Tilda Swinton (Eva) and Jasper Newell (Kevin, as a child) in "We Need to Talk About Kevin" directed by Lynne Ramsay and distributed by BBC Films

It’s hard to understand what might motivate someone to see a movie like “We Need to Talk About Kevin” — which feels both grotesque and gratuitous as it explores a mother’s life before and after her teenage son commits horrific acts of violence.

Perhaps parents believe the film holds important clues about what makes certain children troubled, and hope it’ll reveal ways to assure their own children never go down a dark path. They’ll be disappointed.

Kevin seems deeply disturbed from a very young age, supporting the notion that nature trumps nurture. Yet those who crafted Kevin’s story clearly think nurture has some skin in the game — because the film opens with Kevin’s mother Eva (Tilda Swinton) reveling in a street running red with tomato pulp.

The supermarket soup aisle is a long way from Spain for Eva (Tilda Swinton) in the 2011 film "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

It appears she’s taking part in Spain’s annual “La Tomatina” festival. It’s our first glimpse into Eva’s passion for travel, a love affair eclipsed by marriage and children. Once husband Franklin (John C. Reilly) insists they move from city to suburbs, Eva settles for covering the walls of her own little at-home hideaway with maps.

They’re an awfully odd couple, with differences that grow more stark over time. Franklin seems a fuddy duddy, content with everyday mediocrity, who either fails to see Kevin’s flaws or prefers to live in denial. Eva feels them profoundly, but tries repeatedly to break through Kevin’s stone cold solemnity.

Kevin (as a teen, Ezra Miller) is smart, and cunning. He knows just how to manipulate his parents, setting them against one another with ease and delight. Periodic displays of apparent affection for his younger sister Celia (Ashley Gerasimovid) can’t disguise his genuine disgust at having to compete for his parents’ attention.

This happy face ballon is about as close as Kevin's parents Eva (Tilda Swinton) and Franklin (John C. Reilly) get to a smile in "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

So what’s a parent to do? Developmental issues, like being slow to talk and toilet train, are addressed by Kevin’s parents rather late in the game. But once Eva finally gets her son to a pediatrician, he assures her Kevin is perfectly normal. Franklin’s “that’s just what boys do approach” doesn’t help.

I get the feeling both “We Need to Talk About Kevin author (Lionel Shriver) and screenwriters (director Lynne Ramsay and Rory Stewart Kinnear) want us to leave the film knowing or feeling something we hadn’t recognized before. But I can only guess what that might be.

Are frequent images of flags meant to signal violence seeping into American culture? Is Eva’s reference to Kevin being hopped up on Prozac an indictment of the pharmaceutial industry? Does Eva’s observation that Kevin commits his crimes as a minor meant to critique our juvenile justice system?

Eva (Tilda Swinton) seems doomed to a life of travel posters and empty chairs after tragedy strikes in "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

The setting often jumps between present and past – making it difficult to piece together any really helpful insights about why a child might be so mean, or a teen so moved to mayhem. Maybe it was all those child safety locks in a house where so many things become weapons. Maybe it was the eerie similarities between mother and son.

I’d have prefered a more linear telling of this tale. Instead, Ramsay delivers a collage of images, most awash in red — mixed with jarring sound and musical selections like “Nobody’s Child,” “In My Room,” and “Mothe’s’ Last Word to Her Son.” It’s creepy, and moves the film from a mix of maternal memoir and morality tale to horror movie.

Most disturbing is the film’s implication that those with signs of serious mental illness are simply evil — or ruined by refrigerator mothers. We should all know better in a day and age when advances in neuroscience are making clear the very real connections between brain and behavior.

Most heartening is its depiction of small acts of human kindness, which is the only part of this film I really expect or care to remember.

– Lynn

Note: “We Need to Talk About Kevin” is rated R with good reason. It contains adult language, sexual content and extreme violence.

Coming up: The fine art of sidewalk chalk, Thumbs up!

