Let the Sun Devils shine in

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company performs "Body Against Body" at ASU Gammage March 6 (Photo: New York Live Arts)

As proud Sun Devil parents, we often enjoy arts and culture on the Tempe campus where our daughter Jennifer studies cultural anthroplogy. Touring Broadway productions at ASU Gammage. Art exhibits at the ASU Art Museum and assorted galleries. Theater, dance and music productions at various on-campus venues. And festivals held outdoors where sunshine meets Sun Devil.

But ASU arts and culture is also easy to find in all sorts of community settings, from the ASU Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale to the ASU Night Gallery at Tempe Marketplace. Each offers a host of no-cost and low-cost arts experiences that make family explorations of art easy and affordable.

An exhibition featuring works by feminist artists runs March 5-16 at ASU in Tempe (Photo: Rosalind Shipley)

ASU faculty and students also perform at various venues throughout the Valley, including the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix — which presents musical offerings from UA as well as part of its “University Series.” Let the atheletes do their rivalry thing. In the world of music, it’s all good.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts presents “ASU Concerts at the Center” — featuring band, choral, symphonic and chamber music. Informal pre-concert talks are held before each concert, and tickets run just $10 (though all students can attend for free). This season’s remaining concerts are “Trumpet Festival” on March 5 and “Ocotillo Winds” on April 2.

You’ll find all sorts of arts and culture by exploring Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts events— or any given’s days listing of ASU events on the university calendar. Just this weekend, you can enjoy their “Night of the Open Door” festival, a Lyric Opera Theatre preformance of “Ainadamar,” a “Dance Annual” performance and a theater work titled “American Victory.”

The Herberger Institute also offers several community programs — in art, dance, design and music. And if you head to ASU’s Tempe campus on Mon, March 5, you can enjoy a reception for Jack Gantos, author of “Dead End in Norvelt” and recipient of the 2012 Newbury Medal.

A member of the ASU faculty performs March 11 at Tempe Center for the Arts’ “Sonoran Chamber Music Series: Violinist Stephanie Chase, Cellist Thomas Landschoot and Pianist Doris Stevenson” — and the seventh annual “ASU Student Film Festival” takes place April 23 & 24 at Harkins Theatres’ Valley Art Theatre in downtown Tempe.

Those of you with high school students exploring college options can click here to learn more about ASU offerings in art, dance, design, music, theatre and film — as well as arts. media + engineering.

— Lynn

Note: Click here to learn more about “Body Against Body” and here for information on “Troubling the Archive.” ASU in Tempe is also home to the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, which offers workshops, readings and more.

Coming up: It’s finally here!

Art meets community college

Head to SCC Wednesday for a film documenting the voyage of German Jews aboard a ship that no one wanted

Looking for low-cost or no-cost dance, music and theater productions? Fond of supporting the creativity of local students and those who teach them? Eager to experience art or film you won’t see elsewhere?

Then check out these offerings coming soon to Valley community colleges.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College presents…

“Get a Life” — an original CGCC production that “explores all the little things in life that drive us crazy from the cradle through the golden years.” March 24-27.

“14” — a play by Jose Casas that’s “based on interviews with Arizonans and their various different attitudes towards the contemporary issues of undocumented immigration.” Performed by Teatro Bravo April 1 & 2.

Mesa Community College presents…

“Student Art Show” — featuring diverse works of visual art. April 11-21.

“Almost Maine” — a play by John Cariani about residents of a “remote, mythical town” in which “residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways.” April 22-30.

Paradise Valley Community College presents…

“Rumors” — a play by Neil Simon that recounts the adventures of four upper class couples embarrased by unexpected circumstances. April 9-17.

“Spring Dance Collection 2011” — a “compilation of dance works” choreographed by dance and adjunct faculty. Includes modern dance, jazz, ballet, hip hop, ballroom and other forms of dance. April 29 & 30.

Scottsdale Community College presents…

“Voyage of the St. Louis” — a documentary film that’s part of the SCC and Anti-Defamation League “The Many Faces of Hate” film series. It recounts the journey of 937 German Jews denied haven in 1939 by “every country in the Americas.” March 23.

