Arizona Arts presents a 2024 fall semester of arts experiences to engage audiences on campus at the University of Arizona and in the community.

Arizona Arts and its units produce over 700 events each year, most of them free. The division integrates the arts throughout the university experience; gives all students – regardless of major – access to meaningful experiences in the arts; and ensures that the arts play an essential role in realizing the university’s mission of community engagement.

Highlights include …

  • The Center for Creative Photography celebrates the legacy of Louis Carlos Bernal, a pioneering Chicano photographer and Tucson arts icon, in “Louis Carlos Bernal: Retrospectiva.
  • The School of Theatre, Film & Television’s Arizona Repertory Theatre presents the Steve Martin and Edie Brickell musical, “Bright Star.”
  • The University of Arizona Museum of Art presents “The Century of Surrealism,” featuring artworks from the museum collection by Salvador DalíMax ErnstKay SageYves Tanguy, and more.
  • Illusionist Scott Silven brings his mesmerizing “Wonders” to Tucson following a sold-out world tour.
  • Fall for Dance” includes a piece by Emmy Award-winning choreographer Tyce Diorio at the School of Dance.
  • Three films with live orchestras, including “Coco: Live-to-Film Concert” with the Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México.
MOMIX: Alice blends illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy.

EXPERIENCES

Relics and Their Humans
Arizona Arts Live
Sept. 19-21, 2024 | Marroney Theatre

A family’s moving story told through visual and musical relics, featuring three-time Obie Award-winning writer/director Ain Gordon and composer Josh Quillen of Sō Percussion, a group that presents adventurous new work. “Relics” frames a story from Quillen’s family, their three-year odyssey following his father’s 2006 ALS diagnosis and three key family relics:  a recorded interview with his mother, his father’s journal, and a surprising playlist. Commissioned by Arizona Arts Live, Krannert Center for Performing Arts and the Wexner Center for the Arts. MORE.

MOMIX: Alice
Arizona Arts Live
Sept. 27, 2024 | Centennial Hall

Known internationally for presenting work of exceptional inventiveness and physical beauty, MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists under the direction of Moses Pendleton. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland,” as a “taking off point for invention,” this production blends illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy. Although not a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, Alice does encounters time-honored characters like the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts, and other surprises. MORE.

“Fall for Dance” includes a piece by Emmy Award-winning choreographer Tyce Diorio. Photo by Mackenzie Haensgen.

DANCE

Jazz ‘n’ AZ
School of Dance
Sept. 24-26, 2024 | Stevie Eller Dance Theatre

This one-act/one-hour annual favorite, Jazz ‘n’ AZ showcases captivating encore performances by our talented faculty, students and guest artists. Part of the Arizona Jazz Dance Showcase, an event that has drawn dancers to campus for 30 years. MORE.

Frontera
Arizona Arts Live
Nov. 1, 2023 | Centennial Hall

In “Frontera,” choreographer Dana Gingras asks, ‘what space remains for the unruly, ungovernable body in a world consumed by monitoring technologies?’ Watch 10 dancers navigate a spectacular world of light – light-based scenography by United Visual Artists – in a visual conversation between choreography, architecture, and live music by Fly Pan Am. MORE.

Fall for Dance
School of Dance
Nov. 7-17 | Stevie Eller Dance Theatre

Fall head over heels for works by faculty members and special guests, including a piece by Emmy Award-winning choreographer Tyce Diorio, known for his dynamic work on “So You Think You Can Dance” and collaborations with stars like Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lopez. MORE.

PULSE | Student Spotlight
School of Dance
Dec. 5-8 | Stevie Eller Dance Theatre

Witness the students “dance their learning” in an inspiring concert showcasing their original works. Our dance majors are not just performers; they are talented choreographers and collaborators. Pulse highlights the creative voices of our students. MORE.

Two characters from Coco sing together as they stand next to each other, one is a skeleton another is a young boy
A screening of “Coco” will be accompanied by the 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México.

