Tag Archives: art

A Superior Visit

20 Sunday Jul 2025

Posted by in Arizona, Art in Arizona, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Murals, Public Art, Superior Arizona, Uncategorized

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Not long ago Hiking Buddy and I returned to Boyce Thompson Arboretum and the little town of Superior. We got off to an early start because these days it gets very hot very fast. In spite of the climbing mercury, we enjoyed a very pleasant visit to BTA, walking the main loop (fear-o-snakes kept us off the more rugged paths) and visiting the Wallace Collection. This extraordinary collection of over 5,800 plants and trees, originally situated in Scottsdale, began its move to BTA in cars, trucks and semis in late 2015. It was a mammoth undertaking; many of the plants and trees were well established and old, which means moving them was risky and tricky. Well over 90% of the specimens survived the 75 mile journey, a remarkable achievement. Hiking Bud and I had visited the collection shortly after the new 13-acre garden was opened; it was… well, new-seeming. The plants had not yet settled, the shade was spotty. To be blunt it was underwhelming. What a change a few years has made. The new garden is a delight, tempting trails lead hither and yon, signage is okay, and the whole garden has a welcoming feel. The plants are well-established and have filled in the former gaps. The Wallace Collection trails are in blue on the lower left of this map of the entire Arboretum.

After the exertions of our walk, we headed into one of our favorite places, Superior. One of the delights of Superior is driving around and admiring the murals painted on the buildings. The last time we visited Superior we were there to take a hike, and didn’t spend much time downtown. The last time we really looked at the buildings together was 2016, when we took a Superior House Tour, so we were due for a good bounce and gawk.

The Tucson Mural Project visited Superior in 2020 so their photos are a bit out of date. The murals change from time to time – weather takes a terrific toll on paint in the desert, new folks come along with a need to express themselves. It means that a repeat visit to this little town will always have something new to offer.

The food bank is covered with cheerful veggies:
I particularly like this painting, which was new to me. A quote from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, it’s a great reminder for those of us on a Superior amble.
We’d not seen this very large mural, an homage to the famous Southwestern painter Frida Kahlo.
Hiking Buddy once considered buying a pied-a-terre in Superior. I don’t know if this is an ad for a realtor (there are many serving Superior) or if it’s something else. I’m guessing realtor. Sold! BANG!
This whimsical and faintly disturbing mural fascinates me because I have no idea what it’s about, other than that F=ma is Newton’s second law of motion (Force = mass X acceleration). I don’t know what the other formula is – if you do, can you tell me in comments?

Back in the day we used to enjoy stopping at the Sunflower Cafe, which closed sometime around Covid. We were so happy to see that a new, charming restaurant/bar/cafe has taken its place, Bella’s. Being Italian in decor and flavor, it spoke to me right away.

An appealing menu, clean decor, good food and a well-stocked bar – what’s not to like? (photo from Yelp)

Hiking Buddy had a minimal breakfast before our exertions, so she had a real breakfast. I had had a hearty breakfast, so opted for ‘only’ a crème brûlée, from which, I was assured, all the calories had been removed.

HB’s fresh spinach omelette (made from real eggs, if you please), some kind of potato fry and something else. She ate every last scrap, even the ketchup, and declared it all delicious.
This was the best crème brûlée I ever had in my whole life. The custard was cool and creamy with just the right amount of firmness, the sugar caramel crust was warm and beautifully brittle, and spoke words of love to the custard beneath. I’m so glad they took out the calories!

We had further adventures awaiting us on our jaunt (*antique malls*!) so it was time to toddle off. As we left, though, we paused to admire and take a photo of one of our very favorite Superior murals, painted by our dear buddy Anne Coe.

Anne is a quintessential Western painter (4-th generation Arizonian). Her work is both serious and whimsical. Take a look at her link to see more of her paintings.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum is well-known and much visited. Superior is arguably not as well known, but is more than worth the time, not only for the charming downtown and murals, but for the nearby hiking trails. Put it on your list of places to visit, you won’t regret it.

The MAC

22 Tuesday Apr 2025

Posted by in Art in Arizona, Arts and crafts, Uncategorized

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Every month or two a small group of friends meets to eat mid-day. Yes! We are the Ladies Who Lunch, and we offer no apologies.

