We’re right smack dab in the middle of Sonoran Restaurant Week, when around 100 (!) restaurants in Tucson and surrounding cities offer special prix fixe menus for $25, $35, or $45 (plus tax and tip). The price often includes several courses that would regularly cost more.
The idea is to encourage diners to try restaurants they haven’t been to, as well as revisiting old favorites. You many need to ask for the Sonoran Restaurant Week menu if you’re at a participating place and don’t see one. Find participating restaurants and menus on TucsonFoodie.com.
View of the city from inside the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson.
The Summer Night Market is starting up again, so I’ve updated the links and info in this post. There are now over 60 participating vendors! The Market happens from 6-10pm the last Friday of the (Tucson) summer months – May through September.
2023 dates are May 26, June 30, July 28, August 25 + Sept 29.
Emily lighting up the Melrose Macramé booth (more of Jessica’s macramé and Emily’s lights in the top/featured photo)
A few dozen vendors bring their handmade goods and set up around the shipping container shopping center – along with food trucks and a DJ. Of course, the regular shops, restaurants, and bar stay open too.
Links to Etsy shops have been converted to affiliate links. Etsy purchases you make after clicking them earns a small commission that helps this site without costing you anything extra!
The University of Arizona Museum of Art (UAMA) wasn’t even open yet the morning after Thanksgiving 1985, when an employee arrived to find a man and a woman already waiting outside. The gregarious couple managed to talk their way in, following the employee into the building.
University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1982 via Gannett.
The woman, wearing a red jacket and a scarf in her hair, chatted up a security guard, while her mustachioed partner went upstairs toward one of the museum’s most important works.
Woman-Ochre had been in the museum’s collection since 1958. It was unceremoniously taken off exhibit when this Black Friday visitor hacked the canvas out of its frame, rolled it up, stuffed it under his jacket (or somewhere), and made a hasty exit with his accomplice.
The empty frame of the missing de Kooning painting via UANews.
The two were peeling out of the parking lot with the painting before anyone at the museum realized what had just occurred. Back then, the UAMA didn’t have security cameras, and there were no leads. All they had was testimony from the few eyewitnesses, police composite sketches, and an empty frame.
Composite police sketches of the thieves, along with the empty frame they left behind. On display at UAMA’s Restored exhibition.
UAMA put the theft insurance money they received from the state into getting surveillance cameras and otherwise tightening up their security.
Possibly unrelated, but the university has also renovated the area, so you can no longer pull a car right up to the front of the museum.
UAMA today – with security cameras.
Periodically, UAMA would remind the public of the missing painting. Staff held out hope for its return, but they really didn’t know if they’d ever see it again.
And, for over 30 years, they didn’t.
Willem de Kooning with Woman I peering over his shoulder, c. 1952. By Kay Bell Reynal, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The Origin: New York 1955
“Beauty becomes petulant to me. I like the grotesque. It’s more joyous.”
The painting they had stolen was Woman-Ochre by Willem de Kooning, who is considered to be one of “the twentieth century’s most influential artists.” He was a contemporary of New York abstract expressionists like Arshile Gorky, Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, and Mark Rothko.
Jackson Pollock, Number 20 (from 1950), painted on the back of a game board.
Woman-Ochre is part of the controversial series of Women paintings de Kooning did in the early 1950s. Described by some as “aggressive” or “violent,” they were too abstract to be considered portraits, but the recognizable human forms meant they weren’t abstract enough for de Kooning’s avant-garde friends.
Woman-Ochre by Willem de Kooning, 1955.
Perhaps his refusal to fit neatly into categories is part of what has kept people intrigued by de Kooning’s art over the years. His works are “among the most marketable in the world.” In 2016, his piece Interchange sold for $300 million, making it the world’s most expensive painting at the time. The University of Arizona (UA) estimated Woman-Ochre itself to be worth $160 million in 2005.
The Alters’ home in Cliff, New Mexico. By Cheryl Evans/The Republic.
