Every September for 37 years visitors from Phoenix and all over the Southwest have headed to Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village in Sedona, Arizona for a late summer weekend getaway. Why? To attend one Sedona’s signature events: the family-friendly Fiesta del Tlaquepaque, celebrating Mexican Independence Day with music, dance, food and fun activities for kids. The free event, open to the public, takes place Saturday, September 11, 2009 from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm.
For more information about Fiesta, performance times and other events visit www.tlaq.com, or call 928.282.4838
Celebrate the end of summer through the joyful creations of the featured artists in the Sedona Arts Center’s August Exhibit, Serendipitous Adventures, which opens with a wine reception from 5 to 8pm on First Friday, August 6th and runs through September 1st. Open daily from 10am to 5pm.
The playful mix of colors, media, and styles shown in the exhibit will engage your senses and remind you of the joyful, lazy days of childhood summers. Featured artists are: Gale Craig (Mixed-media), Sue Hunter (Pastels), V. Norton (Calligraphy & Ceramics), and Norma Cox Miller (Mixed-Media).
Norma Cox Miller working
The exhibit is lovingly dedicated to Norma Cox Miller who died expectedly on July 22. Her spirit, her talent, her passion for art, and her love of life will always be part of the Sedona Arts Community. She will be missed! The Friday night reception will be a celebration of her life and her art as we showcase her newest and final works together with the works of the other featured artists. Please, join us to bid her farewell in the way that she would have wanted.
Norma Cox Miller grew up on a small farm in Kentucky. Her memories of the sunlight and shadows, the small stream near her home and the changing colors of the leaves, season by season, influenced her paintings throughout her life. She did not have the opportunity to formally study art until she entered Morehead State University where she learned the basics, which was only the beginning. An avid life-long art student, with an insatiable appetite for learning and improving her skill, she was always seeking more and studied with many well-known artists such as Edward Betts, Charles Reid, Gerald Brommer and Virginia.
When she was no longer as challenged by landscape painting, she turned to abstraction. At first she used landscape elements in her work, and slowly began to paint completely non-objective abstractions, reverting occasionally to semi-abstraction. She preferred stretched canvas or watercolor paper using acrylic paint and various collage and texturing materials to add variety and interest to her pieces. She began showing in juried exhibitions in 1970 and has received numerous awards for her work in acrylic and mixed-media.
“NEPTUNE'S DANCE” by Gail Craig
Gale Craig is both a painter and designer of one-of-a-kind jewelry. Gale paints primarily in oils, acrylics and encaustics, a 2,000 year old process which uses heat to fuse layer upon layer of pigmented beeswax and damar resin. The wax delivers color in a way no other medium can, producing magnificent translucent effects.
The first thing that strikes you when you look at Gale’s vibrant, colorful abstract paintings is that she paints from the heart. Her remarkable use of color reflects her passion for the mystical and healing arts. However, what is truly unique about Gale’s style is that you can feel the essence of spiritual energy in everything she paints.
She states, “I see in the Universe a mystical world of flowing energies. My visions are inspired by the colors and movement of the energies I see within and around an object. It is the beauty and vibrancy of this universal energy that I try to capture in my paintings.”
Sue Hunter was born in Arkansas but has lived in Arizona since 1960 and thinks of Arizona as home. The lovely desert colors, wide open spaces, and diverse landscapes of the southwest provide her with endless subject matter for her paintings. She works in pastel, oils, watercolor and acrylics. Her subjects include landscapes, still life, figures and animals. She is known for her paintings of roosters.
Color is an important aspect of Sue’s art which is reflected in her impressionistic style. “I try to put into my paintings the emotions I feel using color, light and shadow effects to create design.”
Sue graduated from Western International University and has studied art at Scottsdale Artists School, Scottsdale Community College, with local art instructors and has attended numerous workshops locally and in Europe. She is a consistent award winner in juried exhibits and her work is included in many private and public collections.
