Here's Your Guide to April's First Friday in Phoenix

It’s a night of firsts on April 6 in downtown Phoenix. You can taste taffy with exotic flavors pulled from temporary sculptures at Phoenix Art Museum, visit the new Sundown Gallery in the Garfield neighborhood, and explore a new Bragg’s Pie Factory arts venue called BELHAUS on First Friday.

Here’s the rundown on those First Friday events — and 20 more fresh art shows. They’re organized by neighborhood to help you get more efficiently from one to another, and we’ve also included our recommendations for art shows that should make your must-see list.

Must-See Shows

"Aurora"
Head to Step Gallery to see new woks of neon art by Lily Reeves, who uses light as an act of resistance and radical inclusion. They're designed to reflect a "holistic approach to healing" that incorporate mind, body, spirit, and environment while honoring both individuality and collectivity. First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Get more information on the ASU Events website.

“Any Moment Now”
See and taste Push Pull, which comprises four taffy sculptures created as part of Valeska Soares’ “Any Moment Now” exhibition, between 6 and 8 p.m. There's also dance performance and film between 6 and 9 p.m. Make reservations online if you want to attend the museum's free poetry reading with Ada Limón at 7 p.m. Admission is free from 6 to 10 p.m. on First Friday. Learn more on the Phoenix Art Museum website.

10-Year Anniversary Show
Explore work by several artists who’ve shown at Practical Art during the last decade, as the venue celebrates the local arts community and the skills of Phoenix creatives. The free First Friday show runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Find details on the Facebook event page.

Grand Avenue

“Caelestis: Stellar”
Explore work by {9} The Collective artist Joshua Dean Wiley, who imagines the ways elements within the cosmos interact with each other. This free exhibit features all new work, created on steel. First Friday hours at {9} The Gallery are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

“Cry”
Abe Zucca Gallery presents work by Josh Gooday, in a free exhibition you can check out between 6 and 10 p.m. on First Friday. Get details on the gallery's Facebook page.

“Refugee Pixels”
Five15 Arts at Chartreuse is showing work by Daniel Friedman, a versatile artist who works in painting, photography, and sculpture. First Friday hours for the free exhibition are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.

Servous Nystem
See Carlos Rivas, an artist whose moniker references the nervous system, doing live painting at Cookie Brokers, where you can also check out cars displayed by several local car clubs. Free First Friday happenings run from 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Cookie Brokers Facebook page.

“Suite Six”
Check out the newest Grand Avenue arts space, a studio called BELHAUS located inside Bragg’s Pie Factory, where you can find a free pop-up exhibit from 6 to 9 p.m. It’s the work of mother and son artists Sherri and Gino Belassen. Get details on the Facebook event page.

“Nectar”
Head to Sisao Gallery inside Oasis on Grand to see work by Aztec Smurf, who brings a surreal vibe to themes prevalent in indigenous culture and the Southwest. The free exhibit runs from 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the Facebook event page.

Lucretia Torva and Ryan Gallagher
See Torva's paintings with automotive themes and Gallagher's sculptures created with metal and repurposed wood at Grand ArtHaus, where First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.

Veterans Art Classes
Unexpected Art Gallery is doing free art classes for veterans and gallery neighbors from 5 to 8 p.m. on First Friday. Learn more on the gallery Facebook page.

Central Corridor

“Phoenix Phabulous History Murals”
See mural-style paintings showing significant moments and milestones in Phoenix history. They’re being shown for free from 7 to 10 p.m. at New City Studio. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

“Neon AZ”
Check out photographs by Caprice White, which capture iconic neon imagery from around the Southwest. The free art show happens from 6 to 8 p.m. at Found:RE Phoenix, where you can also hang out with "Hip Historian" Marshall Shore. Get details on the Facebook event page.

"E.scape"
See different takes on landscapes, waterscapes, skyscapes, and cityscapes, created by artists Vanya Allison, Ellen Nemetz, and Kris Kollasch. First Friday hours at First Studio are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.

Rock Out
The Heard Museum presents a free Rock Out at the Heard event from 6 to 10 p.m., as part of its NU Native + You series. The evening includes a 6:15 pm screening of the film Rumble plus an 8:15 performance by Choctaw artist Samantha Crain. Find more information on the Facebook event page.

Roosevelt Row

“Paintings from a Sleeping Room Studio”
See work by Scott Chamberlain, an artist who says painting is a way to “communicate spirit to spirit." They’re being presented by Clottee Hammons of Emancipation Arts, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Phoenix Center for the Arts. Get details on the Facebook event page.

“Luehrsen and Ritter”
Check out sculpture and mixed-media prints by Sandra Luehrsen, as well as paintings by Darlene Ritter, during this free exhibition that runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on First Friday at Olney Gallery. Find more information on the Facebook event page.

Swapna Das
Swapna Das explores the Buddhist concept of “10 Worlds” in this free exhibition. Her circle-shaped charcoal drawings and paintings address 10 aspects of the human condition through figurative and abstract imagery. First Friday hours at the Vault Gallery inside the ASU downtown campus library are 6 to 8 p.m., and there’s a Q & A session with the artist at 7 p.m. Learn more on the ASU Events page.

“Abstract Exhibit”
See diverse takes on abstract art in this free exhibition curated by Connie and A O Tucker for the art gallery at Herberger Theater Center, where First Friday hours are 5:30 to 7 p.m. The center’s '80s-theme First Friday event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Get details on the Facebook event page.

Maryvale High School Art Show
Explore work in diverse media by students ages 14 to 18, in this free exhibition presented by the Phoenix Union High School District at DeSoto Central Market, where First Friday's lineup also includes DJ music and an artisan market. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Learn more on the venue Facebook page.

Garfield Neighborhood

“Prelude”
Frank Picazo presents the first exhibition in his new Sundown gallery and studio located just east of Ninth Street on Roosevelt Street. The free art show includes work by several artists, including muralists Tato Caraveo, Lalo Cota, and JB Snyder. First Friday hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the Facebook event page.

“Salon des Enfants”
See hundreds of works by local school children, hung salon-style inside the Alwun House, where young artists and their families will be on hand for Friday’s free reception from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Each piece is $20, and all money goes to the student artists. Learn more on the Alwun House Facebook page.

Other Areas

“First Friday Art Party”
Join the artists of Mucho Mas Studio for an evening of art and music, featuring live music performed on the patio by Patrick Murillo, along with a free craft activity by The Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo, and Emily Costello. Free First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Learn more on the Facebook event page.