Attending this festival at the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Museum was a true immersion in culture. From the art in nthe gallery, to the food being served in the courtyard to the performers on the stage, it truly sucked you in and exposed you to a true southwestern experience.
And I finally realized where one of my neighborhood streets got its name. Really.
Thinking this was just a typical street market, I wasn’t prepared when musical acts started filling the stage just about every hour beginning in the late morning. Mariachis, several Mexican cultural dancers and the Pascua Yaqui Nation Deer Dancers performed their native acts and entertained the crowd of retirees, snowbirds and various ages of locals. What a great day to spend in the sun with culture, food and friends.
Oh, and I live near the corner of Deer Dancer and Sierra Springs.
Sister Pat and I connected with friends Patty and Mo. They are veterans of local culture and events and know the gallery well. Inside we saw the art of the famed Tucson artist. The guy could make art from anything–enamel on copper plate, ink on fabric, oil on canvas and even on an oyster shell.
Ted DeGrazia was an icon when I was growing up. A local artist who’s images of native children were everywhere. He gained international fame when his “ngels” ended up on UNICEF cards that many of us sold as fund raisers as children.
Yet another example of traveling deep not wide–just look what we discovered up the street from our homes.
And I should tell you about the tamales…
Relentless
(*photos by Patty G and the author)