V. Norton (Victoria) is a dual artist – ceramicist and calligrapher. She has been a resident of Sedona for 25 years, and works in a studio overlooking the beautiful red rocks. Her inspiration comes from the exquisite landscapes, animals, and people around her.
Sue has traveled extensively in North and South America, Europe, and Africa, which has influenced her amazing masks and has impacted the artistic path which she is currently following. She takes the realistic and interprets it in abstract forms and designs, using the clay as her canvas. This occurs both with her sculptural and figurative pieces.
Her calligraphy has been another 30-year adventure. Sue was a teacher at the Arts Center for fourteen years, dating back to the time when the studio was downstairs in the Art barn. From there, she became an adjunct faculty member at NAU for five years. Now her focus is on original commissions: evolving a series of calligraphy cards, and most recently, getting back into creating one of a kind, hand bound books.
The Sedona Arts Center is located at the corner of 15 Art Barn Rd. and State Rte 89A in Uptown Sedona – on the right just before entering Oak Creek Canyon. For more information about the Poets Corner or the Sedona Arts Center please call 928.282.3865. The evening event is free of charge and open to all who would like to attend.
Sedona PhotoFest culminates this Saturday night, July 24th, at 6pm at the Sedona Creative Life Center as Jack Dykinga shares his world view in an intimate evening followed by an Hors d’oeurve and Wine reception at the Arts Center catered by Dahl & Di Luca. A Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, Jack Dykinga will share his thoughts and process while on location. He will also explore what goes into making a photograph a work of art. The winners of both the Red Rock Open and Apprentice Photographer’s competitions will also be announced. This evening promises to be unforgettable, you won’t want to miss it.
Dykinga blends large format landscape art photography with documentary photojournalism. He is a regular contributor to Arizona Highways and National Geographic Magazines. He is the author of nine wilderness advocacy, large format books. Jack Dykinga’s ARIZONA, released in 2004 from Westcliffe Publishers, a compellation of Jack’s best Arizona images and: IMAGES: Jack Dykinga’s Grand Canyon released by Arizona Highways, May 2008, reflect Jack’s love for Arizona.
His fine art images were featured along with the work of Ansel Adams in an Arizona Highways Magazine retrospective shown at the Phoenix Art Museum, The Center for Creative Photography, and the Museum of Northern Arizona.
In April 2010, Jack’s image: “Stone Canyon” was selected as one of the forty best Nature Photographs of all time by the International League of Conservation Photographers and he received: The 2011 Outstanding Photographer of the Year Award from the Nature Photographers of North America. His illustration of the wilderness lands of Native American Tribes is featured in the August 2010 National Geographic.
His work is driven by his passionate advocacy for preservation of the natural world. Currently, he serves on the board of The Sonoran National Park Project in an effort to create a new Bi-National Park on the Arizona/Sonora, Mexico border.
In April, 2007, Jack and four other photographers: Thomas Mangelsen, U.S.A.; Patricio Robles Gil, Mexico; Fulvio Eccardi, Italy & Mexico; and Florien Schultz from Germany, became the first ever R.A.V.E. (Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition) for the International League of Conservation Photographers, to document the El Triunfo Cloud forest in Chiapas, Mexico, drawing attention to the threatened habitat there.
Since then, Jack has donated his talents to iLPC’s RAVEs in
Balandra 2007, Baja Sur, Mexico, the Yucatan 2009, Yucatan, Mexico, the U.S./ Mexico Borderlands 2009 Project as well as the 2010 Patagonia, Chile RAVE. In each case, Jack and teams of celebrated photographers from all over the world pooled their collective talents to highlight environmental degradation.
An evening with Jack Dykinga takes place from 6-7:30pm on Saturday July 25th at the Sedona Creative Life Center. The cost for the evening is $45 and includes a reception following the event at Sedona Art Center from 7:45-8:45pm catered by Dahl and Di Luca. For more information or to purchase tickets to “An Evening with Jack Dykinga” please go to www.sedonaphotofest.com or call Sedona Art Center at 928.282.3809.
