Live Auction 2013

Greetings,

I look forward to seeing you at the 20th Annual Desert Museum Gala on Sunday, April 28th celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Desert Museum. This year an amazing line-up of items await you in the live auction that begins at 5:30pm in the Warden Oasis Theater.

Picture yourself on a Lindblad expedition, whale watching in the Sea of Cortez or enjoying VIP treatment at a Tuscany Villa. Adorn your home with a pristine Navajo rug or a Terrol Johnson one-of-a-kind basket, or two beautiful Yucca rostrata plants.

Preview these and other great live auction items now at Live Auction 2013.

Thank you for your support of the Desert Museum and this amazing celebration. See you Sunday!

Cathy Davis,
2013 Gala Chair

Sunrise Balloon Ride Over Desert Museum

Would you like to ride in a beautiful balloon? Yes, you and your guest can be part of the first-ever hot air balloon ride launching from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum parking lot and drifting peacefully over the grounds and Tucson Mountain Park. This sunrise voyage over the Sonoran Desert is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to take a peaceful journey high over this iconic region. Following your buoyant trip, you and your guest will be treated to a champagne brunch in celebration of this rare and breathtaking experience.

A gift from Tucson Balloon Rides, Value $470

Michael Ewing Painting
The Sand Painter, 18x20 oil on Canvas

Michael Ewing began his professional art career at Rosequist Gallery in Tucson. Throughout his career he has participated in numerous group and one man shows around the west. Michael is an artist member of the Mountain Oyster Club and has shown in their fall show for over twenty years. Michael was chosen to be the artist for the Los Charros Del Desierto ride in 2000. He was named "Artist of the Year" in 2001 by the Friends of Western Art.

Michael was born in Detroit, Michigan. Following high school, Michael set a course for himself in Architecture at Lawrence Institute of Technology. While there, he found he had an aptitude for mathematics and a talent for painting. Encouraged by his painting instructors, he pursued an arts program at Mercy College in Detroit. With a minor in mathematics he merged these dual studies into a teaching career, of which he is now retired. He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.

A gift from Desert Museum Trustee James Hensley, Value $2,600.

A Week's Stay in Lake Tahoe

Your dream of spending the holidays in the snow covered mountains skiing some of the best slopes in the country can come true with this 7-day, 6 night luxury vacation home in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe. This well-appointed home features 3 bedrooms, 3½ baths and sleeps six comfortably.

Lake Tahoe is a pristine jewel of nature. Surrounded on all sides by the Sierra Nevada mountain range, you can see on average 72 feet down into its cobalt waters. Incline is home to some of the world's most stunning mountain retreats. This eastern North Shore enclave features some of Lake Tahoe's most magnificent views and a genteel approach to life. Experience amazing world class skiing in Squaw Valley and Heavenly ski areas, spend an evening at the casinos or experience world class dining.

Please reserve your dates at least one month in advance. Available October 12, 2013 - May 12, 2014.

A gift from ASDM Trustee Pat Engels and Richard Medland, Value $3,000.

Two Beaked Yucca Rostrata

Belonging to the Yucca genus native to the southern U.S. and northern Mexico these plants have thin, stiff leaves which spread from a symmetrical rosette. When you first catch sight of a Yucca rostrata, it looks a little like something that somehow escaped from one of the Dr. Seuss storybooks. From a distance, it has the appearance of a giant ball of spiky hair that has been firmly attached to the top of a tree trunk. It features spectacular small white spike flowers that form a dense head just above the leaves and occur in lake spring to early summer. This drought tolerant plant conserves water over time like a cactus.

Both yuccas are in decorative pots and can remain so for several years. Once planted into the ground, they can grow to near 10 ft. tall often branching into a few heads. They grow best in full sun to light filtered shade and rocky soils and are frost hardy to zero degrees.

A gift from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery and Paradise Pottery Distributing, Value $1,950.

Grey Hills Navajo Rug

This 34x47 hand-woven Navajo rug is in exceptional condition, and would make a great addition to your private collection at home or in the office. The attached original tag shows that the rug was sold at Shiprock Trading Post and woven by Ida Peters. This beautiful rug design portrays a Yei'i' bichai Ceremony, held in the winter when snakes are asleep and one is safe from lightning.

A gift from Mrs. Walter G. Henderson, Value $1,250

Terrol Johnson Basket

Terrol Dew Johnson is a nationally-recognized, award-winning Tohono O'odham basket weaver, community activist and museum consultant. A resident of Tucson, and an active collaborator with the Desert Museum, Terrol fashioned this one of a kind basket especially for the Desert Museum's 20th Annual Gala.

