An exhibit of saguaro photographs, both vintage and contemporary will be on display at the Tucson Botanical Gardens Porter Hall Gallery from June 4-August 29. The gallery is open during regular Garden hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 7 days a week. Regular admission charges apply.

About the show

Etherton Gallery asked artists to take a fresh look at the much beloved Saguaro using a photographic process. Terry Etherton and the staff of Etherton Gallery juried submissions. The resulting show features work by local as well as regional and national photographers. Diverse photographic processes are represented including ambrotypes and iPhone. A saguaro sculpture by artist Simon Donovan will also be on display.

Hours & Admission

Garden hours: Garden hours are 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Open seven days a week, year round, except July 4^th, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day and New Year’s Day.

Gardens’ admission: $7 for adults (age 13+), $3 for children 4-12, free for children 3 and under.

About the Gardens

Tucson Botanical Gardens is a private, non-profit organization that promotes botanical, horticultural, and ecological education; encourages responsible environmental stewardship; and provides a beautiful setting for enjoyment and relaxation. The Gardens is an urban oasis in the heart of Tucson featuring a 5 ½ acre collection of 16 specialty gardens. It is located at 2150 N. Alvernon Way. For more information, call (520) 326-9686, Ext. 10, email: info@tucsonbotanical.org

Carnegiea Gigantea 123 by James Eschinger

The Tucson Saguaro Photography Invitational will be having its Opening Reception this Friday at the Temple Gallery on Scott Avenue.  The photography exhibition will be available for viewing through April 24^th. A few images can be viewed below.

Flowering Crested Saguaro by Karen Dombrowski-Sobel

.

In keeping with the theme of the Arizona Theatre Company production, The Second City Does Arizona, or Close But No Saguaro, this collection features pictures by 32 photographers from Arizona and beyond that cast a fresh eye on our prickly friend, using technologies that range from cell phone capture, and pinhole cameras to ambrotyping and Polaroid cameras

Curtain Call by Kenn Coplan

Saguaro Decomposite by Michael Berman

Etherton Gallery, which manages the Temple Gallery, invited artists to take a fresh look at the much beloved Saguaro using a photographic process.  Terry Etherton and the staff of Etherton Gallery juried submissions.  The resulting show features work by artists primarily from southern Arizona, although it includes artists from as far west as Silicon Valley and Portland, Oregon. With inventive images ranging from James Eschinger’s boldly colored Carnegiea gigantea 1 2 3 (2009) to Dorothy Nevitt’s Polaroid print diptych Power Plant (2005-2010), the Tucson Saguaro Photography Invitational demonstrates that the inspirational power of the Saguaro remains strong.

The Tucson Saguaro Photography Invitational opening artist reception this Friday April 9, from 5:30-7:30pm. The Temple Gallery is located in SoCo, the newly designated South of Congress district, at the Temple of Music and Art. Address: 330 S. Scott Ave. in downtown Tucson. Gallery hours are Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm and prior to Arizona Theatre Company performances. For more information, please contact the Etherton Gallery, which manages the Temple Gallery, at (520) 624-7370 or info@ethertongallery.com.

Cristate With Roadrunner by Karen Dombrowski-Sobel

Giant Neon Sculpture Designed by Dirk Arnold (facing north)

Recently installation was completed on one of Tucson’s new public art sculptures designed by local artist Dirk Arnold.  The Neon sculpture, titled “Gateway Saguaro,” is 30 feet tall and is located in the median near Oracle/Adams.

In 1937, what is now Oracle Road from today’s Miracle Mile to Drachman was the first divided highway in Arizona, with roundabouts at both ends. Because of the wide medians, it was considered to be very safe and was called the Miracle Mile of Safety by Arizona Highways. It was part of the main motor route through Tucson, US Routes 80 and 89. The public sculpture project is part of the Oracle/Main/Drachman intersection reconfiguration, which removed the final remaining roundabout that gave the area its name.

After I-10 opened, the area fell into decline and Miracle Mile became synonymous with drugs and prostitution in the minds of many. In the late 70′s the road was renamed to Oracle as a result of that stigma.

The design of the sculpture is homage to the neon signs of the motels and restaurants along the Miracle Mile, a number of which remain. After the Ye Olde Lantern sign came down the artist, Dirk Arnold, felt like the area had lost an iconic image, and wanted the public art he created to be of a similar scale to replace that loss. The Saguaro is an iconic image of Tucson because the city is bracketed by two units of a national park dedicated to the preservation of the Saguaro.

(more…)