FILM/CONCERTS

Spider-ManTM: Across the Spider-Verse in Concert
Arizona Art Live / Broadway in Tucson
Oct. 13, 2024 | Centennial Hall

Miles Morales, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man,  embarks on an interdimensional journey across the Multiverse. Watch this Oscar-winning film, with a full orchestra performing the film’s iconic score and soundtrack live. Plus, a DJ on turntables, percussion and electronic instrumentalists. MORE.

Coco: Live-to-Film Concert
Arizona Arts Live
Oct. 24, 2024 | Centennial Hall

A screening of the beloved Disney/Pixar film “Coco” accompanied by the 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México, performing the Oscar®-winning score live, including “Remember Me” by Oscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The orchestra performs with traditional instruments dating back to colonial times. MORE.

Avatar: The Last Airbender in Concert
Arizona Arts Live / Broadway in Tucson
Nov. 24, 2024 | Centennial Hall

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” presented with a live orchestra performing the series’ soundtrack by award-winning composer Jeremy Zuckerman. Enjoy a two-hour special recap of the animated series’ three seasons for a truly immersive concert experience. MORE.

Scott Silven’s Wonders will blow your mind.

ILLUSIONIST

Scott Silven’s Wonders
Arizona Arts Live
Nov. 20-23 | Tornabene Theatre

Following a sold-out international tour and headlining at the Sydney Opera House, Scott Silven, an illusionist, mentalist and performance artist, brings “Wonders” to Tucson. “Wow. Wow. Wow.” – The New York TimesMORE.

Ala Ebtekar will discuss his work “The Sky of the Seven Valleys.”

LECTURES

Artist Talk: Phung Huynh
University of Arizona Museum of Art
Sept. 12 | UAMA

A Los Angeles-based artist, Huynh will discuss how her art investigates cultural identity from a “kaleidoscopic perspective,” challenging beauty standards and exploring the complexities of assimilation. MORE.

VASE Lecture Series
School of Art

Ala Ebtekar 
Oct. 11 | CCP Auditorium

Ala Ebtekar will discuss his work, “The Sky of the Seven Valleys,” delving into the intricate interplay between terrestrial and celestial elements that inform his sculptural and photographic studio practice. Ebtekar, who has classical training in Iranian coffeehouse painting, holds an MFA from Stanford University. MORE

Ronald Rael 
Nov. 14 | CCP Auditorium

Cal Berkeley Professor and artist Ronald Rael is known for architecture, human rights and environmental advocacy along the U.S./Mexico border, and pioneering work in developing materials for 3D printing. MORE

Symphonic Choir will perform with other local choirs at Stone Soup.

MUSIC

Collaborative Trumpet Recital
School of Music
Sept. 15 | Holsclaw Hall

A recital of contemporary music for two trumpets and jazz with Jacob Dalager, director of jazz at New Mexico State University, and Jason Carder, Yanni’s solo trumpeter since 2008. He contributed to the 2023 Latin Grammy winner for best instrumental album. MORE.  

Stone Soup: A Musical Feast
School of Music
Oct. 27 | Christ Church United Methodist

The Symphonic Choir and several local choirs will present a diverse program of classical, folk and popular music, and will conclude with a combined performance of “Crowded Table” by The Highwaywomen. MORE.

Kupinski Guitar Duo
School of Music
Nov. 9 | Holsclaw Hall

The School of Music welcomes the Kupinski Guitar Duo, one of Europe’s most renowned guitar duos, acclaimed by both the public and critics alike as two musicians with brilliant technique, passion and quality of sound. MORE.

Die Fledermaus
School of Music / Opera Theatre
Nov. 21-24 | Crowder Hall

“Die Fledermaus,” Richard Strauss’ beloved operetta,  includes hidden plots, disguises, romance, scandals, dancing and champagne! Presented by Opera Theatre with the University Philharmonic. MORE.

“Bright Star” features a Tony-nominated score of bluegrass and gospel tunes by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.

THEATRE

On the Far End
Arizona Arts Live
Oct. 11-13 | Tornabene Theatre

In a captivating one-woman performance by playwright actor Mary Kathryn Nagle recounts the pivotal moments in the life of activist Jean Hill Chaudhuri. From the Trail of Tears to the Supreme Court’s landmark opinion in McGirt v. Oklahoma, Nagle sheds light on her mother-in-law’s relentless pursuit of justice. MORE.