His baskets have won major awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market, NM; O'odham Tash, Sells, AZ; Heard Museum Fair, Phoenix, and Southwest Indian Art Fair, Tucson, in AZ. His work is in permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., and the Heard Museum. He founded TOCA (Tohono O'odham Community Action) in 1996 with business partner Tristan Reader in Sells, Arizona. As an artist and curator, he has collaborated with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian; Heard Museum; Arizona Historical Society, the Amerind Foundation Museum in Dragoon, Arizona and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. As one of the Tohono O'odham tribe's most famous artists, Terrol's basketry is sought after by many museums and private collectors.

Terrol's signature work is a series of baskets with gourds that are natural or cast in bronze. "...I decided to apply traditional techniques in new ways as by weaving on top of gourds..." The distinctive gourds have open sections that are partially filled with rows of woven bear grass, parallel and horizontal or curved, concentric and undulating. They convey a wonderful sense of tranquility and rhythm.

A gift from Terrol Dew Johnson, Value $5,000.

Baja California and the Sea of Cortez:
Among the Great Whales Expedition

Discover the rarified pocket of extraordinary wildness and wonder of Baja California and the Sea of Cortez on this 8 day adventure by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic-aboard the 62-guest expedition ship National Geographic Sea Bird from February 8-15, 2014.

Cruise along wind- and water-carved coasts aboard Zodiacs. Hike pristine islands dotting the azure sea. Kayak scenic shorelines where the desert meets the sea. Grab a snorkel and wetsuit to dive in with sea lions and explore the undersea. Or, head into the gray whale birthing lagoons for up close encounters. This is the only nonlocal company allowed to enter these lagoons with their own Zodiacs ensuring you more chances for whale sightings. Their 30+ years of experience exploring this best-kept-secret region guarantees you the trip of a lifetime. Pack Your Camera as their Expedition Photography program helps you take your best photos ever. There's no one-size-fits-all scheduling here: you can choose your activities, activity levels, and staff members to join every day.

Among the Great Whales Expedition offers the rare privilege of entering the California gray whale birthing lagoons in search of up close encounters. The itinerary is crafted to:

• See California gray whales up close at one of the whales' main breeding grounds
• Hike desert islands, sculpted sand dunes and see a variety of wildlife in the Sea of Cortez
• Snorkel with sea lions and search for marine mammals
• Experience the Baja California undersea

Day 1: La Paz/San Carlos/Embark Ship
Day 2-4: Bahia Magdalena
Bahia Magdalena is one of the main breeding and calving areas for the California gray whale. In kayaks and Zodiacs explore the canals of the mangrove swamps. Bird watching here can be excellent - magnificent frigate birds, pelicans, cormorants, terns and great blue herons are among the species you might see.
Day 5: Los Cabos and Gorda Banks
At Gorda Banks sea mount, a gathering place for whales and dolphins see tail lobbing, flipper slapping and breaching. Marine biologists and Naturalists are always available to inform and enlighten you.
Day 6: Los Islotes and Isla Espiritu Santo
Los Islotes and Isla Espiritu Santo are two of the most beautiful islands in the Sea of Cortez. Experience the thrill of swimming with the curious sea lions, kayak with brown pelicans, wandering tattlers, great blue herons and boobie.
Day 7: Exploring the Sea of Cortez
Spend the morning whale watching in the waters around Isla Danzante, an area that has proven to be one of the best for finding blue whales, bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins. Explore uninhabited islands walking, kayaking or watching from the Bridge.
Day 8: La Paz/Disembark

A Gift from the Bert W. Martin Foundation and Bon Voyage Travel, Value $11,700.

Tuscany Villa and Wine Experience

Two couples traveling together will enjoy a three night stay in a winery's guest villa located in the breathtaking countryside of Tuscany. This is the opportunity of a lifetime! This Tuscany experience allows you to customize your vacation in the Italian countryside right down to choosing your villa! Choose what activities most interests you and it will be arranged — private wine tours, olive adventures and/or cooking experiences along with chef hosted lunches and dinners.

During your stay, you will receive VIP treatment, including one-of-a-kind vineyard and winery tours, private wine tastings and an insider's look at winemaking in Italy's most famous wine region. When not on the vineyard, enjoy scenic drives to the heart of Tuscany, the city of Florence, as well as other historic cities such as Siena, San Giminano, and Pisa — all only a short distance from these guest villas. Airfare and transportation not included. Lodging is available Monday-Friday, September through June (excluding the Christmas and Easter holidays).
Buon viaggio!

