The spring Ajo Arts Weekend, a jam-packed weekend of arts and culture, with concurrent events happening across Ajo, will be held from March 24 through 26. Throughout the weekend in “Artists’ Alley”, artists will convene for Ajo’s biannual Street Art Gathering to paint large-scale murals. 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 the evening of March 24, after which they too will appear in the Alley with the muralists.

Desert Rain Café, from Sells, will cater dinner on Friday night in the courtyard at the Sonoran Desert Inn & Conference Center (ticketed), highlighting Tohono O’odham cuisine, while Saturday evening features an Ajo community-wide
potluck at the murals.

Ajo is a former mining town that is reinventing as an arts destination. The spring Arts Weekend is a wonderful opportunity to get to know this lovely community, which is off the beaten path but still easily accessible from Tucson. Visitors will have the chance to interact with performers and muralists, sample unique local cuisine, and explore the surrounding desert–Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is only 15 minutes away.

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, overnight accommodations and tickets for the Friday dinner, call 520-775-2565, email [email protected] or visit SonoranCC.com. Look for updates on the 2017 Ajo Street Art Happening Facebook page. See ad, page 6.