We're figuring the year's first Third Friday is bound to be busy, after a relative lull in some parts of the metro Phoenix art scene for First Friday earlier this month. By now, you've either recovered from New Year's festivities, or you need a little jump start to make it happen. So there's little reason not to go, especially when you consider the diverse assortment of local artwork that's out there for your viewing and buying pleasure. We chose a few more "must-sees" than usual since so many venues chose to open shows this week rather than launching them in the midst of New Year's mayhem. So get an early start, and art hop 'til you drop.
See also: El Mac on His Latest Mural in Phoenix -- And Why It Almost Didn't Happen
"Delicate Beasts" at Modified Arts
After enjoying works by Christy Puetz in exhibitions galleries from Tempe Center for the Arts to Scottsdale Civic Center Library, we're eager to see new works by Puetz and fellow artist Ingrid Restemayer, who studied fiber arts together at the University of North Dakota during the 1990s, at Modified Arts. Boith use materials "traditionally associated with craft" to "explore the boundaries and reconceive how craft materials are seen in the fine art world." "Delicate Balance first opened in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, and will travel this year to Lunchburg, Virginia. Learning that some of Peutz's work includes silk cocoons and other found objects reminded us additional exhibitions that beautifully channel the natural world are also on view now at Lisa Sette Gallery and Five15 Arts. The opening reception for "Delicate Beasts" takes place Friday, January 16 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The exhibition continues through February 14. Find more information on the Modified Arts website.
"Collected Echos" at Halt Gallery
Having experienced Patricia Sannit's work in an ArtFarm Collective exhibit inside a cavernous exhibition space at Oasis on Grand last year, we're keen on seeing how her work fares inside a far smaller venue. Works by Sannit and Rossitza Todorova are featured in "Collective Echoes" opening this Friday, January 16, at the Halt Gallery shipping container in the Roosevelt Row A.R.T.S. Market. Exhibition organizers note that Sannit's ceramic installation of cast, carved, and incised pieces reflects the artist's "experience among archaeological sites," and says Todorova's "works of subtle texture and color hint at a pause in time." We're eager to see the juxtaposition of two very different types of work exhibited together in one modestly-sized space. Third Friday hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and those who attend can meet the artists. Find more information on the Halt Gallery website.
Group Show at Eye Lounge
We've seen the artists of Eye Lounge exhibited plenty of places, including Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, and their "Self-Made: 15 years of eye lounge" exhibition opens later this month at Vision Gallery. But Third Friday goers can see a new exhibition of works by Eye Lounge members Cherie Buck-Hutchison, Turner G. Davis, Mimi Jardine, Keith Laber, Constance McBride, Merkel McLendon, Abbey Messner, Teresa Moralez, John Randall Nelson, and Christina You-sun Park inside the East Gallery at the Eye Lounge -- then pop next door to enjoy "Four Walls/Four View" in the Project Room, which features works by Paradise Valley Community College students Alexa Heiser, Alexis Lieffort, Molly Burke, and Gabriela Lundblade. Find more information on the Eye Lounge Facebook page.
"Crumpled, Dented and Crushed" at Herberger Theater Art Gallery
The upstairs gallery space at the Herberger Theater Center is currently presenting the works of 35 Arizona artists in the "Crumpled, Dented and Crushed" exhibition curated by guest curator Laura Cohen-Hogan. Artists present works of photography, oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, bronze, ballpoint pen, clay, combined media printmaking, high-fire ceramics, collage, assemblage, wood, watercolor and more. The gallery is open this Third Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Find more information on the Herberger Theater Center website.
"Consciousness Rising" at GreenHaus
The last exhibition to open at the GreenHaus, which relocates along with Cole and Dayna Reed to Portland next month, is "Consciousness Rising" featuring oil on canvas works by Patricia Jensen. They'll also be showing a fun assortment of works by mixed-media artist Kyllan Maney, whose interior mural work we loved seeing recently at Queen's Pizzaria while checking out public art works by Jake Early in Mesa. The opening reception on January 16 starts at 6:30 p.m. Find more information on the GreenHaus Facebook page.
"Cognition" at The Firehouse Gallery
After seeing metro Phoenix steampunk aficionados rock the runway vibe for a fashion show during last year's Grand Avenue Festival, we're eager to see what steampunk has inspired for more than a dozen artists featured in the exhibition titled "Cognition - A Journey Into the Steampunk Mind." It's curated by Devin McKenna, whose work is included along with that of Surreal Sister Photography, Rachel Greig, Aaron Johnson, Susan Holt, Lindsey Campbell Bessanson, Lee Davis, Monica Villarreal, Jason Youngdale, Eva Richards, Tammy Johnsen, Sherelle Barber, William Mullins, and Capso Nathan Boyce II. Works being exhibited at The Firehouse Gallery include paintings, sculpture, costumes and steampunk gadgets. Expect "some functional, some frivolous, and all fantastical," says McKenna. "Cognition" opened on January 9 and continues through February 7. Third Friday hours start at 6 p.m. Find more information on the exhibit Facebook page.
"1 in 3" at Treeo
2014 was quite the year for airing issues related to gender-based violence, with everyone from prominent athletes to celebrity comics garnering headlines. So we figure the "1 in 3" exhibition featuring works exploring "gender based violence, feminism and reproductive rights" is worthy of a look. Expect works that highlight the "growing epidemic" of physical and sexual abuse of women, along with slut-shaming and reproductive rights. "1 in 3" includes videos and photographs of 21 women. Most are survivors of domestic or sexual violence, according to exhibit organizer Stacey Champion, who counts herself among them. During this Friday's opening reception at Treeo in Roosevelt Row, participating vendors and food trucks are donating 10% of their proceeds to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. January Third Friday hours are 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The exhibition continues through February 16. Find more information on the event Facebook page.
