Stop by FilmBar tonight and you'll likely get an eyeful of work by the late and great pop artist, Keith Haring.
The Downtown theater will present a one-night showing of "The Universe of Keith Haring", a portrait of the artist that includes archival footage and interviews with fellow artists including Fab 5 Freddy, Jeffrey Deitch, Kim Hastreiter, Grace Jones, Madonna, Yoko Ono, David LaChapelle, Kenny Scharf, Carlo McCormick, Andy Warhol, Ann Magnuson, Tony Shafrazi, and Junior Vasquez (to name a few).
The Film will be introduced by local historian (and longtime Haring fan) Marshall Shore, who's been tracking Haring's influence on the local art scene -- beginning with a mural Haring painted decades ago with high schoolers from art magnet school, South Mountain.
Shore describes his current Haring mission and provides "Five Things You Didn't Know about Keith Haring" after the jump ...
When the historian (who owns a Keith Haring tracksuit) saw the invitation for the screening from the Arizona Chapter of American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), he says it was complete serendipity. He offered to do an pre-show covering Haring's ties to the local arts scene, and event organizers signed him up.
It's true, Shore says, Haring came to Phoenix decades ago to create the mural pictured above on panels in downtown Phoenix.
Haring asked that it be taken down and destroyed after a period of time (as it was meant to be an ephemeral project that couldn't be used for monetary gain). After Haring's death in 1990, rumors began that pieces of the mural were kept for preservation's sake. Shore's been on a mission to find them, or artists who know more about the piece, for more than a year.
He says he's hoping to lead a discussion tonight about the artist before the film, which starts tonight at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $5 at the door (no advance tickets will be sold), and the theater's bar will host happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m..
For more info, see the FilmBar website.
Marshall Shore's Quick Haring Quiz (answers on the next page):
1. What year did Keith Haring paint a mural in Downtown Phoenix?
2. Who was Mayor of Phoenix and participated in the Phoenix Mural?
3. Where did Keith Haring's art first get public attention?
4. What was the name of Keith Haring's Store in New York?
5. Where was the Keith Haring mural painted in Phoenix?
Answers:
1. 1986
2. Terry Goddard
3. Subways of New York
4. POP SHOP
5. Southeast corner of Central and Adams in Phoenix