The fall arts season is rapidly approaching, which means it's nearly time for "Chaos Theory" at Legend City Studios. It's organized by Randy Slack, a Phoenix artist who launched the annual art show back in 2000 with fellow 3CarPileUp members James Angel and David Dauncey.
Each year, Slack invites artists to participate. Fewer than 20 artists were featured that first year. Last year, nearly 80 artists took part in the one-night-only exhibition.
"Chaos Theory" was named for the mathematical principle that says small changes can produce big effects. And it certainly rings true for the show, which has helped to elevate the profile of several metro Phoenix artists, including Kristin Bauer, Brian Boner, and Collin Chilag.
Basically, it's an informal "who's who" of the local arts scene. Which means it's a must-attend event. The day after the public sees the show, members of the Phoenix Art Museum's Contemporary Forum, which gives prestigious awards and grants to Arizona artists, gets a private "Chaos Theory" tour.
As Slack gets ready to draw up the list of artists to include in the 2017 show, we decided to write our own wish list. It's not a complete lineup, but here are 50 emerging and established artists we'd love to see at "Chaos Theory" this year.
50. Bassim Al-Shaker
49. Jesse Armstrong
48. Susan Beiner
47. Laura Spalding Best
46. Geoffrey Bohm
45. Sue Chenoweth
44. Dan Collins
43. Emily Costello
42. Angela Ellsworth
41. Fausto Fernandez
40. Samantha Fresquez
39. Jon Haddock
38. Hilary Harp
37. Alvin Huff
36. Sarah Hurwitz
35. Christopher Jagmin
34. Saskia Jorda
33. Elliott Kayser
32. Hakyoung Kim
31. Lena Klett
30. Molly Koehn
29. Mayme Kratz/Tim Lanterman
28. Christine Lee
27. Shannon Ludington
26. Laurie Lundquist
25. Matt Magee
24. Cydnei Mallory
23. Cristobal Martinez
22. Melissa Martinez
21. Monica Aissa Martinez
20. Chris Miller
19. Matt Moore
18. Ann Morton
17. Gabriela Muñoz
16. Danny Neumann
15. Alex Ozers
14. Estrella Payton
13. Christy Puetz
12. Christina Ramirez
11. Patricia Sannit
10. Mary Shindell
9. Craig Smith
8. Rossitza Todorova
7. John Tuomisto-Bell
6. Jen Urso
5. Denise Yaghmourian
4. John Wagner
3. Koryn Woodward Wasson
2. Zach Valent
1. Roy Wasson Valle