Scene from a 2012 independent film titled "A Boy in China" (Image: Empty Mind Films)

I decided to indulge in a little Mandarin to celebrate the Chinese New Year — and news from proud mom Margot Magnum that her son, a young Kung Fu phenomenon named Andre, performed during Chinese New Year celebrations in NYC today. Seems there’s little down time for the energetic redhead profiled in a newly-released film.

“A Boy in China” follows the martial arts adventures of Andre Magnum, seen largely through the eyes of parents Kenn and Margot Magnum — whose reflections on parenting a child with dreams that take him far from home are featured throughout the film.

Magnum, who turns ten in February, studies at the Shichahai Sports School in Beijing. How he got from Phoenix to Beijing is the subject of the film — which explores his early battles with hyperactivity and traditional classrooms, his martial arts training at home and abroad, and his adjustment to life in China.

Magnum discovered Kung Fu while watching scenes from a Jackie Chan film at the tender age of two, but it’s a mistake to assume that “A Boy in China” is just another Kung Fu flick from Empty Mind Films, which specializes in martial arts-related fare. It’s a tale of growing up, letting go and pushing through obstacles created by self and others.

Empty Mind Films is an independent studio specializing in “authentic, accurate and realistic” documentaries on China, Japan and India, as well as martial arts. It’s headed by British filmmaker and photographer Jon Braeley, who directed “A Boy in China.”

Braeley was trained at a young age in both Tai Chi Chuan and Akido, and earned his black belt in Shotokan Karate at age 22. Braeley moved to New York in 1990, and now divides his time between Beijing and Empty Mind production studios.

Details about Magnum’s early martial arts experiences, which began with Wing Chun Kung Fu training with Richard Loewenhagen, are conveyed through snippets of interviews with his parents and coaches.

Once the film shows Magnum heading with his father to China for training at the renowned Shaolin Temple, it incorporates vivid scenes of days spent stretching, marching, chanting, boxing and more.

Much of Magnum’s training with fellow students takes place in majestic outdoor settings with giant trees that make even large groups of students uniformly dressed in red or yellow garb feel small — reinforcing the fact that there’s much more to Kung Fu than meticulous movements.

Magnum moves from rural to big city setting once accepted into the Shichahai Sports School, so folks who see the film enjoy scenes of daily life in different parts of China. It’s interesting stuff for American audiences, especially in an age when China-U.S. relations inform so many discussions about education, technology and world politics.

The film is a masterful blend of three threads, beautifully balancing a family’s adjustment to a son’s special gifts and needs, an American boy’s assimilating into Chinese culture, and a martial arts culture that demands great physical and mental discipline.

“A Boy in China” was screened twice at the FilmBar in Phoenix during January. Both screenings were attended by three of Magnum’s coaches, including Gao Xiang, who teaches traditional Shaolin Kung Fu in Beijing. Also Joseph Eager of Eager Kung Fu and Wushu Academy and Jinheng Li of World Martial Arts Academy  — both located in Phoenix.

Eager and his students will be doing Kung Fu demonstrations this weekend as part of a three-day Chinese New Year celebration at the COFCO Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix. Students at the World Martial Arts Academy will get to enjoy ”A Boy in China” during a 6:30pm screening on Tues, Jan. 31.

I sat near Magnum’s parents during an earlier screening, their third viewing of the film, and was touched to see Kenn put his arm around Margot — who got a bit misty eyed at times.

They’ve been married for more than two decades but never envisioned that a Kung Fu journey started while their son was just a toddler would forge a path to the Great Wall of China before he turned ten.

– Lynn

Note: Click here to follow post-production developments for “A Boy in China”

Coming up: A pair of “Midsummers,” Celebrating Seuss

Dreyfus was a French-Jewish army captain, husband and father of two, falsely accused of treason in 1894 — who wasn’t completely exonerated until 1906. Seems the actors, especially the one playing Dreyfus, can’t quite grasp the relevance.

Members of the troupe focus instead on the nuisances of everyday life and their petty differences, frustrating the director who feels great passion for the play that recounts Dreyfus’ plight.

