Artist Lauri Kaye encountered a man experiencing homelessness. Like most everyday events, it inspired her, but this time it led to an entire collection.
“Tucson Portrait Stories” focused on the people, places and events that make the city distinctive.
She will display those pieces during a “Night at the Museum”-inspired event on Sunday, March 12, at the Jewish Community Center. Many of her subjects will attend and interact with festivalgoers.
“I want this to be different from any other art exhibit, where even people who have no interest in art can find a story that they can relate to or an activity they can enjoy,” Kaye said.
“The subject material is so vast that whether you’re into sports, wildlife, food or music, there’s something for everyone, regardless of their age or interest.”
For the collages, Kaye created portraits of prominent Tucsonans such as Mayor Regina Romero, chef Maria Mazon, guitarist Gabriel Ayala and poet Sharon Byrd.
During the event, Mazon will have food samples for guests. Ayala will play the guitar, and Byrd will do poetry.
In her art, Kaye has also featured the Hotel Congress, DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, Gates Pass, Loft Cinema, the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and the Tucson Botanical Gardens.
A 25-year Tucson resident, Kaye created her first mixed-media collage in her series after meeting “Alberto,” the homeless man, in 2015.
“I was sketching at a café Downtown outside on a really nice day,” Kaye recalled.
“This guy came over to my table. He showed me his tattoos that were on his arm… I invited him to sit down and have some coffee, and he told a story that he had just been released from prison. We sat for about an hour or so, and I asked if I could write down his story and take his photograph because I wanted to do his portrait. I learned so much from our conversation.
“It became my quest to share stories with a broad appeal to Tucsonans, with subjects ranging from artists to social issues to entrepreneurs, athletes, landscapes, wildlife, local businesses, the environment and so much more.”
Kaye’s series is a collection of 60 mixed-media collages on metal.
“I always start with my hand drawings, which are with black architectural pens on sketchbook paper,” Kaye said.
“I do a detailed black and white drawing, and then, when I’m finished, I take a photograph of it with my cellphone, and then I send that image to my computer. In the negative space, I can add photographs and color digitally.”
It takes between four and six weeks to make each piece.
In her work, the artist includes three to four sentences that help to tell the stories of the people, places or events that are featured.
“When I was young, my mom would always ask me what my drawings were about because they were pretty crazy,” Kaye said.
“It would drive me nuts having to explain what was in my head. This is an homage to her, actually writing the stories of each piece so that people understand what the artwork is about. My hope is that it inspires people to learn a little bit more about whatever the subject material is, since what I have is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Inside the artwork, she will sometimes include words that help to tell the person’s story. For Alberto’s portrait, for example, some of his story is shared in the form of tattoos.
“A lot of what I learn about the person or the place, I will draw that information into the artwork, and it helps me remember what I learned,” Kaye said. “There’s so much information and detail that you will have to look at a piece over and over again to really get all of the information from it.”
Kaye has created artwork based on everyday people she has met, including a security guard at a strip mall and a couple who recently immigrated from Mexico.
“I’m introverted. It’s a stretch for me to go out and approach strangers, but it always ends up being totally worthwhile,” Kaye said.
“So many of them are in the portraits that I have on exhibit.”
Her artwork has been on display at other galleries, such as the SAAG Gallery, Arthouse Central, Why I Love Where I Live and the Tucson Gallery. This is the first chance to see the pieces together, and some of them have never been shown to the public.
Along with Kaye’s artwork, there will also be pieces created by students from Arts for All, an organization that works with people with physical and cognitive disabilities.
Kaye made two sculptures for the festival, which will be displayed in the sculpture garden.
UA basketball games hold a special place in Kaye’s heart, as she has attended them with her son. Her son also went to summer basketball camps at the university.
The university’s rich basketball history is explored in one of her pieces.
Kaye often gets ideas for new Tucson Portrait Stories from members of the community, who contact her via email and social media with suggestions. She also posts images of her work on social media to encourage viewers to share their stories about people or places.
Colorful event
A number of businesses and organizations featured in her work will be at the event.
Staff from Loft Cinema will bring a popcorn machine and play an animated film featuring Kaye’s work.
“That’s a video that I worked on with an animation studio. They took all of these pieces of art and animated them with voiceover for the stories,” Kaye said.
The event will also feature chocolate samples from Monsoon Chocolate, a vintage Chevy from a local car enthusiast, an endangered Gila topminnow exhibit from the Sonoran Desert Institute, a demonstration and activity from the Tucson Audubon Society, a reading-themed activity from Bookman’s Entertainment Exchange, a display of oil paintings and ceramics from DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, samples of an agave drink from Hotel Congress, free art raffles from the Tucson and SAAG galleries and a live exotic animal exhibit from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Profits from all sales during the festival will go to Tucson nonprofits Arts for All, the Primavera Foundation and Casa Maria.
Kaye said she hopes to have similar events that will benefit local Tucson charities and allow others to share their own locally inspired artwork.
“I would love to see various communities, whether it is students, seniors or motorcycle enthusiasts create their own Tucson Portrait Stories, to have them be the exhibitors in various forms, whether it’s art, video, music, poetry,” Kaye said.
Tucson Portrait Stories Live Art Festival
WHEN: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 12
WHERE: Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road, Tucson
COST: Free admission
INFO: createforthepeople.com
