No money, no problem. This week, you can learn all about the Tempe music scene, celebrate the LGBTQ community, and share a secret with a stranger at Tilt Gallery. It's all free. For more things to do, visit Phoenix New Times' curated calendar.
“Our Stories Live On: Día de los Muertos Community Altars”
Ever notice how the real history of Mexican holidays gets buffed over during American celebrations, like when Cinco de Mayo goes from celebrating Mexico’s battle win over France to living out Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville dreams? It happens during Día de los Muertos, too. That’s a celebration of friends and family members who’ve passed away, not the Mexican equivalent of Halloween.
Consider its traditional meaning while exploring “Our Stories Live On: Día de los Muertos Community Altars” between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Monday, October 16, at Appaloosa Library, 7377 East Silverstone Drive in Scottsdale. The free exhibition includes small-scale altars created by community members and is on view through Thursday, November 30. Visit the Scottsdale Library website. Lynn Trimble
Happy Hour Karaoke
Here's something to sing about. Self-proclaimed "The Place for Karaoke" Kobalt Bar is hosting two great things all in one night: Happy Hour Karaoke. This is an early edition of karaoke kicking off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 17 followed by late-night show tunes. So grab a mic and a few beers, and head down to 3110 North Central Avenue, #125, for a night full of amateur Whitney Houston covers. Admission for this 21-and-over event is free. Visit the Facebook event page for more details. Lindsay Roberts
College Night
Can’t quite figure out how to pay for ramen, textbooks, and highbrow art experiences on a student budget? The folks at Phoenix Art Museum get it. That’s why they’re hosting College Night on Wednesday, October 18. Visit 1625 North Central Avenue for a night filled with art-making with Bill Dambrova, food-truck fare, and DJ Miguel Ivery spinning Brazilian music from 6 until 9 p.m.
This event is free for all higher education students with school ID. Students will also receive a discounted $2 ticket to the special “Past/Future/Present” exhibition. Visit the Facebook event page. Lindsay Roberts
“Five Decades Of Local Music History”
Mention the Tempe music scene, and for many, it’ll conjure up memories of the 1990s, when college kids would flock to see The Gin Blossoms at Long Wong’s or The Refreshments at Yucca Tap Room.
In actuality, Tempe has served as the homebase of relevant rock since the 1960s. Waylon Jennings had his beginnings as a solo artist at JD’s, and J.F.A. were hardcore punk pioneers. Those highlights will be discussed at the event “Five Decades Of Local Music History” at Tempe History Museum. Phoenix New Times contributor Henri Bernard (also of Dry Yacht River Club), the Meat Puppets’ Derrick Bostrom, DJ John Dixon, and Pat McMahon of the Wallace and Ladmo Show will tell stories about the college town’s musical legacy and its relevance today.
Turn up the volume at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 19, at 809 East Southern Avenue in Tempe. Admission is free. For more information, visit the City of Tempe website. Jason Keil
Christopher Jagmin
Recognizing the power of secrets and personal histories to enslave people in their own minds, artist Christopher Jagmin created a free community art experience that’s all about sharing secrets with others as a means of letting go and moving on.
Jagmin invites two strangers to write secrets down on paper and then sit across from one another to trade the words they’ve written. It’s a simple concept, with powerful effect.
Show up on Thursday, October 19, if you want to participate. It’s happening from 2:30 to 6 p.m. at The Livery, 3804 North Brown Avenue, and from 7 to 9 p.m. at Tilt Gallery, 7077 East Main Street, #14. Both locations are in Scottsdale. Visit the Scottsdale Public Art website. Lynn Trimble
Rainbows Festival
Phoenix Pride has been producing the Rainbows Festival for 15 years. The two-day celebration of diversity invites attendees to be their true selves. All members and allies of the LGBTQ community of any background are welcome to participate.
This year’s festival will feature more than 150 exhibitors and two entertainment stages at Heritage Square Park. Expect talent and variety shows, dance parties, and a “doggy drag show.” Performers include DJs, local musicians, and drag performers, including Aja from the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The festivities are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 21 and Sunday, October 22, at 113 North Sixth Street. Admission is free. For more information, visit the Phoenix Pride website. Jason Keil
“Westering Women”
History, feminism, and landscape — those are the three driving forces behind work by artist and Arizona State Unviersity graduate student Allison Sweet. She’s bringing those interests to Step Gallery, for an exhibition titled “Westering Women.”
Sweet’s art practice reflects her perspectives on popular misconceptions and mythologies surrounding the American West, during an era often viewed through incomplete histories that exclude women while elevating misguided romanticism about rampant colonization.
For her intermedia installation at Step Gallery, 605 East Grant Street, Sweet uses historical photographs from her great-grandfather’s failed homestead, sewing typically viewed as women’s work not worthy of documentation, patterns constructed from sifted flour, and an anti-western dual-channel video projection. It’s a feminist take on ways women are wrongly portrayed in history and media.
Check it out between noon and 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 21, at Grant Street Studios, 605 East Grant Street. Visit the ASU Events page. Lynn Trimble