Bright Star 
School of Theatre, Film & Television
Oct. 13-27 | Marroney Theatre

Inspired by a true story and featuring a Tony-nominated score of bluegrass and gospel tunes by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, “Bright Star” tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and ’40s. MORE.

Uncle Vanya
School of Theatre, Film & Television
Nov. 17- Dec. 8 | Marroney Theatre

Uncle Vanya is Anton Chekhov’s brilliant, yet tragic play, examining the troubles of country life in Russia during the last 19th century. Full of richness and complexity, this  deeply emotional drama is not to be missed. MORE.

Yves Tanguy, Le Temps Égaux (Time Without Change) [detail], 1951, Oil on canvas mounted to Masonite, Gift of Edward Joseph Gallagher, Jr.

VISUAL ARTS

A Century of Surrealism
University of Arizona Museum of Art
Opens Aug. 24 | UAMA

The UAMA exhibition “A Century of Surrealism” features artworks by Salvador DalíMax ErnstKay SageDorthea TanningLeonora CarringtonYves Tanguy, and more, showcasing the influences and participants in the movement from the 1920-1980s. MORE.

Louis Carlos Bernal: Retrospectiva
Center for Creative Photography
Opens Sept. 14 | CCP

Celebrating the legacy of Louis Carlos Bernal, a pioneering Chicano photographer and Tucson arts icon. The exhibition, the first major retrospective to highlight the career of Bernal, showcases more than 145 photographs and archival objects, chosen primarily from the Bernal Collection in the CCP Archives. MORE.

Chicana Photographers LA!
Center for Creative Photography
Opens Sept. 28 | Baker Gallery

Showcases five Chicana artists from Los Angeles, Christina FernandezSandra de la LozaLaura AguilarAmina Cruz, and Star Montana, who share common concerns about families, sacred spaces, and body and identity politics. Includes 41 photographs. MORE.

The Vault Show: New Acquisitions
University of Arizona Museum of Art
Through Dec. 14 | Main Gallery

“The Vault Show” creates an opportunity for artworks to come out of storage and into the galleries. This iteration features new acquisitions that were purchased by or generously gifted to the museum, creating a thematically diverse exhibition. MORE.

Paul Valadez: Selections from the 
Great Mexican American Songbook

University of Arizona Museum of Art
Through Dec. 14 | Hanson Gallery

In this collage series, Paul Valadez plays with language and images in ways that reflect memories and multiply meanings. Mixing Spanish and English text with found images, he creates works that confound and reflect a more complex cultural canon. MORE.

The exhibition “Mapping Q: still queer after all these years” highlights and celebrates the program’s 10th anniversary.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Won’t You Be My Neighbor 
School of Art
Opens Sept. 19

Community partners are invited to collaborate, play, and co-create … ultimately to answer big questions about finding community in the art world, and what it means to be a good neighbor. MORE.

Louis Carlos Bernal: Retrospectivita 
Center for Creative Photography
Aug. 31 – Sept. 28 | Douglas Public Library
Sept. 30 – Nov. 15 | Joel D. Valdez Main Library
Oct. 17 | Pima Community College

Mini-retrospective, Bernal pop-up exhibitions will be hosted by cities with connections to the photographer. MORE.

Community Celebration | Louis Carlos Bernal
Center for Creative Photography
Oct. 26 | School of Art

Enjoy food, music, art-making activities, and other events inspired by Bernal’s photography. MORE.

National Portfolio Day
School of Art
Oct. 26 | School of Art

High school and community college transfers can get one-on-one portfolio advice. MORE.

CCP Community Tables | Sobremesa
Center for Creative Photography
Nov. 9 | Futuro in Phoenix

Inspired by the Spanish and Latin American tradition where conversations continue after a meal, CCP will host a sobremesa at Futuro in Phoenix, blending food, art, and meaningful conversation. MORE.

Mapping Q: still queer after all these years
University of Arizona Museum of Art
Through Jan. 4, 2025 | Mezzanine Gallery

UAMA’s Mapping Q program marks its 10-year anniversary with a special exhibition, celebrating the creative resilience of LGBTQ+ youth artists, both present and past. MORE.