5 Things to Do for $10 or Less in Phoenix, November 11 to 13

Whether you're strapped for cash or a straight-up miser, we have some good news. The Valley has plenty by way of arts and culture to offer you this weekend for $10 or less, including poetry readings and a shot at being a better human to an all-out celebration of art on downtown Phoenix's favorite slanted street. Have at it — and find more things to do through New Times' curated calendar.

Craft Rave
Phoenix, it’s time to rave. So, get your beads, ribbons, and glue sticks ready. Yeah, you read that right. We did just say glue sticks, because this rave is for all the crazy crafters out there. On Friday, November 11, Changing Hands Bookstore, 300 West Camelback Road, will host Craft Rave Fall 2016. Starting at 5 p.m., 10 local creatives will teach a variety of crafts for six straight hours. Deck your halls with wood-burned ornaments you make with Lexie Bowers or show off your Phoenix pride with buttons you craft with Brendan McCaskey. Admission to the event is $5, and craft tickets (required to participate in each project) cost an additional $5 each. To register, call 602-274-0067, and see www.changinghands.com/craftravefall2016 for more info. Evie Carpenter

John F. Deane
Irish writers exude an aura of toughness. That stereotype snuggles against lyric beauty in a contradiction not unlike the Catholic faith informing John F. Deane’s work, which often focuses on the wild rusticity of his Achill Island origins.

The internationally award-winning poet pays a visit to the Great Hall of the Irish Cultural Center, 1106 North Central Avenue, from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 11. Donations are requested. Visit www.azirish.org or call 602-258-0109.

Deane also appears from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 12, at Gilbert’s St. Mary Magdalene Church, 2654 East Williams Field Road, and 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, November 14, in the Durham Language & Literature Building, room 316, on the north side of ASU Tempe at University Drive and College Avenue. Julie Peterson

Better Humans
We’re just going to come out and say it: Times are tough. It’s easy to develop a grim outlook on the world with the recent cultural, social, and political happenings. But chin up, Phoenix. It’s time to focus on the positive. Inspired by the I Have a Name Project, filmmaker Douglas Proce is asking what it means to be a better human — and he wants to hear your answer. He also wants to film it. So, if you have some advice for humanity and want to participate in Better Humans, be at DeSoto Central Market, 915 North Central Avenue, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 11. The more, the merrier, and the more diverse, the better. For more information about the film-in-progress, see the Facebook event at www.facebook.com/events/938924732905577. Evie Carpenter

Read on for a free arts festival and a chance to knock out some holiday shopping.



Grand Avenue Festival 2016
Much like the arts hub it highlights, the Grand Avenue Festival is anything but traditional. Attendees criss-crossing the diagonal thoroughfare from Seventh to 15th avenues will find paintings and performances in nearly every direction, from the murals in and on the avenue’s many galleries to live music.

The eighth annual event returns from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, bringing with it staples like the Untrashed Recycled Fashion Show and Trashy Hat Promenade, which struts around the Unexpected Art Gallery, 734 West Polk Street, beginning at 3 p.m. The 11th Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts, featuring handmade costumes and non-motorized floats in the vein of this year’s “Superheroes” theme, starts at the same location at 6 p.m.

The free festival also doubles as the grand opening of a new neighbor: Palabras Libreria/Bookstore, in the colorful La Melgosa building.

Download the event map and create your own self-guided Grand tour at www.grandavenueartsandpreservation.org. Janessa Hilliard

See also: A Field Guide to Grand Avenue Festival 2016

Mercado de las Artes
Maybe you hear the words “marketable skill” and think computer coding or customer analytics. But a whole other realm of skills will be on display during Mercado de las Artes, happening from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, November 12 and 13, at the Heard Museum, 2301 North Central Avenue. It’s a chance to explore and purchase works by Latino and Hispanic artists from Arizona, Mexico, and the Southwest.

More than 65 artists working in diverse media from pottery to painting are participating. Nearly half are Arizona-based, including Oliverio Balcells, Monica Crespo, Martin Moreno, Emily Costello, Gennaro Garcia, and Zarco and Carmen Guerrero. Activities include mariachi and ballet folklorico performance, plus a Día de los Muertos-style procession.

Admission is a suggested donation of $10, which also gets you inside the museum, where you can see “Kay WalkingStick: An American Artist,” an exhibition that dispels stereotypes about American Indian artwork. Visit www.heard.org. Lynn Trimble