Morris (Michael Cortez) attempts to direct Myriam (Amy Serafin) and Michael (Will Hightower) in "Dreyfus in Rehearsal" performed by Arizona Jewish Theatre Company (Photo: Mark Gluckman)

That’s the premise of “Dreyfus in Rehearsal,” a play originally written in French by Jean-Claude Grumberg, an award-winning actor, playwright, screenwriter and author whose parents were Holocaust victims.

Arizona Jewish Theatre Company presents the Arizona premiere of “Dreyfus in Rehearsal” Jan. 26-Feb. 5 at the John Paul Theatre located at Phoenix College. Admission to previews is $20 plus a can of food.

“Dreyfus in Rehearsal” was adapted by Garson Kanin (1912-1999), a New Yorker trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts who wrote screenplays, novels, memoirs, short stories, essays and plays.

Arizona Jewish Theatre Company is “presenting the original script of this play, with special permission from the Garson Kanin Estate.” Kanin wrote the screenplays for two famous Tracy-Hepburn films, and his play titled “Born Yesterday” enjoyed a brief revival on Broadway last year.

Producing director Janet Arnold describes “Dreyfus in Rehearsal” as a humorous and poignant juxtaposition of witty banter and egotistical antics with the immediate threat of encroaching Nazi Germany.

Director Morris (Michael Cortez) has a moment with actor Arnold (Charles Sohn) in AJTC's "Dreyfus in Rehearsal" (Photo: Mark Gluckman)

Those fond of finding modern-day parallels will surely discover them. Many are noted in Adam Gopnik’s “The Trial of the Century” in The New Yorker. It’s a review of Loius Begley’s 2009 book titled ”Why the Dreyfus Affair Matters.”

“Dreyfus in Rehearsal” is directed by Ben Tyler, who has directed several shows in the Valley and serves as executive director of the Centennial Theatre Foundation, which funds and develops new works that reflect “the unique, diverse qualities of Arizona and its people.”

Arizona Jewish Theatre Company was founded “to preserve and enhance Jewish culture, by producing quality plays which reflect the Jewish experience” but welcomes diverse actors and audience members. May we all be mindful of what’s happening just around the corner.

– Lynn

Note: Click here to learn more about Albert Dreyfus, here to read a review of a 2009 production of “Dreyfus in Rehearsal” at the Beckett Theater in NYC, and here to learn more about Arizona Jewish Theatre Company’s fundraising efforts.

Coming up: Ed Asner talks autism, arts, education and advocacy

Breaking Ground 2012 takes place Jan. 28 at Tempe Center for the Arts

Choreographers, dancers and multimedia dance artists are gathering this weekend for “Breaking Ground 2012: Festival of Dance, Film, Art” at the Tempe Center for the Arts – presented by CONDER/dance. A 2pm showcase features works by student choreographers, and an 8pm showcase features professional works. Both take place Sat, Jan. 28 — and each is preceded by a 30 minute pre-show performances.

The student pre-show features “Speed Dating – Improvisational Structure” on stage and Nita Mallya’s “Thillana” in the lobby space. The 2pm showcase features several premieres, and plenty of works with intriguing titles — including “Primal” (Robert Ahlman) and “Making Noise [Insert Noise Here]” (Julie Akerly). “My Feet Keep Me up at Night” (Jessica Diaz) features a poem by Moses Alvarez, while “WOW” (Jordan Daniels) uses music from the Chemical Brothers. Sounds like a fascinating bunch.

Breaking Ground 2012 features works by choreographers from several states

Student choreographer Laural Wall-MacLane is interested in “how people experience and reflect on the world through movement arts” while Ackerly enjoys “incorporating new media into dance performance.” Jordan Daniels began his dance training in musical theatre at the Arizona Conservatory for Arts and Academics, and Jessica Diaz plans to couple dance with psychology as “an innovative dance therapist.” Nita Mallya has trained for more than 25 years in a form of classical Indian dance called “Bharathanatyam.”

