News in Pima Arts
Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Fashion Design, and Digital Arts departments are thrilled to get back to performing and showcasing artwork to live audiences.
Contact Us
Carina Garcia, Marketing and PR Coordinator of the PCC Arts Division
- Email: clisalda@pima.edu (preferred)
- Phone: 520.206.3062
2021-2022 Season Dates
Use the following links to view upcoming events from Pima's various galleries and departments:
- Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery
- Pima Theatre
- Pima Performing Arts
- Pima Music
- Pima Dance
- Pima Visual Arts
- The Art Gallery @ Downtown Campus
- Pima Digital Arts
- Pima Fashion Design
Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery
Programs and exhibitions are always free to the public.
Spring 2022 Juried Student Award Exhibition
April 11 - May 6
Award Ceremony and Reception: April 21, 3-5 p.m., Awards 4 p.m.
The Spring 2022 Annual Juried Student Award Art Exhibition, hosted by the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, brings together the best student artwork for the Fall and Spring Semesters from all the art courses taught at the five campuses at Pima Community College. 202 entries were received from 93 students, and 88 entries were accepted by the jurors for this exhibition. This year the Bernal Gallery has reputable jurors that chose the student winners. The jurors are Alianna Airitam, International Photographer; Ben Johnson, International Painter and former Director of Tohono Chul Park Art Gallery; and Lee Karpiscak, Former Curator of University of Arizona Museum of Art and Intern Director.
More than $5000 in certificates, gifts, and dollar amounts were generously given to honor the student awards this year. This is the most that the Bernal Gallery has ever been given in the history of this annual gift-giving to help students in the visual arts for the Louis Bernal Gallery Annual Juried Student Awards. Congratulations to the many vendors and concerned artists and community members for their donations.
Pima Theatre
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: In Less Than 30 Minutes!
April 23 at 7 p.m. and April 24 at 1 p.m.
Written by William Shakespeare and directed by Chris Will. This exciting live performance will give viewers the option to see a few different versions of scenes from “Romeo and Juliet” by different casts and on different stages.
Tickets: Free.
Pima Music
Music performances are at the PCC Center for the Arts. Tickets: $6/$5.
Jazz Ensemble
May 4, 7:30 p.m.
PCC Jazz Ensemble, directed by Brice Winston, will feature music from composers such as Freddie Green, Duke Ellington, and Tadd Dameron in a big band setting. Some hard-swinging tunes like Bill Holman’s “Told You So” will be met with picturesque compositions like Duke Ellington’s “Pyramid” and “I Like The Sunrise.” Add in a couple of vocal selections, some Basie classics and some complex Thad Jones arrangements and this concert promises to be a rather diverse collection of swinging jazz tunes. A select group of musicians led by trumpeter Ken Jones will start the evening with a few jazz standards.
Wind Ensemble
May 5, 7:30 p.m.
PCC Wind Ensemble, led by Victor Valenzuela, will embrace our neighbors from the South. The Band will celebrate Cinco de Mayo by presenting a five-movement work entitled “Viva Mexico” by the celebrated Band composer, John J. Morrissey. Many other works, including “A Sousa March,” a Jazz Classic, and newer Band works with Latin flare will be included. Our Brass Ensemble class will also contribute the first movement of the Victor Ewald Quintet #1 to this concert. Bring a friend and enjoy the work of the fine students/musicians that make up the Pima Wind Ensemble.
Guitar Ensemble
May 6 , 7:30 p.m.
PCC Guitar Ensemble, directed by Michael Lich, will perform an evening of Spanish and Latin American music. The program will feature works for guitar orchestra by Carlos Rios, Federico Moreno Torroba, and Juan Serrano. There will also be performances by mariachi and nouveau flamenco groups. Throughout the recital, various performers from the PCC guitar program and community will be showcased including flamenco guitarist Coyote de la Torre. This will be an exciting tribute to the guitar and its connection to Spanish and Latin American culture!
Orchestra
May 7, 3:00 p.m.
PCC Orchestra, directed by Anne Grimes, presents an afternoon concert with music featuring an array of styles and genres. The orchestra will perform works including Purcell’s “Ceremonial and Bell Music,” selected movements from a Corelli Concerto and Handel’s “Water Music,” Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” Overture, Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance no. 5”, and other creative pieces composed by players in our orchestra. An additional feature is a performance from one of our brass players, Octavio Robledo III, singing “Fly Me to the Moon."
Chorale and College Singers
May 8, 3:00 p.m.
PCC Chorale and College Singers, directed by Jonathan Ng, features songs of love for Mother’s Day. Chorale will perform the Irish folk song - “Down by the Sally Garden” by Spevacek; “Stars Tonight” by Herrington with percussion and Old Irish Air - “Danny Boy” by Spevacek.
The select mixed-voice a cappella choir College Singers will perform English madrigal - “Fair Phyllis I Saw Sitting”; “I Carry Your Heart with Me” by Stroope; French madrigal - “Il est bel et bon” by Passereau, which is a comic song about their husbands and chickens; a comic duet for two cats - “Duetto Buffo di due Gatti” by Rossini and “Exsultate Deo” by A. Scarlatti.
The final section of the concert features both the Chorale and the College Singers performing a round in five parts - “Be Like the Bird” by Betinis; “Take these Wings” by Besig with flute; two a cappella pieces - Jenny by Myers, “Only in Sleep” by Ešenvalds with percussion, “I Believe” by Miller and all-time favorite - “For the Beauty of the Earth” by John Rutter.
Musical Theatre Workshop
May 10 and 12, 3:45 p.m.
PCC Musical Theatre Workshop, directed by Dr. Darryl King, will have its end of the semester Showcase. They will feature scenes from: Into the Woods, My Fair Lady, The Lord of the Rings, Les Miserables, The Prince of Egypt, Closer Than Ever, and more.
