Exploring Life & Business with Myken Dahlen of Tucson Erotica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Myken Dahlen.

Hi Myken, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Tucson Erotica has been a staple of the Tucson art community since 2001, first started by local artist Ruben Urrea Moreno as a Valentine’s Day art exhibition in downtown Tucson. Over the years, it passed through several hands and gallery spaces before finding a consistent home with the Sculpture Resource Center art collective in 2013. Fast forward to March 2018, I landed in Tucson, wandered through an open gate to a warehouse in the arts district, and found myself immersed in the most amazing display of erotic art I had ever seen. I had come to Tucson looking for an art studio space to rent, and it seemed serendipitous that this gallery had a studio available, so within a couple of days, I was an official member, which included the responsibility of helping with annual exhibits hosted by the gallery. At that time, Tucson Erotica was completely word-of-mouth, so when I took on the lead organizer role, creating a website and social media felt like a no-brainer. This happened to be in 2020, the year we all depended heavily on online resources to engage with each other, so that decision to expand online proved to be a huge asset to Tucson Erotica’s continued growth despite not holding public events. Now in my 5th year involved with Tucson Erotica, I’ve since expanded to include an erotic film festival, doubled the gallery capacity to over 250 pieces of art being shown every year, began accepting international artwork, and gained non-profit status. Tucson Erotica is now regarded as one of the few well-known erotic art exhibits in the nation, alongside the Seattle Erotic Art Festival (SEAF) and Detroit Dirty Show, all while being entirely volunteer-run.

Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Sex and eroticism is a very spicy topic. Because each individual has a unique and deeply personal experience with sexuality, it is challenging to reflect on every perspective or create a perfect environment for everybody who may find themselves at an erotic art exhibit. We strive to be clear with our intentions and bold in our actions to give our guests the most beneficial experience possible, but this has been the most challenging aspect of Tucson Erotica. It has taught me so much about being sincere, authentic, and straightforward within the event-organizing sphere.

As you know, we’re big fans of Tucson Erotica. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with the brand?
Tucson Erotica is a 501c3 non-profit organization and the only nationally recognized erotic art exhibit that spans an entire month, giving artists the best opportunity to share their work and connect with the community. Every March, the Tucson Erotica Art Show engages all aspects of the erotic arts, including performance, film, and education, through weekly events and workshops. We specialize in showcasing underrepresented perspectives, including BIPOC, LGBTQA+, disabled, and elderly, and normalizing and affirming sex-positive and body-positive topics.

Let’s end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
Keeping Tucson Erotica accessible to all artists and members of the community is most important to me. Finding creative ways to fund this massive project while keeping costs down for our participants is very challenging. Still, I truly believe in our work and in maintaining a radically inclusive, community-oriented position as we grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: tucsonerotica.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/tucsonerotica
• Facebook: Facebook.com/tucsonerotica

Image Credits
Velvet and Shadow