Unique plays coming soon to Valley community colleges include SCC performances of works by Eugene Ionesco (Photo: Laura Durant)

“The Bald Chairs” — two one-act plays by Eugene Ionesco, both “from the school of drama known as the Theatre of the Absurd, a genre that often includes irony, slapstick humor and word play.”  March 31-April 9.

Each of these community colleges — as well as other community colleges in the greater Phoenix metro area — list art, dance, film, music and theater events online.

With just a little legwork, you can uncover a multitude of low-cost and no-cost events to enjoy with family and friends while supporting the budding artists in our midst.

— Lynn

Note: Our state universities — ASU, NAU and UA — also offer a wealth of visual and performance art open to the public. So stay tuned to their online calendars as well.

Coming up: More free and discounted arts events

Get out, get art!

Perhaps this painting will inspire you to enjoy some art fun under the Arizona sun

Families eager to enjoy outdoor adventures this weekend can add a little art to the mix by attending “The Gathering” in Lichtfield Park. It’s a Native American art festival taking place at Scout Park — with free admission for children 12 and under.

Never fear if you missed the event on Saturday. It also runs Sunday, Jan 9, from 10am to 5pm. “The Gathering” features artists who specialize in painting, sculpture, beadwork, carving, basketry, pottery, photography and more.

Main stage performers include hoop dancer Tony Duncan and guitarist Anthony Wakefield — in addition to Grammy Award nominee and Native American Music Award winner Aaron Winter. Click here for details and a discount coupon for adult tickets.

Those of you who missed Saturday’s “MACFEST,” presented by the Mesa Arts and Cultural Festival, will have plenty of other opportunities to experience this free celebration featuring live music, works of local artists and more.

“MACFEST” takes place each Saturday this year through April 30, from 10am to 4pm, in downtown Mesa on Main and Macdonald Streets. This puts you within walking distance of two of Mesa’s kid-friendly museums — the Arizona Museum of Natural History and the Arizona Museum for Youth.

Remember too that you can always find indoor fun at the Mesa Arts Center, which is home to several performing arts companies who offer a diverse assortment of music, dance and theater (including the Southwest Shakespeare Company).

To enjoy an outdoor all-arts weekend, couple a Saturday “MACFEST” with a “Sunday A’Fair” in Old Town Scottsdale. “Sunday A’Fair” takes place Sun, Jan 9, from noon to 4pm at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall — as well as nine other Sundays through April 3.

Each “Sunday A’Fair” features a free outdoor concert and the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of arts and crafts made by local artists — as well as hands-on art activities for children and families. You can purchase food there, or bring your own picnic basket (with blanket/lawn chair) along.

Admission to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, which I often enjoyed with my three young children (now young adults), is free during “Sunday A’Fair” — and you can also enjoy the eclectic gift shop at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. 

Treat your children to the artwork of fellow youth by taking them to explore the “Bridges: Connecting Earth to Sky” exhibit at the “young @ art Gallery” located inside the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. It runs through Mon, Jan 17.

The Scottsdale Civic Center Library is also located at the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall, and is open Sundays from 1-5pm. The library is a lovely bit of architecture to behold, and features a giant fountain pen and ink well sculpture just outside the entrance. It’s a fun way to introduce your children to the quills used long before texting messages by cell phone took hold.

The “Sunday A’Fair” on Jan 16 is part of Scottsdale’s 2011 celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — which they’ve dubbed “Peace & Community Day.” Featured entertainers will include Walt Richardson & The Peaceful Warriors, who promise a “classy mix of folk, rock and reggae,” and Nancy Gee, performing “sultry ballads and classic standards” from the world of jazz.

Stay tuned for word of other MLK Day celebrations, and drop me a line if your community offers outdoor art adventures that you’d like to share with our readers.

— Lynn

Note: For a comprehensive listing of family-friendly events throughout the Valley, visit the daily calendar of Raising Arizona Kids magazine online. Always check event details — including dates/times, locations, admission fees and such — before attending.

Coming up: Conversations with a 5th grade arts advocate