Changing the Channels

Who needs Venice? Like that lovely city, Phoenix may, if Dr. Nan Ellin and her students have their way, be fronted by waterways one day soon. The new exhibit “Canalscape for Metro Phoenix” proposes the re-creation of Phoenix’s most vital urban hubs, where our canals meet major streets.

It’s an adventurous use of urban infill that would offer the sort of City by the Bay feel of San Francisco, except, of course, in our case, the body of water would be man-made and rushing toward a farm somewhere nearby. Ellin and her students have created a canalscape in the entryway of ASU Art Museum; featuring real plants and water features, it’s the centerpiece of the “Canalscape” exhibit, which officially opens from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 10, with a reception featuring music by Julian Peterson and a performance by Dulce Dance Company.