The Discovery: New Mexico 2017
“…if the thief has kept the painting, he or she eventually dies, and the surviving family finds the painting and tries to sell it. The painting is returned — but the process can take decades.”
–UANews article written in 2015, when Woman-Ochre’s whereabouts were still unknown
In 2017, a retired public school speech therapist named Rita Alter passed away in Cliff, New Mexico, a town of under 300 people. Her husband, Jerry had passed a few years before, so their nephew was left in charge of dealing with the house and eclectic estate.
A tile-covered pyramid, one of the random assortment of possessions the Alters left behind. Image Courtesy of David Farley via Arizona Republic.
Most of the furniture and some other household items were sold as a lot to Manzanita Ridge Furniture + Antiques in nearby Silver City for $2000.
Manzanita Ridge Furniture and Antiques via their Facebook page.
That included an intriguing mid-century painting that was found awkwardly hanging behind the Alters’ bedroom door. Once it was on display in the store, people started asking if it was authentic and offering huge amounts of money for it.
Woman-Ochre hung behind the Alters’ bedroom door. Photo on display at UAMA’s Restored exhibition.
Puzzled, store co-owner David Van Auker removed it from the floor and began researching the painting. The search turned up articles from the 30th anniversary of Woman-Ochre’s theft, which UA publicized to keep the missing work in the public eye.
One UANews article from that time basically called it: “Usually, a stolen painting gets returned to a collection in one of two ways. The thief may try to sell the piece shortly after the heist and get caught. This often takes only a few years. But if the thief has kept the painting, he or she eventually dies, and the surviving family finds the painting and tries to sell it. The painting is returned — but the process can take decades.”
David picked up the phone and called UAMA. “I think I have a piece of art that was stolen from you guys….”
The Co-Owners of Manzanita Ridge Furniture + Antiques. Photo on display in UAMA’s Restored exhibition.
A few days later, museum staff made the 3-hour drive from Tucson to Silver City to authenticate the painting. They were moved to tears when they realized it truly was the piece that had been missing for so long.
“The thieves actually committed two crimes that day. First, they stole an important signature painting from the University’s museum collection. They also stole more than 30 years of access from the public and scholars across the world, depriving them of the opportunity to appreciate, learn from and be inspired by a significant artist.”
How did it get there in the first place? There’s evidence to suggest that the couple who owned the New Mexico home where the de Kooning was found were the ones who had made off with it all those years before. Since they’re both deceased, they won’t get a jury trial. However, we know the pair was in Tucson the day before the heist, celebrating Thanksgiving with family. And they do bear a resemblance to the police sketches made shortly afterwards.
Via ArtNet: “A police sketch of the suspects in the 1985 de Kooning heist released shortly after the crime took place, and a photograph of Jerry and Rita Alter at Thanksgiving dinner in Tucson the day before the robbery. Image courtesy of the police department and Ron Roseman.”
UAMA offered to purchase the painting from Manzanita Ridge, but they refused to accept any money for it.
Aerial view of the Getty Research Institute. Via the Getty blog.
The Restoration: Los Angeles 2019-2022
They didn’t steal [Woman-Ochre] from the museum, they stole it from all of us. From everyone.”
–David Van Auker, the antique store co-owner who found Woman-Ochre
It turns out that violently wrenching an oil painting from its canvas, rolling it up, and then stuffing it under your clothing are not recommended art preservation techniques.
Woman-Ochre close-ups sent to UAMA after its rediscovery in New Mexico.
When Woman-Ochre was finally found, it was a mess. The paint was cracked and flaking off. Damage caused by the theft was made worse by amateur attempts to repair it and the haphazard way it was stapled and screwed into a new frame. (Also not recommended.)
Laura Rivers, Getty paintings conservator, working on the restoration of Woman-Ochre. Via the Getty blog.
The painting was taken to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, where their team of experts painstakingly assessed and repaired the damage. They were able to use infrared photography and X-radiography to find out exactly what type of materials de Kooning had used to create his painting, so they could treat it appropriately.