Recently we have taken ourselves to the Mesa Arts Center for a look at the exhibits in the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum (we prefer to think of it as ‘the MAC’ rather than the MCAM; our way rolls more happily off the tongue). As museums go it’s small, intimate even, with just a few exhibit rooms. The shows lean towards local and regional artists, though the Museum casts a wide net when seeking exhibitors. What amazes me every time I go is how many very talented artists there are, producing interesting and stimulating pieces, year in, year out.

A couple of weeks ago we caught the end of the 46th Annual Contemporary Craft exhibit. These are not crafts the way you see them at the local Craft Fair, these are more along the lines of the Arts part of Arts and Crafts. We did not see a single gourd bird-feeder or framed photo of the Superstitions (no shade on gourd art, that’s just not what the MAC exhibits). Instead we found glass, fabric and ceramic pieces that demanded attention and, if you’ll excuse some artsy-fartsy talk, dialog with the viewer. Here, in no particular order is some of what we saw. If I’ve erred on titles, I apologize in advance to the artists.

This piece cracked me up – at first I thought it was a bunch of bananas, but no. It is 81 porcelain cactuses, suspended from the ceiling over a representation of ground. Titled What Comes After, most of the cactuses are illuminated by LED lights. It was made by Tucson artist Joseph Sivilli in 2024.

Roisan Rubio’s Breaking the Social Contract, 2022 was another quite large installation:

The artist, in his statement, said, “This installation reflects on the broken social contract between society and its instututions, focusing on the often overlooked epidemic of violence within Black communities. Each ceramic bullet represents a life lost to violence in a single year in cities like Detroit, St. Louis or Baltimore.” This work made me feel sad and helpless.

Heidi Dauphin used paper lists, thread, watercolor and fabric in Circle Squares with Lists, 2023.

I make my lists on my phone now. How much more fun it would be to stitch up a quilt of lists before heading out to the grocery store! How envious the other shoppers would be.

Jim S. Smoote II from Chicago showed several works in quilted textiles. Damon portrays a ‘typical young man,’ through painting and traditional quilting techniques.

I wish I could quilt so well! The above is from another of his quilted and appliqued works:

Richard Ansaldi, from Tucson, used clay and horse hair rope to make Roping Skills and Pot Sherds Beneath the Fabled Red “Sipapu,” 2023. And no, I don’t understand the title fully. A sipapu is a small hole or indentation in the floor of a kiva. Pueblo mythology (Hopi, Zuni, Acuma) suggests that people first emerged onto earth from the sipapu.

John Randall Nelson had us all chuckling again with his Bellhop to Bishop, 2024:

What are these beings? The are, “manifestations of the Fool and Trickster figures of deep-rooted mythos.” As the artist statement and the printing on one of the figures suggests, “The artist sees himself in them and winces with recognition.” This piece won the 2025 Juror’s Award.

Two of the smaller pieces captured my heart the moment I saw them. Steve Hagan’s pithily titled Lime Wedge, 2024 is a glass creation that simultaneously made my mouth water and my gullet crave a margherita. How does a glassmaker achieve such detail??

I’ve saved my favorite of the exhibit for last. I can’t tell you exactly why I like it so much, perhaps because of its simplicity. It is made of handwoven linen, cochineal dye, cactus spikes and a found object. It is called 31 over 110, 2023, and refers to the summer of 2023 when those of us in the Valley survived 31 days with temperatures exceeding 110 F, a result of the climate change that is affecting the entire planet. As Ann Morton, the artist, cheerfully concludes, ” Our days are numbered.”

There were many, many more objects in this excellent juried exhibit; in fact, I have tons more photos on my phone of pieces that appealed to me, but I fear your patience may be wearing thin.

Yes, these pieces were made of materials that are frequently associated with the more homely ‘crafts,’ but they transcend merely pleasing objects. They invited us to engage with them, to think about what they represent, and to react, viscerally and intellectually. It was a delightful exhibit in the true sense of the word, and I came away invigorated and… delighted. Of course it didn’t hurt that I was with congenial friends and that lunch awaited, just around the corner.