A gift from Total Wine & More, Value $5,000.

Nick Wilson Gouache

This splendid Nicholas Wilson original is a timeless treasure born from the very history of the Desert Museum. It is a framed 9 x 12 gouache of a baby bobcat surrounded by wild yellow poppies. As a young man in the 1970's, Wilson was invited to become the first artist in residence by Bill Woodin and Merv Larson. He is the only artist to have served in that role and his paintings remain central to a number of exhibits today.

Nick is represented in permanent collections of the Booth Western Art Museum, the Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian. His artwork has been exhibited extensively both in the U.S. and abroad and he enjoys representation in several corporate collections.

Publications include articles in magazines such as: Southwest Art (cover) 2011, Arizona Highways (cover), U.S. Art, Wildlife Art, Southwestern Art. Book publications: The Best of Wildlife, Northlight Publishers, 1998; Wildlife Artists at Work, Watson-Gupthill, 1981. Mr. Wilson's original paintings and bronzes can be viewed at the Karin Newby Gallery in Tubac, AZ.

It is an honor to offer this exquisite work by an artist whose legacy is with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. His impact promoting conservation through art has broadened as his popularity has grown and yet we will always claim him as our very own.

A gift from Nick and Debbe Wilson, Nicholas Wilson Studio de Tubac, Value $3,200.

Private Desert Museum Party

A Desert Gala Exclusive - enjoy a private party of your choosing for you and your friends, your kids or your grandkids. Choose from:

A cocktail party with style for 10 guests including drinks and hors d'oeuvres, a behind the scenes tour of your choice, plus visits from the museum critters. You may choose your setting from the Earth Cave to the Aquarium, from the patio overlooking the Valley to the mountains in Mexico to serene desert garden. You can entertain your friends, family or out of town guests at an once-in-a-lifetime setting, superb food and rare and wonderful Sonoran Desert Adventures.

or

A children's birthday party complete with pizza, cake and ice cream, Desert Museum inspired party favors and a private presentation of the Museum's acclaimed Desert Ark program. This party may take place at your home or on the Museum grounds. Kids will never forget this gathering for your child or grandchild as the Education Department of the Museum offers interactive programs and unique craft projects all with the goal of helping celebrate the special birthday and the importance of nature!

A gift from the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, Value $1,000.

Potted Ocotillo

This relative of our local ocotillo can be found growing from the desert around Hermosillo into the tropical deciduous forests of southeastern Sonora. In habitat it can grow into a tree of 20' or more, but in pot culture it can easily be kept at a manageable size. Hummingbird-attracting flowers are bright red, and in clusters at the ends of the stems, produced throughout the warm season. This plant is frost hardy to low 20's.

A gift from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery, Value $1,000.

Chihuly VIP Package for Two at Desert Botanical Gardens
With stay at the Elegant Ritz Carlton

Enjoy the Chihuly Exhibit and Las Noches de las Luminarias with a "Behind the Scenes Tour with a Garden VIP" for Two, from November 29 to December 31st. (no event on Dec. 24 & 25).

The Chihuly Exhibit package includes one night at the Elegant Ritz Carlton in Phoenix and dinner for two at Gertrude's at the Desert Botanical Garden. Gertrude's features fresh ingredients directly from the farm and pasture to the plate. The menu showcases local ingredients from artisans and farmers around Arizona and the Southwest.

In addition, you will enjoy admittance to two special events at Desert Botanical Garden - The Agave on the Rocks event, 6-10 p.m. on March 28, 2014 and Corks and Cactus on February 22 or 23, 2014 from 1-5p.m.

The Desert Botanical Garden, Chihuly in the Garden exhibition will feature multiple installations and artworks on view throughout the Garden's trails by artist Dale Chihuly. Chihuly is credited with revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement and elevating the perception of the glass medium from the realm of craft to fine art. He is renowned for his ambitious architectural installations around the world, in historic cities, museums and gardens. Chihuly's work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and has been presented in garden exhibitions including New York Botanical Gardens, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden.

The Desert Botanical Garden celebrated its 35th year of Las Noches de las Luminarias in 2012. During Luminaria, the Garden comes to life with the soft glow from more than 8,000 hand-lit luminaria bags and thousands of white twinkle lights. As you walk the paths with a warm cup of cider, the sounds of handbells ringing and Dickens Carolers singing remind you of what the season is all about.

A gift from the Desert Botanical Gardens, Phoenix, Value $900.