Woman-Ochre before restoration: under raking light (left), XRF (Macro X-Ray Fluorescence) scan (middle), close-up of cracked paint (right, top), and microscopic paint cross-section (right, bottom) on display in UAMA’s Restored exhibition.
Conservator Laura Rivers spent months cleaning it and using a microscope and small dental tools to reattach tiny paint fragments piece by piece.
Work restoring the painting went on for about 2.5 years before it was ready to be back on exhibit.
Woman-Ochre on display in UAMA’s Restored exhibition.
The Exhibition: Tucson 2022-2023
“I believe art should be where everyone can see it.”
After an exhibition at the Getty, Woman-Ochre returned to its Tucson home.
Mark Rothko’s Green on Blue (left) and other mid-century works on display in UAMA’s Abstract Perspectives in Mid-Century Art exhibition. You can also see Woman-Ochre (centerpiece of the Restored exhibition) through the doorway on the right side of the photo.
Phillip and I got to see the Restored: The Return of Woman-Ochre exhibition, as well as Abstract Perspectives in Mid-Century Art, which displayed art from de Kooning’s contemporaries, showing the context of his work.
Phillip walks by “Number IV” by Morris Louis, 1957, at UAMA.
Restored wrapped up today, but the Woman-Ochre painting itself will remain on display at UAMA. It will return to museum’s second floor in a gallery that has been renamed the Manzanita Ridge Gallery in honor of the antique store owners who were crucial in its journey home.
Via Manzanita Ridge Antiques on Facebook.
More to Watch + Listen to about Woman-Ochre…
The Thief Collector: Documentary about Woman-Ochre’s theft and the secret lives of the crime’s main suspects. I got to see a screening with my friend Laurel at UA in October. I’ve wanted to recommend it, but there wasn’t really anywhere you could see it. Now it’s finally available to rent or buy on Amazon! (Not endorsing Amazon but glad this gripping yet thoroughly entertaining doc is getting out there!)
The Recovery: 10-minute video by the Arizona Republic.
When the Tucson Gem + Mineral Society held their inaugural show in the 1970s, it was the first of its kind, welcoming both professionals and the public. It continues to be the largest gem and mineral show in the world!
2. TGMS takes place annually in mid-February.
The 2024 show is scheduled for February 8-11.
Show hours are typically 10am-6pm, except for the final day (Sunday), when it closes at 4pm.
Ticket sales for the 2024 show will start January 11, 2024. Purchase through the TCC Box Office (520-791-4101) or Ticketmaster.
3. Regular TGMS admission is $13, but there are discounts!
Single-Day Admission Prices
$13 for adults and teens (ages 15+).
Free entry for youth (ages 14 and under) with a paid adult admission.
Where to find TGMS Discounts…
Coupon: Your best bet is to watch the TGMS page closer to the event date for a flyer that includes a $3 off coupon.
2-day pass: If you’ll be spending a couple days at the show, buying a 2-day pass ($22) will save you $4.
Military + Senior Citizens: There’s a discount day during the show when anyone who is over 62 years old and/or active or retired military receives $3 off admission. (In 2023, it was the Friday of the show.)
These discounts are an either/or situation. They can’t be combined.
On a tight budget? Don’t forget to factor in parking costs! See #9 below to learn about the lowest-cost options and transit alternatives.
Mural by Chris Andrews.
4. A single show has sprouted several weeks of shows!
The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show may be the original, but it’s far from the only show in town! Over the years, more and more shows have sprung up around it, creating an entire gem and mineral show season. In fact, there are dozens that take place from about late January to mid February.
Some shows might specialize in a specific type of gem or minerals imported from a certain part of the world.
Phillip walks through the African Art Village.
To avoid confusion with the original Tucson Gem & Mineral Show [registered trademark], these other shows are collectively known as the Tucson Gem, Mineral + Fossil Showcase or simply the “Gem Show.” Most of them are free, open to the public, and take place about late January to mid February.
One very special show is the African Art Village, which happens on the Mercado District Festival Grounds.
Jewelry designer Aïssatou Bamba Kemoko.
