Venom research at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum; Juan Gabriel at Ballet Arizona; and more arts & culture news

May 6, 2022

By Matt Ellsworth

Ballet Arizona celebrates iconic Mexican singer Juan Gabriel with new production / Arizona Republic

The music and memory of the late musical icon will be celebrated in Phoenix at the hand of Ib Andersen, artistic director of Ballet Arizona.


Deadly Venom From Spiders and Snakes May Cure What Ails You / New York Times

In a small room at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, invertebrate keeper Emma Califf lifts a rock in a plastic box. “This is one of our desert hairies,” she said, exposing a three-inch-long scorpion, its tail arced over its back.


At Museums, a Mix of Old and New / New York Times

American museums are working to show a large range of media, styles and perspectives. At the Tucson Museum of Art, Oaxacan artist Francisco Toledo is represented by 26 works, including watercolors, lithographs and etchings.


Desert Botanical Garden to conduct first-ever urban saguaro cactus census / Fox 10 Phoenix

Since the record-breaking heat of the summer of 2020, many Arizona saguaros have died. Now, Desert Botanical Garden scientists are working to find out why.


Scottsdale Center to debut new Native theatrical work / Daily Independent

“Dancing With the Universe | Native Style,” a new work by Derrick Suwaima Davis, tells a story of seasons, cycles, and the value of respecting the natural order. It debuts next month at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.


Phoenix to spend $15.5M on public art / Daily Independent

Phoenix plans to spend $15.5 million on 39 public-art projects in the next five years. The city’s Arts and Culture Commission approved a five-year spending plan earlier this month.


Mesa Arts Center offers rent reduction for nonprofits / Daily Independent

The city of Mesa Department of Arts and Culture’s Creative Economy Fund will support reduced rental rates at Mesa Arts Center for nonprofit organizations presenting art projects.


Celebrating mothers and daughters / Navajo-Hopi Observer

Just in time for Mother’s Day, a new book, “Voices of Navajo Mothers and Daughters: Portraits of Beauty,” is on sale with the voices of 21 Navajo women telling their own stories in their own words.


Gallery: The Artistry of Ed Mell / Saturday Evening Post

Vermilion cliffs, sculptural clouds, incandescent sunsets, jagged mountains, thunder-gray storms: Ed Mell’s paintings celebrate the desert Southwest.


Executive Inc.: Meet Guy Labine, a Canadian transplant and new CEO of Arizona Science Center / Phoenix Business Journal

The new CEO of the Arizona Science Center, who relocated from northern Ontario, has big ideas—but first he is getting to know community stakeholders.


Sign up to receive Arizona Arts & Culture News

Tags: ,