I’m equally intrigued by the professional fare, which opens with pre-show offerings in four different TCA spaces. “Tango Dreams” (Daniela Borgialli, Rommel Oramas, Jayne Lee) premieres in the lobby space, and three films are being shown in the lobby — “Lady-boy” directed by Carolyn Pavlik, “Moving Target” by Karen Jensen and “Glimpse” by Greta Schoenberg. “State of Affairs” (Eileen Standley) premieres on the second story landing and “Murmur” (Hannon Mockli) is being performed on stage. That’s just the 7:30pm pre-show lineup.

Breaking Ground 2012 includes a student showcase and a professional showcase

The 8pm professional showcase features choreographers from Arizona to Australia. States represented include California, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah. Carley Conder, founder and artistic director for CONDER/dance has two pieces in the showcase. “Replica 5.0″ explores “the processes and foibles of human memory” while “Healing the Divide” explores “the subtleties of a seemingly quintessential relationship.”

Renata Sheppard’s “Wait of Gravity” features an interactive dance performance produced by Virtual Reality & Multi Media Park in Turin, Italy — where Sheppard recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship.  “Her Smile is Painted On…” (Jenna Kosowski) explores “the notions of femininity and freedom.” And “Rendicion Basquait” (Brad Garner) is drawn from themes of “deformation and redemption” in the works of American graffiti artist and painter Jean-Michel Basquait.

Breaking Ground 2012 features contemporary choreography and films

The “Breaking Ground 2012″ program notes that one work in the professional showcase includes “text that contains adult content” and that one film being show during the pre-show “contains brief nudity.” This never worried me as a parent, because I wanted my children to feel comfortable with the fact that we all have bodies, and to embrace art as a vehicle for self-expression. But I respect folks who share these things ahead of time so parents can make their own choices.

Those of you who like what you see during this weekend’s “2012 Breaking Ground: Festival for Dance, Film, Art” will have several other opportunities to enjoy works presented by CONDER/dance, which provides dance instruction for children, teens and adults through the Mesa Arts Center.

Breaking Ground is presented annually by CONDER/dance of Arizona

CONDER/dance will be performing new work at this year’s “Phoenix Experimental Arts Festival,” taking place Feb. 11 at the Paradise Valley Community College performing arts center. Their season finale, “inexplicably linked,” will be performed April 14 at Tempe Center for the Arts.

Their “inexplicably linked” was “inspired by flight” and is “costumed entirely in vintage clothing.” It’ll explore “a chain of encounters that lead to a series of surprising, touching and amusing events” — and feature choreography by Carley Conder, Keith Johnson, Mary Fitzgerald and Alisa Gillespie.

For more information about “2012 Breaking Ground” or other CONDER/dance offerings, visit www.conderdance.com.

– Lynn

Coming up: Ode to homegrown musicians, Review: The Bully Plays

Rehearsal for Violet Flight: Pursuit of Significance choreographed by Britta Joy Peterson (Photo: Hayley Brunetto)

Britta Joy Peterson, one of several student choreographers whose work will be featured during this weekend’s Breaking Ground student showcase at Tempe Center for the Arts, started tap and ballet classes in Minnesota when she was just seven years old. She moved to Arizona after earning an undergraduate degree in dance, and is now enrolled in ASU’s M.F.A. in dance program.

Peterson credits her parents with launching her love of the arts. Seems her mother enjoyed painting “natural things” in watercolor, and her father was a musician. Peterson is the youngest of three siblings, and all were expected growing up to be active in one arts activity and athletic activity. Dance, she says, counted for both.

Still, she chose to try lots of other things, including choir, softball, soccer and flag football — and spent ten years playing violin. “All those things,” reflects Peterson, “are a huge part of the artist I am now.” Peterson says she ”fell in love with being creative” while participating in community theater.

Violet Flight: Pursuit of Significance rehearsal at ASU (Photo: Hayley Brunetto)

Performing in shows like “The Prince and the Pauper” and “Cabaret” was more fun, she recalls, than simply “regurgitating” routines she was learning in dance classes. So was scuba diving with her family in Mexico and New Zealand, and the skiing that fueled her love of jumping and flying through the air.