It’s an outdoor marketplace with many different vendors selling artisan products imported from Nigeria, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Morocco, and across the African continent.
Abstract paintings by artist Harouna Ouédraogo.
While some of the items would fit under the “gem and mineral” heading, there is much more variety than that.
Abstract artist Casimir Bationo (“Caszi”) and some of his work.
You can find beautifully carved wooden furniture and figurines, jars of shea butter and black soap, baskets, bags, traditional masks, textiles, oversized necklaces, djembe drums, and even contemporary art!
6. There’s a lot to see in the Mineral District, where it tends to be less hectic.
As you head north of Speedway on Granada/Main/Oracle, you’ll start to see some gem shops and warehouses. This is where you’ll find the 1801 Oracle / Mineral Village Show, Rock Yard Show, and Mineral City Show, which boasts over 100 mineral vendors in one location. Even with all that, these shows tend to be a bit less crowded and easier for more casual shoppers to just pop in and out of.
7. Gem Shows set up in some unusual locations around Tucson.
You can find them outside warehouses, taking over hotel parking lots, crammed into a jewelry store or lobby, on festival grounds, and inside ginormous tent-like structures that are assembled solely for this purpose.
Visit Tucson creates a full listeach year of show dates and locations and which ones are wholesalers-only.
8. Hotel rooms fill up fast.
If you’re coming in from out of town, make sure you have a place to stay well in advance. Hotel rooms, Airbnbs, and all types of lodging get more difficult to find and more expensive as you approach the gem show dates.
In fact, February is the most expensive month to stay in Tucson, according to Google Hotels “When to Visit!”
Currently free to ride – and will be through at least June 30, 2023.
Easily get to the 22nd Street Shows and African Art Village by riding to the western end of the line in the Mercado District.
Also convenient gem show stops at the Tucson Convention Center (where TGMS happens), 4th Avenue, and Main Gate Square.
GemRide Shuttle:
The free shuttles that traveled between gem show locations in past years were discontinued during COVID. I’m not sure if/when this will resume.
Driving:
If you do drive, take it slow! Streets near shows can get congested with sudden stops due to bottlenecks at entrances or trucks loading/unloading. In addition, there are more people walking around and wandering across the street where you wouldn’t expect them to.
Metalwork at the African Village in Tucson.
Where to Park…
Gem Show parking isn’t super expensive, but it is something to factor in if you’re on a tight budget. Or if you just don’t like unexpected costs popping up.
TGMS: Parking at the Tucson Convention Center is $10/day. Other parking options in the area will be around $3-10.
22nd Street Mineral, Fossil, Gem + Jewelry Show makes a big deal about their free admission. But it costs $10 to park there. Which is kind of like charging admission for your car.
Parking for the Mercado District (including the African Village) is $5 during the Gem Show.
Shows in the Mineral City area typically have free street parking.
I haven’t been inside yet, but the newly-opened space has 5 different dealer showrooms, a cafe and bar on site, and promises to be a “perfect setting in which to relax and enjoy a stunning selection of the world’s finest mineral specimens.”
Located: 465 W. Saint Mary’s Rd.
Open: Monday – Friday, 10am-4pm and select weekends (next up: May 12-14, 10am-6pm)
A curated selection of crystals, plants, and handmade plant hangers at the Dunbar Pavilion by the sweet and knowledgeable Drew Berryhill. His shop is outdoors year-round, centered under a large ramada.
Located: 325 W. 2nd St. is the Dunbar’s address. However, you’ll find Drutopia closer to the northwest corner of University and 11th Ave.
Open: Thursday – Sunday, 10am-5:30pm
Mineral Artisan’s work is on the right with Tucson Gallery art on the left.
Home goods made from polished stones and geodes. Their display is the first thing you see as you walk into the merchant collective Proper Shops, which just opened at the end of 2022.
Located: 300 E. Congress St., inside Proper Shops, across from Hotel Congress
Agave has been cultivated in the Tucson area for hundreds of years.
