Creativity is what’s happening in Ajo, AZ the weekend of March 24-26! This will be a jam-packed weekend of arts and culture, with concurrent events happening across Ajo.
Muralist Michael Schwartz works with Ajo students during the 2015 Street Art Gathering
Throughout the weekend in “Artists’ Alley”, artists will convene for Ajo’s biannual Street Art Gathering to paint large-scale murals, many with migration and borderlands themes. Among those participating are Michael Schwartz and the Tucson Arts Brigade, Neoglyphix, and internationally-recognized muralist Harriet Wood - AKA Miss Hazard - who is traveling from Barcelona to Ajo to paint, with funds raised through her successful Kickstarter campaign.
Photo courtesy of Mondo Bizarro
Also headed to Ajo are nationally-known theater artists Mondo Bizarro and ArtSpot Productions from New Orleans. They will kick off this creative weekend with a free, outdoor public performance of their production Cry You One on Friday evening March 24th, after which they too will appear in the Alley with the muralists.
Brian Hendricks of Desert Rain Cafe gives a talk about the traditional Tohono O'odham ingredients in the cafe's dishes.
Desert Rain Café from Sells, AZ will cater dinner on Friday night in the Plaza (ticketed) highlighting Tohono O'odham cuisine, while Saturday evening features an Ajo community-wide potluck at the murals.
Accommodations and tickets for the Friday dinner are available at the Sonoran Desert Inn and Conference Center.
The weekend has been organized by Ajo Street Art Project, Tucson Arts Brigade, Neoglyphix, International Sonoran Desert Alliance, USDAC Border Arts Group, and Sonoran Cultural Exchange, with support provided by the National Performance Network and local donors.
For more information, contact Caitlyn Allen (caitlyn@isdanet.org) and watch for updates on the 2017 Ajo Street Art Happening Facebook Page. For overnight accommodations and tickets for the Friday dinner, please contact the Sonoran Desert Inn and Conference Center (info@sonorancc.com or 520-775-2565).
For images by Ajo photographer Jewel Clearwater-Fraser from the 2015 Street Art Gathering, click here.