“My parents worked hard to expose us to the outdoors,” says Peterson. “My dad is an avid bird watcher.” Hence Peterson’s use of elements like feathers and sunsets in her choreography. Tonight Peterson and other dancers are rehearsing at ASU — readying for the 2pm Breaking Ground student showcase on Sat, Jan. 28.

“Recurring Reverie,” which is being performed on TCA’s north patio, was choreographed by Peterson in collaboration with Juan Rodriguez. They also perform the piece — which was inspired by each artist’s recurring dreams. Peterson calls it “an exploration of the human capacity for creativity,” adding that gender roles are a “minimum undertone.”

Peterson's Violet Flight: Pursuit of Significance (Photo: Hayley Brunetto)

The Breaking Ground student showcase concludes with eight dancers performing Peterson’s “Violet Flight: Pursuit of Significance.” Peterson describes the two works as “very different” and says she’s grateful to Carley Conder and CONDER/dance for giving students the opportunity to showcase  and share their work. “It’s important,” says Peterson, “for students across the Valley to exchange ideas.”

“I’m always synthesizing material in my head,” says Peterson, who thinks of herself as an “imaginative laboratory.” She’s a “big advocate of arts education” who says the arts have taught her to “think in many different ways.” Peterson is convinced that creativity and problem solving learned through the arts translate to science and a host of other fields.

“I’m lucky to have parents, and a community of people around me, who support my art endeavors,” reflects Peterson.

– Lynn

Note: Click here for 2012 Breaking Ground (which includes a 2pm student showcase and an 8pm professional showcase) details and ticket information

Coming up: Sneak peek at other 2012 Breaking Ground fare

Scottsdale Community College theatre arts students performing theater of the absurd from playwright Eugene Ionesco (Photo: Laura Durant)

Bald is especially beautiful for Scottsdale Community College students readying to take a play titled “The Bald Soprano” on the road. SCC is one of 10 colleges in its region chosen by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival to perform their full-length production at the regional festival taking place Feb. 7-11 at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

Students and faculty converge on regional Kennedy Center festivals each year to share ideas and enjoy each other’s work. The SCC theatre arts department first presented “The Bald Soprano” by playwright Eugene Ionesco at SCC last season — while studying a theater genre dubbed “theatre of the absurd,” which features wordplay, irony and slapstick humor.

Folks who missed it the first time around can enjoy a free encore performance at the SCC performing arts center Thurs, Feb. 2 at 7pm. It’s directed by Randy Messersmith, who heads the SCC theatre arts department, and features voice modulation and media design by Boyd Branch.

The other works being performed in Utah are “The Elephant Man” by Bernard Pomerance (Bringham Young University), “Suddenly Last Summer” by Tennessee Williams (California Lutheran University), “The Dramatization of 365 Days” by H. Wesley Balk-adapted by Bruce Goodrich (California State University, Fullerton), “God Sees Dog: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” by Bert V. Royal (Citrus College) and “The Cover of Life” by R.T. Robinson (Concordia University).

Also “The Unseen Hand” by Sam Shepard (Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy), “Cesar and Ruben, A Musical” by Ed Begley, Jr. (Santa Monica College), “Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl (Utah Valley University) and “Xanadu” with book by Douglas Carter Beane and music/lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar (Weber State University).

Works presented regionally are evaluated by judges selected by the Kennedy Center. From these, four to six “of the best and most diverse” are chosen for a non-competitive festival held in spring at the Kennedy Center. Participating students have “all expenses paid.” So let’s root for the home team on this one!

The SCC theatre department is also preparing for their spring production of “The Miracle Worker.” And the SCC music department is gearing up for a full calendar of spring concerts. All are open to the public and many are free. Some take place at the performing arts center, while others are held at venues including ASU Kerr Cultural Center, Saguaro High School and more.

