Art walks are more often about people watching and shenanigans and less about the actual art. We're here to guide you through both. Presenting our very own Field Guide -- an evolving guide to art walks around town.
From time to time, we'll introduce some of our favorite spots and dish out some insider information. If you have any tips or tricks, share 'em in the comments section.
Here's a peek at our guide to Downtown's First Friday for July 6 ...
More hints after the jump ...
(Just a few) On the Map:
OBJECTIFY//PSYENTIFICA @ Eye Lounge Lee Davis is on a mission to create approachable conceptual art. The local painter and member of Eye Lounge gallery in downtown Phoenix writes that he's always had an appreciation for flora, fauna, and their habitats, and when his parents talked him out of becoming a paleontologist because of a potentially low salary, he decided to go to school for art.
Davis' work is rooted in science with a good dose of humor. His latest exhibition, OBJECTIFY//PSYENTIFICA, features bright, pop-influenced animals including an octopus wielding a gun and a crab with chainsaw claws. "I attempt to pry the viewers' attention toward my work by deliberately using bold iconographic imagery with slight comical abstractions or absurdities to initiate a 'double take,'" he writes. "Once a response is established the viewer can reflect that they did indeed see a peculiarity." OBJECTIFY//PSYENTIFICA is on view through July 15.
Good By: Bird City @ New City Studio Local artist Joseph "Sentrock" Perez is skipping town at the end of summer, but before he leaves, he says he has some serious work to do (and show).
"GOOD by: Bird City" is a tribute to the 25-year-old's hometown, his experiences growing up, and his involvement with educational programs including the Rise Project. The exhibition opens Friday, July 6, at New City Studio.
Sentrock notes all of his pieces will be for sale -- he can't take anything with him to Chicago, where he's headed for art school -- and that while he's saying goodbye for now, he's bound to come back to visit family and friends and hopefully (for our sake) make some more art. An opening reception will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at New City Studio, 812 N. 2nd Ave..
"My Life with Lee Harvey Oswald" @ Willo North Paul Wilson's on a mission to redefine Lee Harvey Oswald -- yes, the Oswald who allegedly shot and killed President John F. Kennedy. "I want him to be innocent," Wilson says. "In my reinvention of the man I have chosen to depict him as he might have been, had he not been associated with the events of November 1963: Light and tasteful but often absurd." Wilson's known for his wicked sense of humor. The local artist remade The Poseidon Adventure, and completed a similar (and slightly obsessive) exhibition in honor of actor Parker Stevenson. In "My Life with Lee Harvey Oswald," on view through July 27 at Willo North Gallery, Wilson shows his latest work -- a collection of drawings, models, and lifesize cutouts of Oswald the artist, the singer, the heartthrob, the stand-in for Mona Lisa.
Other Useful Information:
• There is a ton going on, so get there early, find a parking spot, get a snack (and a water bottle), and pace yourself.
•The Phoenix Art Museum has great parking (and great art, go figure) and is back as one of the stops for the First Friday Trolley.
• On-street parking is limited along Roosevelt Street between First and Seventh streets. Or if you can nab a spot, check out the free street parking on Grand Avenue.
• If you missed it, our 22nd limited-edition jackalope sticker by Sentrock will be on the map tonight. Pick one (or two) up at one of the galleries listed on our map.
