Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival
It may seem like nothing is happening in Phoenix now that the big game is over. But that's just fercockt! Thirteen acclaimed, independent, and Jewish-themed movies will be shown at three Harkins Theatres around the Valley during the 19th Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival. So grab your movie-going nosherye and prepare to lose yourself in romance, war, drama, and more through Sunday, February 22.
See also: 10 Ways to Up Your Arts I.Q. in Metro Phoenix
The films will be at Harkins Camelview 5, Arrowhead Fountain 18, and Chandler Fashion Center 20. Though some showings have sold out, you can check show times and buy tickets, $11, online at www.gpjff.org. Tickets are $13 at the door. Evie Carpenter
"Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra"
Seems like innovation, and particularly the Internet, give way to more and more culture -- and more opportunities for the public to embrace it. But Prescott artist Julie Comnick's "Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra" considers a different outcome. The artist's video and painting project looks at cultural decay through the symbolic death of the violin. Where are we going and what will we lose along the way?
Explore the idea at Comnick's show, on view through Sunday, March 22, 2015, at Mesa Contemporary Arts, One East Main Street. Admission is free, and hours on Tuesday are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.mesaartscenter.com or call 480-644-6567. Becky Bartkowski
"10 Most Exciting Photographers from the Past Year"
Though 2014 and its end-of-year lists have come and gone, you should know we're not quite done. Alan Rapp has a top-10 list that will likely leave photography fans swooning, but you won't find it on Gawker or Buzzfeed. Instead, the visual book editor and consultant presents "10 Most Exciting Photographers from the Past Year" in lecture form. Expect to hear about the latest and greatest artists he's stumbled upon and view a presentation of their works. Admission is free to the 7 p.m. talk at Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 North Central Avenue, on Wednesday, February 11. Visit www.phxart.org or call 602-252-7808. Becky Bartkowski
Conviction
Billy Strayhorn may be gone, but his music lives on. And to celebrate the centennial of the late jazz composer, Phoenix's Black Theatre Troupe is paying tribute with Ben Tyler's new one-man play, Conviction. Set in prison and starring David Hemphill, Conviction tells the story of an inmate who performs the songs of the great Strayhorn that he feels have not only change his life but will benefit the lives of those around him.
Conviction is being produced at the Helen K. Mason Performing Arts Center, 1333 East Washington Street. Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays through Sunday, February 22. General admission is $35. For more information, visit blacktheatretroupe.org or call 602 258-8128. Katie Johnson
Body Art Expo
If you're one of the few surviving members of the human race who has yet to be voluntarily tattooed or pierced, then pat yourself on the back. You are, quite ironically, the real contrarian. Still, if you've been hoping to dip your pen in the inkwell, so to speak, your moment has come. Over 200 of the nation's finest tattoo artists and body piercing experts will be on hand -- or whatever part of the body you prefer -- at Phoenix's Body Art Expo at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 West McDowell Road.
The three-day expo runs through Sunday, February 15, and single-day tickets start at $20. Check it out from 2 to 11 p.m. on Friday, February 13. For details, is it www.bodyartexpo.com or call 626-961-6522. Rob Kroehler
