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For some, the desert is an acquired taste. And those who have it use it as a resource — be it artistic, scientific, inspirational, or exploratory. In the case of The Desert Initiative, it’s all four.
The Desert Initiative is a network of arts, culture, science and design organizations throughout various desert regions, supported by the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, housed at the ASU Art Museum. And this week they’re teaming up with Changing Hands Bookstore and the ASU Art Museum to bring you a free reading of Aridtopia: Essays on Art & Culture from Deserts.
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Written and read by curator Tyler Stallings, Aridtopia is a literary collage of desert art and culture — as it is now and as Stallings imagines it could be in the future. Stallings is the artistic director at Culver Center of the Arts and the director of Sweeney Art Gallery at UC Riverside ARTSblock. Although Stallings previously has contributed to numerous publications, including ARID: A Journal of Desert Art, Design and Ecology co-edited by Desert Initiative director Greg Esser, Aridtopia is his first solo book of essays.
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Stallings’ public reading of Aridtopia is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 28 at the Combine Studios. Admission is free. The reading and book signing will be followed by a no-host reception at Angels Trumpet House from 8 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit ASU events online.