This weekend, Tlaquepaque will host a sizzlin’ summer bash to celebrate and honor Independence Day. The event will feature music from a Dixie Land band, the Geritol Hipsters, and a bit of jazz and country from the Cat Black Band. The music will surely have you dancing on your feet all afternoon.
For the kids, there will be face painting, potato sack racing and a pie eating contest for kids of all ages… So join the fun – relax, feast and shop at Tlaquepaque!
The event is free!
The festivities take place on Saturday, July 3, at the beautiful Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village in Sedona, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 928.282.4838 or click here for further information.
Come enjoy “a whole lotta cowboy goin’s on” in the midst of spectacular red rock country. Sedona is celebrating National Day of the Cowboy, July 24th, 2010, with a FREE event co-presented by Red Rock Western Jeep Tours and Sedona Main Street Program from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm in the Main Street District along State Route 89A. It is befitting our cultural heritage, since Cowboys were a vital part of this town from its early days. And the Cowboy Artists of America was founded by resident and area cowboys at the Oak Creek Tavern in Uptown Sedona.
Rodeo cowboy storytelling starts the day, along with Hopi Elder Fakina Bluestar storytelling and dances. Listen to Brian Denali tell Native American stories interwoven with flute playing. Cowboy poet Mike Peach will perform at Oak Creek Marketplace during the day. Western trades people will demonstrate their skills at Sinagua Plaza all day.
Gunfights, whip crackin’ and ropin’ start at High Noon as part of live performances ’til 5 pm in front of Red Rock Western Jeep Tours! There will be gunfights in the fast moving action and drama from local cowboys & gals, too! Historical re-enactments by Boots & Bustles of Prescott will take place from noon – 4pm. You can try your hand at roping a steer (the stationary kind!) and get a tip or two from the cowboys giving roping demonstrations. Take a picture with Babe, The Giant Horse, and try a pony ride. For more information please call: 928-204-2390.
Photography Enthusiasts, Students, Educators, Emerging Pros:
Come to Sedona for an Eight Day Celebration of Southwest Photography Amidst the Stunning Red Rock Country of Sedona
Sedona PhotoFest 2010 brings together Pulitzer-winning photographer Jack Dykinga, “Sedona Masters,” six competing “Apprentice Photographers” juried from Arizona high schools, and the public for three days of field photography in Sedona. The highlight of Sedona PhotoFest 2010 is our 3-Day Symposium including keynote talks, workshop presentations and panel discussions. Two fine art landscape gallery exhibitions along with special evening events make this week ideal for photographers, educators, students, families and art buyers worldwide to celebrate Southwest photography’s contribution to the fine arts.
This inaugural year brings photographers an incredible chance to see Sedona, hone skills and learn in a unique and intimate setting at the beautiful Creative Life Center in Sedona. If you’ve been to other photography conferences and seminars, you’ll find Sedona PhotoFest offers you an excellent program while keeping it affordable.
PhotoFest’s “Master Photographer-in-Residence,” Jack Dykinga, blends landscape photography with documentary photojournalism. His landscape art photography, magazine contributions, and nine wilderness advocacy, large format books are world-renowned. He is a captivating public speaker whose work is driven by his passionate advocacy for preservation of the natural world. He is a regular contributor to Arizona Highways and National Geographic.
For more information, call the Sedona Arts Center at 928.282.3809 or visit sedonaphotofest.com
This year’s Sedona Bluegrass Festival is nearly over – but it’s not too late to enjoy the last event! Tomorrow, May 9th is the main festival concert at Los Abrigados Resort from 11am to 5:30pm.
Tickets are $40 for aduts, $20 for student 13-21 with ID, and free for kids 12 and under, and are available at Basha’s Sedona and online at www.ChamberMusicSedona.org. For more information call 928.204.2415.
