February 2 marks the return of “Nasty Women: Phoenix Unite,” an art show highlighting the rights of immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and women. And it’s a chance to meet Mexican artist Erick Meyenberg, whose video installation opens Saturday, February 3, at Phoenix Art Museum.
This is no time to skip First Friday.
But you’ll have a hard time seeing everything unless you get an early start and do some thinking ahead about how to squeeze it all in.
Here’s one pro tip: Find the shows that open at 5 p.m. or close at 11 p.m. That way you'll know where to start and end your evening.
We’ve organized new art shows by area to help with that. And we’ve got the short list of must-see shows. Here’s a look at fresh First Friday offerings for February.
Must-See Exhibitions
“Nothing in Stasis”
Explore more than 60 works by Monica Aissa Martinez, a Phoenix-based artist inspired by connections between body, mind, and spirit. They’re on view inside the U of A Health Sciences Education building at 435 North Fifth Street. First Friday hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Find details on the Facebook event page.
“Nasty Women: Phoenix Unite”
See more than 100 works in diverse media, in an exhibition at Grand ArtHaus meant to highlight civil rights for women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. Participating artists include Megan Koth, Ann Morton, and Patricia Sannit. First Friday hours are 6 to 11 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.
“Elena”
The ASU Art Museum Project Space presents a multidisciplinary artist collaboration that includes restoring an animatronic doll discovered in 1925 on the Desert Botanical Garden grounds. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the ASU events website.
"Renascent"
Artlink presents a pop-up exhibition, featuring an installation by Ashley Czajkowski that "explores the tenuous boundaries of the nature/culture divide." It's happening at 1017 North Central Avenue. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.
Roosevelt Row
“Wayfinding”
Olney Gallery inside Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is showing new steel sculptures and acrylic paintings by Joan Waters, who took inspiration from the tar lines used to fill cracks in asphalt roads. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.
“Misbegotten Memories”
Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center is presenting more than 70 color images of “monuments, memorials, and representations of a slave trade" from photographer Dòwòti Désir. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Get details on the venue’s Facebook page.
“Monet & Malbec”
First Friday Live at Herberger Theater Center includes live music, art film, and the chance to try your hand at watercolor painting with artist Sandra Neumann Wilderman. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.
Grand Avenue
“Tragedies and Pinches Gallinas”
Chartreuse gallery is showing work by Diego Pérez, who uses irony and humor to address personal and cultural expectations. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the gallery website.
“Shoes”
Painter Abe Zucca presents “a show about wearing out and through a predecessor’s shoes,” which explores the footprints of artists Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh. First Friday hours at Abe Zucca Gallery are 7 to 11 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.
“The Collaboratives”
Artist Jay Smiley will be showing new work, including several created in collaboration with fellow artists and friends, at Sisao Gallery inside Oasis on Grand. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.
“Origins”
The {9} Collective is showing work by collective artist Lynn Hoyland, who creates work to honor diverse people with African roots. First Friday hours at {9} The Gallery are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.
“Love”
Onyx Gallery is highlighting art and literature inspired by love, and presenting author Ingrid V. Hogan. First Friday hours are 7 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the Facebook event page.
Central Avenue
"The Helpers"
Shortcut Gallery is showing new works by Sue Chenoweth, including her first drawings and paintings created after a three-year experience with cancer. First Friday hours are 5 to 8 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook exhibit page.
See work by Emily Ritter and other ASU art graduate students during a pop-up exhibit.
Emily Ritter/Photo by Lynn Trimble
The Art Grads, a group of graduate art students at ASU, is presenting a pop-up show featuring work in several media by more than a dozen artists. First Friday hours at the A.E. England building are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.
“Into the Light”
First Studio presents an exhibition featuring work by Larry Ortega, Sandra Caldwell Ortega, and Daniel Prendergast. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the Facebook event page.
“Survival”
See myriad ways students in the ASU School of Art wood program interpret the concept of survival, in this Practical Art exhibition curated by owner Lisa Olson. First Friday hours are 7 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the venue website.
Children's Art
The Studio at Found:RE Hotel is showing works by local school children inspired by Jackson Pollock, who attended the Monroe School that’s since been transformed into the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. First Friday hours are 6 to 8 p.m. Get details on the hotel's Facebook page.
Warehouse District
“A Net for Catching Water”
See mid- and large-scale abstract paintings by Layne Farmer, an artist whose work addresses the way anxiety within Western culture prompts individuals to seek total control of both their own lives and the world around them. First Friday hours at Step Gallery are 6 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.
Daniel Brice
Bentley Gallery presents works by Daniel Brice, who creates minimalist abstract landscapes inspired by Southern California coastlines. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the Facebook event page.
Ryan Eckert
Icehouse gallery is showing works by Ryan Eckert. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.
Other
Group Art Show
The Gallery at The Artery is presenting a group show featuring artists who work in various media. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the galley Facebook page.
