Here's Your Guide to April's First Friday in Phoenix

The art landscape is looking more eclectic than usual this month as artists explore diverse themes in unexpected ways. Get an early start at Alwun House, where students are showing artworks salon-style, then make your way around downtown Phoenix for a night filled with visual and performance art.

We've organized a sampling of fresh art shows, listed by geographic area to help you see more art with extra efficiency. First up, you'll find our must-see exhibits. And we're rounding it all out with art venues where you can explore music, dance, and film. Here's our guide to what to see, and where to see it.

Must-See Exhibits

“Condolences to the World of Music”
Green Leaf Gallery
222 East McDowell Road
Iraqi-born painter Bassim Al-Shaker is showing works that pay homage to his uncle, artist Hossam Saddam, on the first anniversary of his death. Stop by to see the show, and wish Al-Shaker well as he gets ready to start an MFA program at the Art Institute of Chicago. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m.

“11th Anniversary Print Show”
Practical Art
5070 North Central Avenue
Practical Art is filling its walls with diverse prints by more than two dozen artists from around Arizona, including Brent Bond, Jake Early, Nancy Hill, Christopher Jagmin, Molly Koehn, Annie Lopez, Carrie Marill, and Mark McDowell. See how they tackle everything from desert landscapes to social commentary during the artist reception from 7 to 9 p.m.

“Salon de Enfants”
Alwun House
1201 East Roosevelt Street
Get an early start at Alwun House, where you can encourage and support the next generation of creatives during an opening reception with middle school student artists from 16 Phoenix schools. About 300 works will be hung salon-style, and on sale for $20. Featured works include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, and photography. The opening reception, which runs from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., includes student dance and musical performance, plus cookies and punch.

Grand Avenue

“Lost Ground”
Five15 Arts at Chartreuse
1301 Grand Avenue
The Five15 artist collective is showing new paintings by Daniel Friedman, who explores themes including contemporary racism, bigotry, political divisions, and ignorance on topics ranging from the environment to the economy. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m.

“Unstrung”
The Lodge Art Studio
1231 Grand Avenue
Artist and musician Tato Caraveo has curated a show featuring more than a dozen artists, including many whose murals you’ve also seen around town. Participating artists include Isaac Caruso, Lalo Cota, Janel Garza, James Hunt, JJ Horner, Corey Knapper, Nyla Lee, Pablo Luna, Thomas “Breeze” Marcus, Rafael Navarro, JB Snyder, Chadwick Uptain, and more. First Friday hours are 7 to 10 p.m.

“Beat Up”
{9} The Gallery
1229 Grand Avenue
Henry Bosak is showing photorealistic paintings that explore the value of everyday objects that have been worn down over time, inspired in part by his father’s identity as a “junk man” who tinkered with materials such as rusty cars and tools. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m.

“Between Here and There”
Grand ArtHaus
1501 Grand Avenue
Cherie Buck-Hutchison is showing pieces reflecting her larger body of work, created by “manipulating transparent images to consider the metaphoric landscape.” The artist works in several media, including photography, video, performance, sculpture, and ceramics. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m.

“Boundaries”
Sisao Gallery at Oasis on Grand
1501 Grand Avenue
See works by artists in a local Ladies Who Paint group, during this exhibition that includes a biting take on Donald Trump by Cindy Schnackel. The exhibit features more than a dozen artists, including Brenda Edwards, Barbara Goldberg, Joan Thompson, Randy Kogel Zucker, Beverly Schindler, Jessica Speer, Alma Telibecirevic, Dyane Welt, and Susan Zipster. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m.

“Goodby Grand”
The Whim on Grand
1023 Grand Avenue
Artist Rodgell Helm, who creates whimsical sculptures and paintings, is doing one more art show on Grand Avenue before moving his studio to Azocoza in Tempe. Check it out between 6 and 10 p.m.

Central Corridor

“4 x 4”
First Studio
631 North First Avenue
See dozens of small- and large-scale square works created by artists Bacpac, Laura Cohen-Hogan, Kris Kollasch, Lauren Lee, Rita Lundgren, Ellen Nemetz, Ann Morriss Osgood, Darlene Mount Ritter, and Marnelle North. While you’re there, ask Lee about her public art in New York City, and the competition that could land her art on an airplane. First Friday hours are 6 to 10 p.m.