The 40th Annual Sedona St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 10:30am on Saturday, March 6th. Title Sponsor Cowboy Club and Barking Frog Restaurants will be on hand with coffee service before and during the parade. They and many additional business sponsors and contributors make this community tradition possible. Grandstands are available along Jordan Road near Mesquite Avenue, thanks to the City of Sedona, or you can bring your own chairs.
The parade begins at Jordan Historical Park and makes its way along Jordan Road to Mesquite Avenue. Grand Marshal Joe Vernier will lead the line-up of dignitaries, a color guard, bagpipers, bands, dancers, clowns, animals, vehicles and walking troupes from the entire Verde Valley and Flagstaff, plus a special appearance from the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders & Mascot Big Red.
The Parade Festival begins immediately following the parade until 3pm. Stay to enjoy more free festivities thanks to A Day in the West, Festival Title Sponsor and other business sponsors, all set up next to the end of the parade in Sacajawea Plaza and BR Clinic Parking lots. Ally & the Boys is our featured Celtic band, McTeggart Irish Dancers of Arizona will perform, and the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders and Big Red will visit and sign autographs until 12:30. A multitude of children’s activities are available free of charge! The festival food & refreshment features Barking Frog and Cowboy Club Restaurants. Sedona Fudge Company will have a sweet treats booth. Thanks to Oak Creek Brewing Company, there will be a Beer Garden featuring Oak Creek Brews of course!
Sedona is one of the most enchanting places to celebrate the holiday season. Annual events draw thousands each year to create family traditions & memories that will last a lifetime. Sedona’s moderate climate boasts temperatures in the mid-50′s to low-60′s making outdoor and indoor activities enjoyable year-round. Just be sure to pack a jacket to wear after the sun goes down. From the lighting of over 6,000 luminarias at beautiful Tlaquepaque to the lighting of over 1 million Christmas lights at Los Abrigados nightly, make some memories with your family this holiday season here in beautiful Sedona.
Red Rock Fantasy at Los Abrigados Resort & Spa, Nov. 19 – Jan. 2, 2010
One of the city’s most spectucular annual events is the Red Rock Fantasy at Los Abrigados Resort & Spa. Now in its nineteenth year and boasting nearly two-dozen displays created by families from the Southwest, the festival promises never-before-seen marvels of light that leave children in wonderment and move adult minds to enjoy the holidays as they did when they were young. That’s the magic that has made Red Rock Fantasy a favorite among Arizonans and visitors to the state alike.
Lights On for the 19th Annual Red Rock Fantasy will take place this year at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 19, 2009. The event will last through the New Year, ending with “Lights Out” on Saturday, January 2, 2010.
All those touring the lights will be given a ballot containing a route map, which will allow them to choose five favorite displays. The completed ballots may be dropped in the ballot box located in the lobby of the restaurants. The winning display will be awarded a lifetime vacation ownership through ILX Premiere Vacation Club with prizes also going to runners up in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place categories. The Red Rock Fantasy Awards Banquet announcing the winners in every category is Saturday, January 9, 2010 beginning at 6:30 pm. In addition to the annual competition amongst display decorators, ILX Resorts Incorporated will continue the tradition of donating a percentage of proceeds to local schools, charities and nonprofits.
ILX Resorts wants to thank the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and City of Sedona for pledged safety during this year’s annual event. It is because of them Red Rock Fantasy has been and continues to be a success.
The festival is open each evening (weather permitting) from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children aged 4-12 and is complimentary for children 3 and under. Blocks of 20 tickets or more are sold at a discounted rate of $4 per person. For more information, call 928-282-1777 or toll free 800-521-3131.
For more information please call (928) 282-1777 or visit our web site at www.redrockfantasy.com. For bulk ticket information, contact Deb Hawthorne, Accounting Manager, Los Abrigados Resort & Spa, at (928) 282-1777.
