Contact:  Reuben Tomas Roqueñi, Grants Program Manager....

(520) 624-0595, x18, reuben@TucsonPimaArtsCouncil.org ....

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....TUCSON.... PIMA ARTS COUNCIL OPEN HOUSE
CELEBRATES GRANTEES, PUBLIC ARTISTS
NOV. 5 AT NEW OFFICES IN ....PIONEER.. ..BUILDING....

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TUCSON, AZ – The Tucson Pima Arts Council will host an open house in its new downtown offices to celebrate the arts in the greater Tucson area and honor this year’s 52 grant recipients and 24 public arts projects in progress.....

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TPAC is the designated local arts agency for the City of ..Tucson.. and ....Pima.. ..County.... and recently awarded $272,000 in grants to 52 organizations to support local performing, visual and literary arts organizations.....

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TPAC also oversees the public art programs for the city, county and other entities, including 14 projects completed and 7 awarded during the past year....

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The public is invited to an informal meet-and-greet gathering of the people who create ....Tucson....’s art vibe – and the citizens and government officials who support art in our community. The open house will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at TPAC’s new offices in the ....Pioneer.. ..Building.... downtown at ....100 N. Stone Avenue, Suite 303.........

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“This is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the breadth and depth of the arts and culture in our community and to thank everyone who nurtures this important resource. We want to thank the citizens of ....Tucson.... for supporting the arts through TPAC for the past 25 years,” said Roberto Bedoya, executive director.....

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The free event will feature performances from Japanese taiko drum group, Odaiko ....Sonora...., New Articulations Dance Theater; the Dambe Project dance troupe; film and video presentations from video DJ, Adam Cooper and Pan Left; plus readings from the Casa Libre and the Sonora Review.

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Visitors also will have the opportunity view a Rural Art Showcase: Best of Show exhibit in the Pioneer Building Room 109 as part of TPAC’s open house and 25^th anniversary celebration. The annual Rural Art Showcase exhibition is an opportunity for emerging and established professional artists living outside of the city limits to present their work in a municipal gallery setting in the heart of Downtown Tucson. (The full exhibit is at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library directly across the street from the ....Pioneer.. ..Building.... from Oct. 29 to Nov. 29.).....

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The 2009-2010 grants provide support for developing arts organizations and opportunities to create new arts experiences with guest choreographers, living stories, new technologies and multi-disciplinary cross-pollinations. Grants also help sustain established ethnic traditions like the mariachi conference, our festival culture including the All Souls Procession, and large institutions like the theatre, symphony, ballet and art museum. Grant applications are reviewed and scored by panels of artists, arts administrators, business leaders and other experts in the field. “Our goal is to use this government funding to support a broad diversity of arts projects and strengthen the cultural fabric this community,” said Reuben Tomas Roqueñi, TPAC’s grants program manager.

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Public art projects during the past year include the newly completed For Speed These Lines by John Davis and Siobhan Roome and Fiesta, Mercado, Historia, Familia by Gail Roberts. Active commissions in progress primarily include transportation projects in ..Tucson.. and ....Pima.. ..County..... Several projects are in design development, including Downtown Links and La Cholla: River to Ruthrauff.

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TPAC oversees a public art collection of more than 200 pieces. “We’re moving through an exciting time in ..Tucson.. and ....Pima.. ..County..... Added roads and facilities generate job opportunities for artists who enhance our communal experience with art,” says Mary Ellen Wooten, Public Art Program Manager. TPAC organizes the artist selection process and oversees the production and installation of artwork in city and county facilities, transportation projects, neighborhood centers and parks. A public art committee of twenty-one members oversees the public art program.

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Other TPAC priorities include the community arts program, which serves neighborhoods and rural areas by funding residencies for professional artists and underserved youth. TPAC also presents the annual fall Open Studio Tour and the spring Lumie awards. TPAC advocates for and promotes arts and culture as a vital part of ..Southern Arizona... For more information, visit www.tucsonpimaartscouncil.org or call 520 624-0595.....