05/23/2012 - Splash!

Colorful culinary creations will brighten this summer's most eye-catching events featuring fashion, food and visual arts. A kaleidoscope of visually striking sights will light up the night at the Splash! summer charity event benefiting the arts. The inaugural event will be presented by Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance on Saturday, June 2 from 6 to 10 p.m. at La Encantada shopping center. Attendees can enjoy the tastes and presentations of smoked salmon tartar with Meyer infused lemon oil and crispy asparagus from Union Public House, ceviche and blood orange margaritas from Blanco's Tacos + Tequila, Neapolitan style pizza with Stromboli from Mama's Famous Pizza and more. Ra Sushi Bar Restaurant, NoRTH Modern Italian Cuisine, Shlomo & Vito's, Liv Bistro, Campus Candy and Skyline Country Club will also serve their most vibrant appetizers, drinks and desserts. Splash! will present an array of artistic delights through a runway show featuring the seasons most colorful trends, live art demonstrations and a silent auction with huge discounts on performing and fine arts as well as other great items. Tickets - $70 per person - include cocktails and dinner samplings from participating restaurants, goodie bags with coupons and giveaways from Tucson businesses, a first look at new summer and fall clothing lines from La Encantada, live musical entertainment, community runway show and access to the silent auction. All proceeds from the silent auction and the main event will go to school arts programs and keeping community art events alive in the region. The silent auction will offer two tickets to "Mummenschanz" from UA Presents, handmade tillandsia and succulents in a terra cotta cluster pot from the local artist Bella Fiore Custom Designs, a designer portrait service from Jon Wolf Photography, a leather bracelet from Pandora, two tickets to a Tucson Symphony Orchestra performance and four tickets in the baseline reserve an Arizona Diamondbacks game. The auction will also feature getaways from Lodge on the Desert, Embassy Suites Paloma Village, Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort and much more. Fashions on the runway will display an array of colors from La Encantada retailers, presenting the summer's most vivid styles from Cache, Pandora, Coldwater Creek, Clarks, Tommy Bahama, Bebe, Illori, PAWSH Pet Boutique, Fringe Hair Studios and Aveda. Local artists will create brilliantly vibrant abstract and modern paintings onsite during the event, as attendees watch them in action. After the artists showcase their live art and paintings demonstrations, their artwork will be auctioned and sold. Pulsating and energetic music will play from the main stage in the center courtyard as models strut down the catwalk during the runway show. When: Saturday, June 2 from 6 to 10 p.m. Where: Lower courtyard of La Encantada shopping center, northwest corner of Skyline Drive and Campbell Avenue Cost: $70 per person ($50 from each tick is tax deductible) Online: http://saaca.org/SPLASH.html Phone: (520) 797-3959