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 Jan. 4...
See also: - Creators of Ziindi Zine Open 1Spot, a Native Contemporary Art Gallery on Roosevelt Row - Phoenix Photographer Andrew Pielage to Open the Drive-Thru Gallery on Roosevelt Row - Daniel Funkhouser Presents "Family Photos" and "Homelands" at Eye Lounge
On the Map:
- Grand Opening @ Drive Thru Gallery In January, Pielage be operator and curator of the Drive-Thru Gallery -- a space that's held a number of names and been used as a studio for years on Roosevelt Street, behind Th!nk and Five15 Gallery. He snatched up the space around the same time local artists Michelle Ponce and Damian Jim signed a lease on the gallery next door, which now houses 1Spot, a place for contemporary Native artwork.
Pielage says his goal is to show mainly photography, but that he's likely to bring in other forms of artwork. He's planning a grand opening for the gallery during the First Friday of January that will feature his Roadside Gas Station Series, which he created over a two-night trek along State Highway 89, between Flagstaff and Page, and State Highway 77, between Tucson and Globe.
- Ruben Gonzales & Gabriel Sandoval @ The Lab Gabriel Sandoval's a native Phoenician who grew up in the graffiti and street art world. His work, including portraits and cultural illustrations, will be shown this month alongside metalwork by The Lab's Ruben Gonzales this month. Gonzales says his work will include "Music inspired" themed pieces of metal, bike chains, and gears. The Lab will open at 7 p.m..
- Linda Ingraham @ Monorchid Linda Ingraham is well-known in local and national arts communities for her portraits of botanicals, individuals, and scenery created in a variety of media. This month at monorchid's Bokeh Gallery, Ingraham will show a more "photographic" series of work created and inspired by the town of Jerome, Arizona.
"Ingraham's focus for many years has been on the beauty in found objects, plants, and animals and how they change over time as they decay, whither, and fall apart due to natural phenomenon," writes monorchid curator Justin Germain. "This project, titled Off the Beaten Path: A Departure from the Norm, represents the artists' interest in change and breaking from the everyday expectations of who she is and what she does. Admittedly, the imagery is more photographic than most of her work, with minimal manipulation and without her "stamp" of hand-painted and resin-coated images mounted on wood."
- Daniel Funkhouser @ Eye Lounge Daniel Funkhouser's latest pair of exhibitions at Eye Lounge is the best sensory overload we've had since the neon comeback of 2012. The local artist's Family Photos is a series of metallic digital prints that question the absurdity of social norms and play with tropes of childhood and adolescence, and he describes his series called Homelands as "a starscape installation influenced by an undying love for Science Fiction."
Together the two exhibitions constitute Funkhouser's third and final showing in downtown Phoenix's collective gallery, Eye Lounge. Incorporating self-portraits and portraits of a few close friends, Funkhouser expands upon some of the themes he has explored in previous works, but this time, he says he's taking his persistent questioning of social paradigms to the next level. -- Katrina Montgomery (read the full review here ...)
Useful Hints:
• 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).
• On-street parking is limited along Fifth and Sixth streets. Or if you can nab a spot, check out the free street parking on Grand Avenue.
• Our limited-edition sticker was submitted anonymously this month. Pick one (or two) up at one of the galleries listed on our map.
