You Need to See These 10 Spring Art Shows in Metro Phoenix

The newest crop of Phoenix-area art exhibitions includes some intriguing and eclectic fare — from a show comprising mimeographs of contemporary art greats to another featuring objects made with items from the local dump. Here's a look at 10 exhibitions to add to your must-see list this spring:

“Beauty Speaks for Us”
Heard Museum
Through March 31

See more than 200 works culled from private collections and the Heard Museum’s own collection, exhibited inside the museum’s new Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Grand Gallery. Works include textiles, pottery, paintings, basketry, jewelry, beadwork, and carvings. Featured artists include Phoenix-based Navajo artist Steve Yazzie. Learn more on the Heard Museum website.

“Rethinking Fire: Bryan David Griffith”
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum
Through April 9

Flagstaff artist Bryan David Griffith explores the rise of catastrophic wildfires by using fire as a primary medium. Through his work, Griffith challenges Western dualities such as life and death, while highlighting human disruptions to the continuous cycle at the heart of the natural world. Find more information on the Mesa Arts Center website.

“Abstraction in the Singular”
Bentley Gallery
Through April 15

Gallery walls are filled with diverse works of abstract art, curated by Grant Vetter, who also plans to present a second iteration of abstract art at his own Fine Art Complex 1101 art space in Tempe. Featured artists, who hail from Arizona and the West Coast, include Bill Dambrova, Rachel Goodwin, and Travis Rice, to name a few. Get details on the Bentley Gallery website.

"I Remember Not Remembering"
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Through April 30

See works by a dozen international artists who use personal home movies, photo albums, and film footage as raw material for artworks that prompt reflection on the ways people create, remember, and share the landscapes of their lives. Learn more on the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art website.

“ "Walking and Thinking and Walking”
ASU Art Museum Project Space
Through May 6

Nine Arizona artists, including Angela Ellsworth, are re-presenting a landmark 1996 exhibition that featured works by dozens of artists – including Marina Abramovic, Dominique Blain, Eric Fischl, Jenny Holzer, and Andy Warhol. The exhibition, presented by the ASU-based Museum of Walking, comprises mimeographs mounted to gallery walls. Get more information on the ASU Art Museum website.

Read on for must-see spring shows at Lisa Sette Gallery, Phoenix Art Museum, and Shemer Art Center.
"The Propeller Group"
Phoenix Art Museum
Through May 14

This exhibition, named for the Vietnam-based art collective whose work it features, takes viewers through a highly conceptual consideration of issues at the heart of contemporary culture – from life and death to the interface of advertising with propaganda. The exhibition includes several videos, which are coupled with significant objects they reference. Get details on the Phoenix Art Museum website.

“Light Sensitive 2017”
Art Intersection
March 7 to April 15

See photographs by dozens of national and international artists who use a variety of techniques – from traditional to alternative processes. It’s a chance to explore captivating visual imagery while learning more about photographic processes such as cyanotype and carbon printing. Learn more on the Art Intersection website.

“Tell Me Why, Tell Me Why, Tell Me Why (Why Can’t We Live Together?)"
Lisa Sette Gallery
March 4 to April 29

With a title inspired by a 1972 Timmy Thomas song, this exhibition invites viewers to consider the following question: What do we do when the news makes us cry? It features works by 15 artists, including several based in Arizona, who address “narratives of difference and resentment as well as hope and beauty.” Find more information on the Lisa Sette Gallery website.

"Reimagined Trash"
The Gallery at Phoenix City Hall
March 6 to August 25

Artists Ann Morton and Christine Lee put a new spin on art made with found objects in this exhibition, which features works created through a city of Phoenix artist residency program at the Phoenix dump. See a companion piece Morton created with community members, which is installed inside the Arizona Science Center lobby. Get details on the City of Phoenix website.

“New Art Arizona”
Shemer Art Center
March 9 to April 6

See works by Arizona Artists Guild scholarship recipients, who work in diverse media and represent the exciting possibilities emerging artists bring to the local arts scene. Find more information on the Shemer Art Center website.