The Festival of Trees, Tlaquepaque, Nov. 27
A new and exciting event opens at Tlaquepaque on Friday, November 27, 2009 – The Festival of Trees. Area artists and galleries will have over 30 Christmas trees fully decorated in fun and exquisite ways to entice the guests of Tlaquepaque. Kick of your holiday season with a beautiful themed tree already pre-decorated…The trees will be on display on throughout the courtyards of Tlaquepaque accompanied with silent auction bid sheets. Viewers may visit Tlaquepaque and check their bids through 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 6th. The proceeds from this Holiday event will benefit The Humane Society of Sedona, Toys for Tots, Camp Soaring Eagle and the Desert Star Community School. For additional information please contact Mally Paquette at (928) 592-2177.
Friday, November 27: 10:00am The Art Inspired Tree Display Opens
Wednesday, December 2: 1-3pm Pet Photos with Santa to benefit the Humane Society of Sedona
Saturday, December 5: 1-3pm “Kids Be a Star”. Make ceramic holiday gifts sponsored by Imagine Art in Sedona
Saturday, December 5: 5-7pm Holiday Reception Under the Stars
Sunday, December 6: 4pm The Auction Closes
Date Details: Friday, November 27 through Sunday, December 6, 2009
Phone: (928) 592-2177
The Festival of Lights at Tlaquepaque
The Festival of Lights at Tlaquepaque, Dec. 12
It’s hard to describe what it feels like to be in the midst of 6,000 golden-hued luminarias that punctuate every wall, balcony, patio and cobbled stone walkway in the arts village. If ever there was a place for bedazzlement and holiday wonder, the 36th Annual Festival of Lights at Tlaquepaque is it.
Everyone — the young, young at heart and revelers everywhere — is invited to the holiday celebration on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 from 3:00 to 8:00 pm.Admission is free, as is the Sedona Trolley service from the uptown Municipal parking lot to Tlaquepaque, available throughout the festival hours.
For many the lighting of a luminaria has a special significance. Now a Tlaquepaque tradition for six years, cancer survivors are honored and those that lost their lives to cancer are remembered as friends and families dedicate a luminaria in their name. Donations to help fight the disease are gratefully accepted by the American Cancer Society. The sponsored luminarias will their special messages are then placed around the fountain at Patio del Norte. “This can be a challenging time of year for many families. We want to especially remember those that are heroically fighting cancer or who overcame it… as well as those who did not. In a small way we pause to acknowledge them at this special time of year,” said Wendy Lippman, general manager and managing partner of Tlaquepaque.
At 5:00 pm candles will be handed out to everyone. Kids, parents grandparents and visitors from all over love to light their candles and place them in the luminaria bags. Not long after, the stunning spectacle of light, over 6000 luminarias is complete.
The weekend event will kick off the night before with popular singer Ron Tolson whose deeply melodic baritone voice will fill the Tlaquepaque Chapel on Friday, December 11th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.
On Saturday starting at 3:00 pm gather the kids in Patio Del Norte to see the arrival of Santa Claus and his elf, accompanied by Christmas favorites sung by Sedona’s Tom and Shondra. The Chavez Jazz Trio with Frankie Chavez, accomplished drummer and percussionist, will perform from 5:30 to 8pm in Patio Del Norte.
At Plaza de la Fuente from 5:30 to 8:00 pm listen to the heart-pounding, uplifting vocals and perfect harmonies of the 60-person River of Life Tabernacle Choir. Astounding in their mastery of song, their repertoire is both traditionally seasonal and inspiring gospel.
Traditional Christmas music delivered with the upbeat sounds of steel drums, marimba and more by percussionist Paul McDermand will thrill the crowds in Patio de las Campanas from 3:00 to 8:00 pm. At the Chapel from 4:00 to 5:30 pm be sure not to miss Sedona’s Jim Buchanan and stay for the Leman Music Ensemble from 6-8pm, performing traditional Christmas favorites.
It wouldn’t be a traditional Tlaquepaque event without the Roaming Mariachis Familia Rojas – a big hit from the Fiesta, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Carolers will stroll throughout the village during the afternoon to round out the holiday cheer.