The next film in the anti-hate film series presented by the Anti-Defamation League and SCC comes to the SCC performing arts center Wed, Feb. 8. It’s a film from Not in Our Town titled “Light in the Darkness” which “addresses the growing problem of anti-immigrant violence in communities nationwide.”

Remember — as you’re looking for interesting and affordable dance, music, theater and visual arts experiences — that many local colleges and universities have full calendars of fabulous fare. Go there. Go “Bald.” It’s all beautiful.

– Lynn

Note: Click here to read an earlier review of “The Bald Soprano” at SCC

Coming up: Seuss sightings, Once upon a web

Updated 1/25/12 to correct date of free SCC theater performance

Bjorn Eriksson as Enjolras in Les Miserables School Edition at Greasepaint Youtheatre

I saw the “Les Mis” story anew last week during opening night for Greasepaint Youtheatre’s production of ”Les Miserables School Edition.” It was my first time experiencing a stage adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel since the advent of “Occupy Wall Street” — a movement that’s translating the lingo of “haves” and “have nots” into numerical terms.

I felt like part of the 1% Friday night — not because the house was packed with people of great means. But because I had a ticket. This is the first Greasepaint Youtheatre show to completely sell out its run before opening night, according to producing artistic director Maureen Dias Watson. So 99% of the people hoping to see the show won’t have the opportunity. It’s a shame, because “Les Mis” at Greasepaint is big, bold and beautiful.

Much of the production’s grandeur comes from music elegantly and energetically performed by a 12-piece orchestra, and ensemble vocals approached the quality I’ve enjoyed during several touring productions of “Les Mis.” Musical direction for this production is the work of Reynaldo Saenz.

Rebecca Woodbury, who studies vocal performance at ASU in Tempe, makes her Greasepaint Youtheatre debut as Cosette in this production. It’s easy to imagine Woodbury singing this and other roles on a much larger scale, so I hope her sights are set on auditioning soon for national touring productions of various musical theater works.

Tanner Van Parys as Javert in Les Miserables School Edition at Greasepaint Youtheatre

Greasepaint Youtheatre assembled a first-rate creative team for this production, which is directed by Sara Bernstein and features choreography by Molly Lajoie. “Les Miserables” is only as believable as its barricade, and set designer David Weiss nails it. Brick walls and various vignettes for other scenes round out his work — which gives an authentic feel to each setting, from tavern to courtyard.

Still, I found myself wishing for a somewhat grittier vibe. Both sets and costumes could have used an extra layer of grime, since it’s hard to imagine prisoners working with pristine feet and peasants sporting nearly spotless clothing. Nonetheless, costume design by Jean Aiken, which features great attention to detail, is lovely. Every element of the show transports viewers to mid-19th century France.

Lighting design by Dori Brown and sound design by Pete Bish are best appreciated during the barricade scene and sewer scene that follows. Both battle and sewer sounds feel eerily real. Sound equipment for the production was provided by Nearly Naked Theatre of Phoenix.

Other community organizations assisted with the production as well. Scottsdale Neighborhood Arts Place provided researsal space. Southwest Shakespeare Company of Mesa and Tesseract School of Phoenix helped with costuming, and Great Scott Productions provided props. The loveliest of the latter was a pair of silver candlesticks that shone for a time on a lone table sitting center stage.

Boston Scott as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables School Edition at Greasepaint Youtheatre

Boston Scott exhibits a rare blend of acting and vocal performance skills. Despite struggling with a few of the high notes, Scott brings real depth to Jean Valjean. A great Gavroche is a must and Casey Likes, another newcomer to Greasepaint, delivers smile and spunk with playful precision.

Other cast members include Jessica Arnold (Fantine), Cheyanne Ballou (Little Cosette), Ryan Beamon (Thenardier), Bjorn Eriksson (Enjolras), Luke Powell (Marius), Tasha Spear (Eponine), Tanner Van Parys (Javert), Johnna Watson (Young Eponine). The stellar cast of 39 makes it easy to forget at times that you’re watching young non-professional performers.