Pima Dance
Fall and Spring Dance Concerts
April 29 and 30, 7:30 p.m.
Pima Dance Ensemble, under the direction of Nolan Kubota, presents Dance Fusion live on stage April 29 and 30, 2022 at the Pima Community College Center for the Arts.
Dance Fusion is a compilation of student and faculty choreography produced during the Spring Semester. Pima Dance Ensemble members, Baleria Celaya-Alcala, Nadia Celaya-Alcala, Kalei Munion, Naomi Park, Mireya Petz, Isaiah Pinarico, Clinton Ponder Gilby, and Annie Wilson choreograph and perform the majority of work. Pima Dance Club, Kubota, and LeighAnn Sotomayor, also contribute work to this year’s Dance Fusion. The Pima Dance Ensemble provides dancers with the opportunity to dance, choreograph, and experience all aspects of producing dance performances.
Each semester Kubota finds ways to challenge his dancers beyond their comfort zones. This semester, they are exploring contact dancing. “Most of them have never experienced movement that depends on another person in that way” says Nolan “It's been interesting to watch the performers learn how to physically interact with each other after not touching for almost two years.” Similarly, choreography is also a new endeavour for several of the dancers. However, there does not seem to be a shortage of creativity coming from them.
Naomi Park, Toronto native and daughter of immigrant Korean parents, loves cats, writing, and dance. New to the Pima dance program this semester, she is all in. Naomi is contributing three new solo works exploring grief in a piece dedicated to her late father, the rise and fall of emotion in a piece called Parachutes, and choreography inspired by choreographer Pina Bausch.
Clinton Ponder-Gilby is back to dancing after 30 years. With a background in ballroom dance, Clinton is exploring jazz dance this semester and fusing the two dance forms in a quartet accompanied by the music of Billy Idol, “Dancing with Myself.”
Veteran Pima dancer, Kayla Allender, studies Public Health, in addition to dance at Pima. “Dancing at Pima allows me to perform and express my artistic side.” Kayla explores Fosse Jazz, lyrical/contemporary and a bit of “groovy vibes” in her choreographic contributions.
Nadia Celaya-Alcala and Julianne Dickerson, Pima Dance Club officers, present We Live for the Applause, a jazzy piece set to the music of Lady Gaga and created for the members of the Pima Dance Club. The Pima Dance club is a student-run outreach program founded with the intention of exposing both experienced and new dancers to the Pima Dance program, in hopes that they choose to further immerse themselves in the dance opportunities offered at Pima Community College.
LeighAnn Sotomayor, dance discipline lead and Pima dance club advisor, jumps back into choreography after a 15-year hiatus. She reconstructs a duet she created years ago, paying homage to the mountains surrounding Tucson. “When I saw Leah Blue and Julianne Dickerson dancing together in the recent SpongeBob Musical, I knew they were perfect for this duet.” The piece, Mountain Adage, represents the steadfast, yet ever-changing views of surrounding Tucson mountains from sunrise to sunset. “I look to the mountains to draw strength and calm when I’m anxious. This duet represents those qualities while illustrating the textures of the mountains as the sun rises and falls over them throughout the course of a day.”
Tickets: $12, discounts available.
Pima Visual Arts
All events at PCC West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Rd., Santa Rita Bldg., Second floor. Programs and exhibitions are always free to the public.
Visual Arts Gallery presents: PaperWorks Sonoran Collective for Paper and Book Artists
April 18 - September 2
Reception: April 27, 2-4 p.m.
PaperWorks provides educational and creative opportunities for all who love to work with and on paper. They promote the appreciation and enjoyment of the paper and book arts through monthly meetings, workshops, classes, community exhibitions, and scholarships. For more information about PaperWorks, please visit their website at paperworks.info
The Art Gallery @ Downtown Campus
All events at PCC Downtown Campus 1255 N. Stone Ave. Programs and exhibitions are always free to the public.
Lockdown Year - Exhibit
Now through May 16
In the year of COVID we were all locked in, still we continued to grow and create. This show is an exhibit of artworks created by Pima students during that time.
Pima Digital Arts
Expo and Showcase: Film & Animation, and Game Design
This year, this exciting three-day event will focus on Film & Animation, and Game Design. Although Graphic and Web Design students will not be featured in this showcase, they will have their artwork on display in the Fall 2022 Student Exhibit in the Visual Arts Gallery at Pima West Campus.
Thursday, May 12th, 5 p.m.
Animation Festival. This event will premiere on the Digital Arts Expo site at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Clips of student films will be showcased and you’ll find all the full-length student films there too.
Friday, May 13th, 5 p.m.
Game Design & Simulation will showcase their student work from this year. This event will premiere on the Digital Arts Expo site at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Student games will be available for the public to test.
Saturday, May 14th, 5 p.m.
Film Festival. This event will premiere on the Digital Arts Expo site at 5:00 pm on Saturday. Clips of student films will be showcased, and full-length student films will be available to view.
Awards for all categories will be announced on May 14th at 7 p.m.
Tickets: Free
Visit the Virtual Exhibit
Pima Fashion Design
Fashion Arte Revival 2022
May 13, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
After a two-year hiatus, PCC Fashion Design Department presents, Fashion Arte 2022 – The Revival Show. We invite you to join us at the Black Box at the PCC West Campus Center for the Arts for an exclusive fashion experience. Students in beginning to advanced fashion courses will showcase their work and the emerging brands they are creating. The show is also featuring sustainable designs in partnership with Goodwill from the “upcycling clothing project” completed by Textiles Students. This event will be in-person with limited VIP seating.
Tickets: Free live-stream, limited $50 VIP tickets available