Home to more than 40 shops and galleries and four restaurants, Tlaquepaque, the Art and Soul of Sedona, now in its 37th year, is located at 336 Highway 179 at the Oak Creek Bridge just south of 89A on Highway 179. It is open daily at 10:00 am. For more information call (928) 282-4838, visit: www.tlaq.com.
SEDONA/VERDE VALLEY TWEET-UP CELEBRATES THE SEASON
November 19 Tweet-Up to Kick-Off 19th Annual Red Rock Fantasy
This month's Sedona/Verde Valley Tweet-Up Kicks off the 19th Annual Red Rock Fantasy of lights at Los Abrigados Resort & Spa
SEDONA, Ariz., November 13, 2009 – The 6th monthly Sedona/Verde Valley Tweet-Up will bring dozens of Twitter users from Sedona, Flagstaff, the Verde Valley, Prescott and other parts of Arizona together to network in person and online Thursday, November 19, 5:00 – 7 p.m. at Los Abrigados Resort & Spa’s Shef’s Bar. The evening also marks the grand opening of the 19th Annual Red Rock Fantasy at Los Abrigados, featuring over one million holiday lights in an array of creative displays throughout the property. Shortly after arriving, attendees will have a chance to mingle with Santa Claus himself as he makes his grand entrance via helicopter at 5:30 p.m to switch the lights on for the season.
The Sedona/Verde Valley Tweet-Ups are sponsored in part by Red Rock TV16, Sedona.tv and the Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa. These fun and informal gatherings offer Twitter users the opportunity to meet their followers in person, gain more followers, learn how to use Twitter more effectively and create lasting business relationships. There is no cost to attend, no membership to join – just a gathering of great “tweeps”, good food, drinks and some valuable Twitter tips and tools to take home with you.
Los Abrigados Resort & Spa is generously offering attendees complimentary appetizers and drink specials in Shef’s Bar followed by a free raffle awarding prizes such as gift certificates to local restaurants and spas. Hosts Megan Aronson, Nate Hansen and Sheryl Curtis will give a brief presentation, “Online Video Marketing 101 and 2.0″ followed by a short Twitter Tips & Tools Q & A session. Afterwards, be one of the first to see this year’s spectacular lights displays on a tour of the 19th Annual Red Rock Fantasy! In the spirit of the season, attendees may bring canned food donations for the Sedona Food Bank to help feed hungry families this winter.
About Red Rock Fantasy
The19th Annual Red Rock Fantasy will beginsThursday, November 19, 2009 and will last through the New Year, ending with “Lights Out” on Saturday, January 2, 2010. The festival is open each evening (weather permitting) from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children aged 4-12 and is complimentary for children 3 and under. For more information, call 928-282-1777 or toll free 800-521-3131, or visit our web site at www.redrockfantasy.com.
About the Sedona/Verde Valley Tweet-Ups
The Sedona/Verde Valley Tweet-Ups were started by Megan Aronson (Red Rock TV16), Sheryl Curtis (Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa) and Nate Hansen (Los Abrigados Resort & Spa) in June of 2009 in an effort to bring local Twitter users together to create business and social networking relationships on line and in person. The Tweet-Ups are well attended and take place once a month at various locations around Sedona. If you would like to be included on our email list about monthly events, participate as a host, sponsor or attendee, donate a raffle prize or if you just want to learn more about Sedona Tweet-Ups, please contact Megan Aronson via email at Megan@Redrocktv.com.
Bi-National Park on the Arizona/Sonora, Mexico border.
Photography Enthusiasts, Students, Educators, Emerging Pros:
The Festival of Trees, Tlaquepaque, Nov. 27
The 19th Annual Red Rock Fantasy will begins Thursday, November 19, 2009 and will last through the New Year, ending with “Lights Out” on Saturday, January 2, 2010. The festival is open each evening (weather permitting) from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children aged 4-12 and is complimentary for children 3 and under. For more information, call 928-282-1777 or toll free 800-521-3131, or visit our web site at 