The power of “Les Miserables” stems from Hugo’s insight translated into strong storytelling. Program notes evidence Dias Watson’s grasp of Hugo’s inspiration and intent, and the show reflects direction well-grounded in the plight of poor living in despair amidst the decadence of the rich.

Tasha Spear, Boston Scott, Jessica Arnold, Luke Powell and Rebecca Woodbury in Les Miserables School Edition at Greasepaint Youtheatre

“The best theatre impacts both individuals and societies,” writes Dias Watson, “enabling them to see those who may have been invisible to them before.” The Greasepaint Youtheatre production of “Les Miserables School Edition” makes clear that the 99% have always been with us, and that revolution never ends.

– Lynn

Note: Greasepaint Youtheatre has added an additional performance Sun, Jan. 29 at 7pm. Click here for details.

Coming up: More French revolution tales

Photos: Barry Smith

While checking out their website, I learned of a new Scottsdale Street Fair being held Sundays at The Pavilions at Talking Stick. I hit the gallery on Saturday, and the fair on Sunday — where I met more artists who’ll no doubt lead me to more art adventures.

Click to view slideshow.I took my son Christopher along, and the first folks we encountered were sharing news of an upcoming performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts of China at ASU Gammage in Tempe. I’ve had China on the brain of late — thanks to a documentary titled “A Boy in China” starring Andre Magnum of Phoenix.

Next we stumbled on the Jan’s Pies booth filled with homemade cheesecake slices, fresh fruit turnovers, miniature loaves of bread and more. I noticed a harmonica laying off to one side of a table and asked about it, launching a wonderful conversation with the man working the booth about his daughter’s love of all things music and Elmo.

I made sure he knew about the “Being Elmo” film and the Valley’s own Musical Instrument Museum (complete with hands-on “experience gallery” where kids love trying all sorts of exotic instruments) before moving on.

We chatted with a woman who creates copper works of art that look like they’d be lovely in both commercial and residential settings, and spoke to several people offering foodie fare — fresh produce, dried beans, flavored pasta, unusual spices. Then we went in search of street fair staples like Indian Fry Bread and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Next time we’ll try the pulled pork and Italian ice.

I was delighted to find several fun options for busy bodies — including a great assortment of bounce houses, a trio of giant balls allowing kids to make like hamsters and a tall climbing wall. Also face painting (featuring exquisite colors and designs) and other kid-friendly fare.

Several booths featured clothing, handbags, jewelry and such — and there was even live entertainment. A singer/songwriter was doing her thing when we arrived, but dancers dressed in costumes akin to those of Arabian dancers in “The Nutcracker” were taking the the stage as we left.

I suspect the Scottsdale Street Fair will grow as more vendors and visitors learn of its existence. You can check it out from 10am-4pm every Sunday at The Pavilions at Talking Stick through May 2012. To learn more, visit them online at www.scottsdalestreetfair.com.

– Lynn

Coming up: All thumbs, A revolution in Scottsdale?

Photos: Lynn Trimble

One of Samantha Martin's Amazing Acro-Cats

My college-age son enjoys volunteering with the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA, and often shares tales of the many cats up for adoption — who have looks and personalities as diverse, and intriguing, as their human counterparts. The organization holds its 2012 “Evening to Paws” at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort & Villas on Sat, March 10.

The Arizona Humane Society holds its 17th annual “Compassion with Fashion” event at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale on Sat, March 17. This year’s theme is “All you need is love.” Try telling that to the circus cats with an insatiable appetite for hoops and balls.

Think adoring fans will pester the acro-cats for pawtographs after the show?

Space 55 in Phoenix presents “Samantha Martin and the Amazing Acro-Cats” through Sun, Jan. 29. I’m told the little darlings are all well-trained and well-treated house cats. Thankfully they sent me a lovely collection of photos, so my own cat “Pink” didn’t have to pose with pint-sized props. She does a mean jumping act when errant rubber bands cross her path, but hardly seems destined for show business.