“Color for a Cause”
Found:RE Phoenix
1100 North Central Avenue
The Found:RE Phoenix hotel is showing new paintings and mixed-media pieces by Joann Augur, which incorporate various themes from architecture to nature. Artwork sales will benefit one of three charities. The artist’s reception takes place from 6 to 10 p.m.

“Impermanence”
New City Studio
1300 North Central Avenue
See works by Alexis Manuel Grajeda and Juan Jose Oliveros Saldana, two artists who explore fleeting moments “from mundane to paramount.” First Friday hours are 6 to 9 p.m.

“Nature Portfolio”
The University Club
39 East Monte Vista Road
Nancy Romanovsky is showing 45 oil paintings capturing landscapes of the West. The opening reception runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Please RSVP to [email protected] so they know how many people to expect.

More Art Shows

“Don’t Forget Your Jish”
Hosh Gallery at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore
1738 East McDowell Road
Jeff Slim is showing new paintings, in this exhibition inspired by the Diné tradition of offerings to animal messengers, and the artist’s take on translation this experience into modern day urban life. The female vinyl collective Crate Creepers will be in DJ mode during First Friday hours from 6 to 9 p.m.

Art + Performance

DanceFest
Phoenix Art Museum
1625 North Central Avenue
Admission is by volunteer donation during First Friday hours from 6 to 10 p.m., when you can experience more than a dozen performances in diverse dance styles by professional and student dance artists. Organizers include Julie Akerly, Carley Conder, Jordan Daniels, Liliana Gomez, Nicole Olson, and Angela Rosenkrans. While you’re there, see works by several Arizona-based artists, including Julio Cesar Morales.

Zucca vs. Substation
Abe Zucca Gallery
1301 Grand Avenue
Check out new paintings by Abe Zucca, while you listen to DJ sets by Stoneypie, Dehga, and Aaron Belone. First Friday’s lineup also includes live analog electronics by Substation. First Friday hours are 6 to 11:30 p.m.

NXOEED
The Lost Leaf
914 North Fifth Street
See works by artist James B. Hunt, who uses the moniker NXOEED for his art practice, which includes hiding art around the city with a "finders, keepers" approach. First Friday hours kick off at 5 p.m. Music performance is by DJentrification and The Doms.

First Friday Live: Caribbean Carnival
Herberger Theater Center
222 East Monroe
Head to the outdoor plaza at Herberger Theater Center to experience an eclectic assortment of visual art, music, interactive activities, and performance art from 6 to 9 p.m. While you’re there, you can also explore the center’s art gallery.

“Color Riot”
Heard Museum
2301 North Central Avenue
Get free admission to the Heard Museum during First Friday hours from 6 to 10 p.m., when you can see the new “Color Riot: How Color Changed Navajo Textiles” exhibit, experience live music by Randy Kemp, and see textile demonstrations by Navajo weavers Velma and Ashley Craig.

“Exploration and Transition”
Olney Gallery at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
100 West Roosevelt Street
See works by Joan Collins, whose rural roots inform her urban perspectives, and Laura Thurbon, who brings a mystical twist to consideration of organic forms, during First Friday hours from 6 to 9 p.m. ASU music students will be giving a free performance in the cathedral.

The Scorpion Decides
The Nash
110 East Roosevelt
The Nash is presenting a free concert by this contemporary jazz group whose members hail from Phoenix and San Diego. While you’re there, check out works by local artists that line the walls of the performance space. First Friday hours are 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Fantasy Puppet Slam
Great Arizona Puppet Theater
302 West Latham Street
Baltimore-based puppetry artist Katherine Fahey will be performing using moving panorama with hand-cut shadows during this adult puppet slam that also features local puppeteers and music by Scott Gesser. Tickets are $15 at the door, and only ages 18+ can attend the 8 p.m. event..

Let the Right One In
Changing Hands Bookstore
300 West Camelback Road
Phoenix Film Collective is partnering with Stray Cat Theatre to present a film screening for the film that pairs a bullied boy with a mysterious girl for an “exploration of loneliness and adolescence.” The event runs from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and tickets are $8.