Tori-no-Ichi in Tucson November 2, 2013

September 27, 2013 — 3 Comments

We are fortunate to have an excellent specialty museum in our neighborhood, The Mini Time Machine.  Because the miniature art requires great concentration to appreciate the work, it is a perfect place to have a party.  While enjoying food and music one can also study the museum’s well protected displays.  I am a very slow and detail oriented museum patron, but really prefer the membership arrangement so I can come an go all year at my whim.   I adore the doll houses with all manner of intricate trim and realistic design elements.  Like other art, it is possible to discover new aspects of the work each time you observe it.  Unlike most pieces, the minis always draw you in to examine the tiny achievements of scale and artistry.  My museum membership is shared with my neighbor Heidi for maximum pleasure.  It is a short ride from our homes, and enhances our ‘hood in a special way.  We can drop in or stay all day if we feel like it.

On November 2, 2013 at 6:30 pm Vergrandis will celebrate a traditional Japanese day of the rooster known as Turi-no-Ichi with a lucky rake festival.  This coincides with the fall exhibit of Netsuke and diminutive carvings from Japan.  We will have a chance to enjoy foods from east and west, musical entertainment, and a silent auction that includes some desirable items.  The whole museum will be lit with lanterns for the evening.  I hope we will get to clap and make lucky rooster baskets like the Japanese people above, but that remains to be seen.  We do have a great troop of traditional taiko drummers who will be on the scene.

The proceeds will be used to provide outreach and museum field trips for every second grade student in Pima County.  I imagine there are plenty of kids in Pima County who have never been to a museum, so this one would be a really good starter experience.  The $60 tickets are not tax deductible, but one can add an extra $40 which is deductible, to be a Lantern Luminary.  The Luminaries are given a choice to designate their donation to a particular school or teacher if they like.  It might seem like a miniature donation to give $40 toward a field trip for kids, but you will not know how big the impact might be.