5 Free Art Shows (and 12 Performances) to See in Metro Phoenix This Week

Although some staples of the Phoenix art scene, including Alwun House and monOrchid, won’t be open during Third Friday this month, there’s still plenty of good stuff to see – including several intriguing exhibitions and 12 performances happening in a trio of shipping container galleries where props will be the only art objects. Here’s the lowdown on five exhibits, along with performance offerings, to help you plan your Third Friday route.

“Slices of Life”
Revival Art Collective is showing Benjamin Goens' work, which reflect the artist’s university studies in classical works of art and his fascination with contemporary hip-hop and graffiti culture. Goens uses found objects, hand-cut stencils, acrylic and aerosol paint, and other media to put a modern spin on iconic images culled from art history. Third Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the Revival Art Collective website.

“Rue Femme”
{9} The Gallery presents an exhibition of works by 11 female artists whose talents including painting murals. Featured artists include Sierra Joy, whose multi-color abstract mountains grace the front of BE coffee shop, and Jenny Odom, whose whimsical bird towers over a sidewalk behind the historic Bragg’s Pie Factory. Other participating artists include Ashley Macias, Lauren Lee, Chele Hill, Cassie Dixon, Beth Tom, Yai Vila, Amanda Adkins, Kyllan Maney, and Lyndell Palermo. Third Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the event Facebook page.

“Jeff Falk + Chad Knapp”
Modifed Arts is showing new works by two artists with deep local roots. Falk was part of the legendary M.A.R.S. arts collective that helped launch the downtown Phoenix art scene during the 1980s. Knapp, who is currently represented by Art One gallery in Scottsdale, has also seen all sorts of arts venues come and go through the years. Falk is showing mixed-media works that reference social injustices in contemporary society, and Knapp is showing pen-and-ink drawings of people and places set in stark isolation. Third Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Find more information on the Modified Arts website.

“W.H.I.M.S.Y.”
The Firehouse is spotlighting works by a small group of emerging artists, including Tania Bolin, Heather Freitas, JA Jure, Laura Kawa, and Sarah Kelly – who use a variety of media and address diverse subject matter. The acronym W.H.I.M.S.Y., by the way, stands for “women having imagination, momentum, strength, and yearning.” Third Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the event Facebook page.

“sub rosa”
Eye Lounge presents the first solo exhibition at Eye Lounge by art collective member Tawny Kerr, which comprises recent ephemeral sculpture and installation work exploring memory and nostalgia – including struggles between the internal impulse towards preservation and the external destruction inherent in the passage of time. Third Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m. Find more information on the event Facebook page.

Sizzle Series
Rhetorical Galleries and the new works development organization [nueBOX] are presenting 12 performances created by Arizona artists, including Ashley Baker of All Bodies Collective, Carley Conder of CONDER/Dance, and Felix Cruz of Cruz Control – as well as Gina Jurek, Jasmine Nunn, Jenny Gerena, Jessica Rajko, Katharine Leigh Simpson, Liliana Gomez, Michaela Konzal, and Jordan Daniels Dance and Shelby Keefe. All performances happen at the Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art shipping container galleries located at 408 East Roosevelt Street. Third Friday hours are 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Find more information on the [nueBOX] website.