Art meets hotel during ARTELPHX, but don't expect boring wall art and bland elevator music. The event brings performance and installation pieces from area artists to The Clarendon, where they're installed throughout the midtown hotel.
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Turn a corner and you could find a sculpture. Pop into a room and you might find a dancer performing behind a crocheted curtain. Take a poolside break and there's likely a video projected on the wall behind you -- not to mention droney music playing live over a sound system. The surprises are all part of the fun.
This fall's edition of ARTELPHX includes 25 artists whose work will be on view throughout the mid-century hangout. Keep an eye out for performances from CONDER/dance and Dulce Dance Company and artworks from Fred Tieken and Ryan Napier.
The free event is open to the public from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, September 26, and Saturday, September, 27. For more information, visit www.artelphx.com or call 602-252-7363. Becky Bartkowski
Sci-fi is traditionally a geek's game, but we have two words for anyone who thinks the genre isn't sexy: Slave Leia. Carrie Fisher's metal bikini is one of the standout moments of Star Wars. Furthermore, X-Men likely leaves you with visions of Mystique's blue silhouette. And what about Total Recall? How does Mary the three-breasted mutant wear bras? Scandalesque celebrates sci-fi's fuzzy line between sexy and strange with its annual Sexy Sci-Fi show, featuring short scenes of titillating guys and gals stripping down to their skivvies. Join the fun by entering the costume contest while donning your best Leela or Uhura.
Don't fear the attack of the 50-foot woman at Phoenix Center for the Arts, 1202 North Third Street, on Friday, September 26. Doors open at 8 p.m., and the show starts at 9. Prices for all-ages tickets start at $20. Call 602-254-3100 or visit www.scandalesque.com. Melissa Fossum
Mariposa Monarca Butterfly Exhibit
Lepidoterophobes, take note: It's that time of year of again. The butterflies are returning to Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 North Galvin Parkway, for the annual Mariposa Monarca Monarch Butterfly exhibit. The show features information about life cycle and migration patterns of these special butterflies, but the real draw is that visitors have the chance to be surrounded by hundreds of live monarchs. This year, there's a special event every Saturday morning, during which visitors can learn to create their own monarch waystations and participate in a live tagging demonstration in support of our flying friends.
The Mariposa Monarca Monarch Butterfly exhibit runs from Saturday, September 27, through Sunday, November 23, from 9:30 a.m to 5 p.m. daily at the garden. Admission is an additional $3.50 after regular garden admission, which ranges from $10 to $22. For more information, visit www.dbg.org or call 480-941-1225. Katrina Montgomery
Improv Workshop with Paul Brittain
Laughter may be the best medicine, but it takes a professional to know how to administer it properly. Fortunately for those looking to step up their skills, Outliars Comedy Club is offering a prep course with a true pro. Actor and comedian Paul Brittain has played everything from a French teen and a Croatian comic to Lord Cecil Wyndemere as a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 2010 to 2012. You may also recognize him from appearances on Kroll Show, The Trophy Wife, and Comedy Bang! Bang! So, needless to say, the man knows how to make a joke.
Brittain's one-day-only improv workshop is scheduled from noon to 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel and Spa, 9495 West Coyotes Boulevard in Glendale. Tickets are $35. For more information, visit www.outliarscomedy.com or call 480-784-7258. Katie Johnson
Walk and Talk with the Artists of "Ink"
Ever walked through a gallery and wished the artist was around to offer insight? Gilbert's Art Intersection solves that problem with its Walk and Talk series, which continues this month with a look at traditional and contemporary printmaking.
John Armstrong, who has collections at the Phoenix Art Museum and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Brent Bond, a mixed media printmaker who has been working for more than two decades, and Jacob Meders, an MFA graduate from ASU with a focus in indigenous cultures, will discuss their process, collaboration, and creative work. Their pieces are currently on display as part of "Ink: Three Generations of Printmakers," which will remain on view at the gallery until Saturday, October 25.
Walk and talk, as the name suggests, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 28, at Art Intersection, 207 North Gilbert Road. Admission is $25 for the public and $20 for members. Visit www.artintersection.com or call 480-361-1118. Janessa Hilliard
