If you're looking for a little chaos and a kickass showcase of local art, mark Legend City Studios on your list of Third Friday must-sees.
Chaos Theory, hosted by local artist Randy Slack at Legend City Studios in downtown Phoenix opened on October 5. And while the exhibition is usually a one-night gig, this year, he'll open the doors back up on October 19.
The annual show is known to draw some big attention in the local art community. This year, 60 artists were invited to show their work, 59 pieces were installed on the gallery walls, and countless artists and art fans asked some serious questions in regards to curation, censorship, and maturity within the art scene.
This week's cover story includes two pieces -- a rundown by Claire Lawton of Chaos Theory's long-running history and this year's dust-up after Slack declined two paintings, and New Times art critic Kathleen Vanesian's review of the show.
Lawton writes:
Hundreds of artists and art fans made their way to downtown's Legend City Studios on a cool Friday night in October for Randy Slack's 13th annual art exhibition known as Chaos Theory. In years past, the event was as much about the after-hours party in the parking lot as the creative gathering inside the gallery, but this year, guests showed up earlier, there was less booze on the tables, and the hottest fashion accessory was a baby (and maybe a toddler or two).Artists brought their families, their kids met and ran around large sculptures in the middle of the gallery, and a few commented on how "everybody's getting older" -- a fact and sentiment that affected one of the biggest decisions Randy Slack's had to make in the 13 years of Chaos Theory.
Read the full Randy Slack's Art Show Chaos Theory Grows Up.
Vanesian writes:
Though not all the work presented in this year's show can be deemed potentially Louvre-worthy, the proportion of good to just meh (that category of mediocrity between hot and not "not hot") was heavily weighted toward the good. I was particularly impressed with the fine-tuned technical skills on display.It's apparent that participating artists really have started to get serious about Chaos Theory and stepped up their games considerably. Abandoning the "let's put a play on in the backyard" mentality that characterized the show for too long, they're finally figuring out that their choice of submission has an impact lasting much longer than just the three-day weekend of the show.
Read the full Chaos Theory 13: The Good, the Bad, and the Meh.
Legend City Studios will be open the evening of Friday, October 19. For more information, check out the Legend City Studios Facebook page and see our slideshow of Chaos Theory 13.
