Tucson Lawyers Partner With Arts Group To Host Juried Exhibit

Isabel Allende

Yesterday was an arts post, today’s another, and tomorrow is art of a different kind (tune in to see!). Happy artistic week!

To open today’s arts-related post, I offer … Isabel Allende.

That’s right, the great Chilean American writer who is known for The House of the Spirits and other great books. Just as I was thinking about the commitment it takes for lawyers to “fit in” art alongside their law practice (and then to submit to the Arizona Attorney Creative Arts Competition), I came across some commentary about Allende.

“On January 8, 1981, Isabel Allende wrote a letter to her dying grandfather that later turned into her first novel, The House of the Spirits. Ever since, this has been the date on which Allende starts a new work. Having started, she writes from Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. We wish her happy writing and hope to profit by her industrious example.”

That amazing vignette appeared on the Facebook timeline of The Paris Review.

9 to 7, writing straight through? That blew me away, and called into question my own definition of a “busy writing day.”

Right on the talented heels of Ms. Allende, I received word about another arts event next week, this one arising out of the Tucson law firm Mesch, Clark & Rothschild PC.

Here is how they describe their “Artistry of Assemblage” Exhibit:

“Mesch, Clark & Rothschild, P.C. is partnering with Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona to host over 20 artists in a juried exhibit titled ‘Artistry of Assemblage’ opening January 16, 2013.”

“Dotted Still Life” by Deanna Thibault

“The Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona is a group of about 130 mixed media artists who meet regularly to expand their knowledge of art in general and mixed media forms in particular. They exhibit together regularly with about four juried shows a year. The exhibit’s juror has selected five award winners, including: Best of Show; 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place, and Honorable Mention, to be presented at the start of the show.”

“‘Assemblage is a multi-dimensional visual art form, dating back to the early 1900s, and is created by putting together random objects,’ said Marti White, president of Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona and one of the exhibiting artists. ‘This is an entirely new approach for our organization, and it is exciting to see what the member artists come up with.’ For more information on Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona, visit www.casaaz.org.”

“The exhibit, at the law firm’s downtown office at 259 N. Meyer Avenue, will be on display through April. Anyone interested in viewing the exhibit, may call 520-624-8886 to schedule an appointment.”

In this post, I’ve included the beautiful work of two of the members of Contemporary Artists of Southern Arizona: Deanna Thibault and Marti White. And I tip my hat to a law firm that opens its doors and its hearts to artists. What other lawyer–artist connections have you seen?

“Basket Fragments” by Marti White

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