While tequila might be the most widely known product made from agave (a.k.a. the century plant or maguey), it’s certainly not the only one! Different species of the plant are distilled into different spirits, collectively called mezcal.
Native peoples would also use agave to make food, medicine, and even rope. They developed farming techniques to maximize the plant’s adaptability and drought-resistant qualities, so they could grow it where other crops wouldn’t thrive.
Mural of Mayahuel, the agave goddess, by Rock ‘‘CYFI’’ Martinez.
The annual Agave Heritage Festival in Tucson celebrates the plant’s natural and cultural significance. It includes special agave-centered menus at local restaurants, gardening demonstrations, concerts, lectures, mezcal tasting events, hikes to ancient agave roasting pit sites, and a re-creation of the traditional way agave hearts were cooked underground.
After the spring 2020 festival was canceled and last year’s was replaced by a monthly series of virtual talks and DIY tastings, the Agave Heritage Festival made a joyful return this past May!
It has come back as a more compact, focused four days of events – in contrast to the week (or more) it stretched out pre-pandemic.
Following right on its heels was the first annual Pueblos del Maíz Fiesta. The kickoff event for both festivals was a concert by multiple Grammy Award winning Mexican-American singer and activist Lila Downs.
One of this year’s events was the Agave Expo, which included panels, vendors, tables for organizations doing conservation work in Southern Arizona, and a plant sale. It was held on a beautiful morningin Mission Garden, a collection of demonstration gardens where a 17th-century Spanish mission once stood.
Feed the Bats
I arrived right before the first talk of the day, parking next to a woman who was alreadyloadingassorted agave purchases into her car.
“Pollination Nations” was a discussion about agave, bats, and ecology on both sides of the border.
Nectar-eating bats cross-pollinate agaves’ nighttime blooms, creating the genetic diversity essential for the plants’ long-term survival. However, agave planted for human consumption is prevented from blooming. Recent large-scale agricultural methods have lead to hungry bats and a monoculture crop that’s susceptible to disease.
The Bat Friendly project promotes more sustainable practices, encouraging growers to let 5% of the agaves they plant to live out their natural bloom cycle and allow bat pollination. Following their guidelines earns mezcal producers a special Bat Friendly™ label, as well as helping to ensure the continuation of their industry.
The panel discussing these topics was made up of experts from Bat Conservation International, Borderlands Restoration Network, and Sonora Silvestre, as well as mezcal-makers from Bacanora Batuq and Mezcal Zincantan. It was moderated by Jesús García, Research Associate at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Co-Chair of the non-profit Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace (FOTB).
(Incidentally, Moderator Jesús had returned from a trip to Mexico just in time for the Lila Downs kickoff concert and gave it rave reviews!)
On the Table
Afterwards, I wandered over to the ramada where raspados (snow cones) were being served in hollowed out half lemon peels, in exchange for donations to the garden.
They had three different flavors made from garden produce, and I was not prepared for that kind of decision making. I was especially torn between the refreshing sounding lime-mint flavor and the artisanal agave syrup, which seemed like the most fitting choice for the occasion. Then the volunteer scooping the crushed ice suggested I have both. Sold.
Sprinkled throughout the garden were informational tables and artist booths, including Found Design Sculptures by Leonard Ramirez and Cold Goose Pottery by Judy Ganz.
Found Design Sculptures by Leonard Ramirez
Tucson Audubon Society was there with resources. They were especially highlighting their Habitat at Home program, which shares ways to support birds and other pollinators from your house. One thing they suggest here in Southern Arizona is to leave your hummingbird feeder out on summer nights, because bats might stop by for a drink!
Chocolate Ritual
Before I left, I made a final stop at the Chocolate Ritual booth to pick up some of their mezcal-infused chocolate truffles. They create their chocolates to have a taste that pairs well with either mezcal or coffee. The “ritual” is as simple as sipping your preferred beverage in between bites of chocolate and savoring the combination. It’s a practice I can definitely get behind.
Another agave goddess mural by Rock ‘‘CYFI’’ Martinez!
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