the smaller East Galleries remain closed, the entire exhibition is in the Great Hall.
- We really enjoyed visiting MOCA in November and seeing this exhibition!
- The on-site gift shop is temporarily closed, but MOCAshop lists their artists so you can support their online stores directly.
- Frontline healthcare workers can receive a complimentary Individual Membership at MOCA.
Plant Portraits: Culinary and Aromatic: online (Zoom)
Mar 2 – Mar 30 / $250
Class on herbs and other plants that are used in aromatherapy and cooking, like lavender, lemongrass, and tulsi (holy basil). Each day, attendees will learn about the history and practical uses of a plant and then create a portrait of it using various media. This class will be online with possible in-person options at the Urban Forest (a non-profit space created by Randiesia Fletcher) in Tucson.
Tucson Botanical Gardens Classes: online (Zoom)
Upcoming workshops on topics like gardening, art, and cooking. (A few examples are below.) Fees are usually around $30. Materials not included.
- How to Get a Strong Start with your Container Garden: Mar 4, 11am MST.
- Recipe Writing Workshop: Mar 11, 3pm MST. Learn the art of composing a neat and functional recipe, and explore the importance of recording family history through recipes.
- Calabacitas Con Queso y Tortillas Caseras: Apr 11, 3pm MST. Cook-along class in making this dish of spring squash, corn, chile verde tatemado, and queso fresco with homemade flour tortillas. At the end of class, your meal will be ready to eat!
- Just Add Water: Keeping Your Summer Plants Alive in Desert Pots: Apr 24, 11am MST.
- Color Gardens: May 7, 10am MST. How to plan for a vibrant outdoor space all year long.
Puppet Pie Virtual Workshops: online
- Foam + Fabric Patterning with guest artist Steve Troop: Mar 6 + Mar 13, 2pm MST. $70
- Intro to Ventriloquism with guest artist Michael Paul: Mar 20, 3pm MST. $40
Tucson Festival of Books: online
Mar 6 – Mar 7 / free
Beloved annual celebration of authors, reading, and literacy.
SN: I haven’t been, but I’ve heard rave reviews from multiple people. Last year, there was so much lament when it had to be canceled due to COVID. I’m glad it can happen in some form this year.
Hot Glass Cold Beer: online
Mar 6, 5pm PST / $5
Virtual version of a long-running event that normally combines glass demonstrations, live music, craft beer and local food. Hosted by Public Glass, San Francisco’s public access glass studio and school.
Ag to Art Market: Feeding the Body and Soul: Yuma (southwest Arizona)
Mar 7 / City Hall (front parking lot) / free (no admission fee)
Combined farmers market and artist market with local art, fresh produce, and one-of-a-kind gifts. Monthly on the first Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
Agave Renaissance: online (Zoom)
Mar 10 +11, Apr 14+15, May 12+13 / free
Series of virtual lectures and agave spirit tastings held monthly, featuring agave experts from around the globe. Registration required.
- Collaborative effort by Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, Agave Heritage Festival, and El Crisol Tucson.
- Spirits for the tastings are available to purchase through the new Hotel Congress Bottle Shop.
Arizona Opera Costume Shop Masterclasses: online (Zoom)
Mar 12 + 26
The final two masterclasses in this series by Arizona Opera’s Costume Shop team introduce the skills of fabric painting and using resin. Most materials are covered by class fees and can be picked up the Arizona Opera Center in Phoenix or shipped to you. Class fee $75 or $90 with shipping.
- Find Arizona Opera videos, interviews, and musical story time at the Arizona Opera OnDemand channel.
- New video series LOUD! created by Teniqua Broughton and Luis Egurrola highlights stories about music with sometimes-surprising connections to the world of opera.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts concerts: Scottsdale + online
Many upcoming Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts shows are either all virtual or offer both in-person and livestream viewing options. Livestream tickets vary by show ($20-39).
- MusicaNova Orchestra: On Wings of Hope: Mar 21 at 2pm MST, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts or livestream / tickets $27-37. Socially distanced performance of works by Haydn, Mozart, and young composer Quinn Mason (written for MusicaNova).
- Burkina Dreams in the Desert Featuring AZ63: Mar 27 at 2pm MST, Scottsdale Civic Center Park or livestream / tickets $24-28: Performance of a mix of string and percussion instruments from Burkina Faso, the African Diaspora, and beyond.
The Big Gem Show: Tucson
Apr 8 – Apr 25 / Hotel Tucson City Center, Tucson, AZ / free
More than 300 gem, minerals, and fossil vendors throughout Hotel Tucson’s 10-acre courtyard. The Show’s focus will be on quality Gems, Minerals, and Fossils. The show is open to the public.
Ongoing
Arizona State Museum OnView+OnLine+OnDemand: online
ongoing / fees vary
Digital collections, classes, and resources from Arizona State Museum (ASM), University of Arizona’s anthropolgy museum.
- Virtual exhibitions of pottery, weaving, illustration, carvings, and ASM collections. Free.
- Behind-the-Scenes Video Tours. Free.
ENCOMPASSING ARIZONA: Tucson + online
Tohono Chul (Main Gallery)
Rotating invitational exhibition that presents a wide variety of artworks from a diverse roster of established and emerging artists from across Arizona.
- New work installed frequently.
- 50% of all art sales from ENCOMPASSING ARIZONA help fund programs at Tohono Chul.
Other Tohono Chul Goodies:
- Tohono Chul @ Home
- Bottomless prickly pear margaritas and mimosas for $14 with entree purchase.
Happenings on this list are handpicked by me. As far as I know, all the information was accurate when I posted this.
Also, this is not an ad. No one asked for this. I just compulsively need to share good stuff I hear about. So there you go.