If only all set, prop and costume design were so simple...

Stray Cat Theatre in Tempe is gearing up for their third show this season. It’s a feline-free production titled “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot.” Perhaps some of you have cats named after its characters, which include Mother Teresa and Sigmund Freud. (Don’t take the kittens.)

I wonder whether the acro-cats ever long to meet Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Stephen Adly Guirgis play is set in a “time-bending, darkly comic world between heaven and hell” and the production directed by Stray Cat artistic director Ron May will features ASU’s incoming class of M.F.A. theatre students. May is the proud companion of a black cat, so let’s hope this piece won’t inspire him to invest in cat-sized roller skates.

– Lynn

Note: No cats were harmed in the making of this post

Coming up: Can you ear me now?

Mesa artist Sherri Aldawood told me about the Arizona Art Alliance Gallery in Scottsdale

I enjoyed a delightful conversation with Mesa artist Sherri Aldawood and her husband last week. Aldawood was one of many artists I met during a “Visions of Arizona” reception at the Arizona House of Representatives building. Her oil paintings “Balcony With Bougainvillea” and “Boys Fishing” are part of the exhibition.

One of two artists caught in the act of painting during our Saturday visit to the gallery

When I asked Aldawood where her work is currently exhibited, she told me about the Arizona Art Alliance Gallery in Scottsdale. I’ve actually driven past it many times during shopping jaunts to what’s now called The Pavilions at Talking Stick — but assumed it was a purveyor of mass produced fare.

The Arizona Art Alliance Gallery is full of paintings, photographs, sculpture, jewelry and more

I decided to explore the gallery with my son on Saturday, and was thrilled to be proven wrong. It’s actually home to a volunteer organization whose 33 member groups, all based in Arizona, represent more than 4,000 visual artists.

I was thrilled to discover a new place to find gifts of jewelry and original art

The Arizona Art Alliance has an outreach program funded through the proceeds of art sales, donations and grants — which features art education and art mentoring programs.

Country House by Claude Picard is one of many works I'd love to live with every day

It’s part of their overall mission to “celebrate Arizona’s diverse communities and rich cultural traditions, inspire creativity, grow local economies and enhance the quality of life for all Arizonans.”

Christopher enjoyed these and other works with animal-related subjects

We take art for granted far too often, but I suspect most of us would feel a deep loss were arts and culture removed from our homes, schools and public gathering places for even a single day.

Franco Valentini's Primordial Land is one of several works featuring nature scenes

The Arizona Art Alliance Gallery is a great way to introduce children to artworks including sculpture, jewelry, carving, painting and more. Gallery volunteers greeted us warmly when we arrived, and we got to watch two artists paint while we were there.

This photographer, standing next to his "Swizzle," graciously shared tips with my son

Another artist, whose photograph “Swizzle” was among our favorites, spent lots of time talking cameras and film with Christopher — and we were delighted to encounter so many folks of generous spirit.

Artworks are exhibited in all sorts of creative ways at the Scottsdale gallery

One shared that she’s been a longtime reader of Raising Arizona Kids magazine, something it’s heartening to hear in an age when print publications are struggling much like arts organizations to find and keep advertisers and subscribers.

There's plenty of room to stroll and linger at the Arizona Art Alliance gallery

I hope all the parents who frequent The Pavilions at Talking Stick for arts and craft supplies (Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, Michaels), toys (Toys “R” Us) and movies (UltraStar Cinema) – will make time to enjoy the Arizona Art Alliance Gallery during their future visits.

We both loved the lines and colors in these works by Barbara Lacy

Keep the gallery in mind next time you’re shopping for artwork for your home or gifts like jewelry for family and friends. It’s fun to catch artists in the act of painting, and lovely to spend time with folks who are so gracious.

– Lynn

Note: Click here to learn more about the Arizona Art Alliance, here to learn more about “Visions of Arizona” and here to learn more about The Pavilions at Talking Stick

Coming up: Art meets automobile, Bald is beautiful