We know: The beginning of the work week sucks. But if you take a quick look at the calendar, you'll see we're off to a pretty good week of art events, sporting events, dance parties, and more. Here are our must-see events from now to the weekend . .
Monday, April 15: Craft Hack @ Gangplank Emulate as we might, we are not and will never be Martha Stewart-style domestic goddesses. Our attention to detail, ability to organize, and DIY spirit will never match that of the millionaire mogul. We need support in our attempts at craftiness, and, luckily, we aren't alone in the matter.
See also: - Three Calls for Phoenix Artists - Five Must-Attend Lectures in Phoenix This April
Enter Craft Hack, the co-working meetup where aspiring (and established) crafters can stitch, glue, and glitter in the supportive, creative confines of Gangplank HQ, 260 South Arizona Avenue in Chandler. Every third Monday, the event offers networking and demos. Bring your projects and a smidge of can-do spirit to the monthly craftathon. -- Becky Bartkowski
Tuesday, April 16: "Weather or Not: Art With Atmosphere" @ Arizona Museum For Youth Movies like The Day After Tomorrow, Twister, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs are a testament to mankind's obsession with extreme weather -- even if the details are a little exaggerated. But, really, who wouldn't want it to rain pizza? "Weather or Not: Art with Atmosphere" showcases the beauty and power of weather phenomena through workshops and an exhibit at Arizona Museum for Youth. Families are encouraged to create their own tornadoes and explore the glow-in-the-dark Weather Room, which recreates lightning storms with realistic light and sound effects. Children between two and five years old can register for classes about the art of making mud pies, painting with ice, and creating wall-mounted snowflakes. Price: $7 -- Melissa Fossum
Wednesday, April 17: Amy Stewart Signs The Drunken Botanist @ Changing Hands Bookstore If you're under the impression that botany's boring, perhaps author Amy Stewart's The Drunken Botanist ($19.95) will get you thinking (and drinking) differently. In it, the Fine Gardening editor dishes the down-low on trees, flowers, and fungi with the potential to make you feel very, very entertained.
It's not Stewart's first foray into documenting the history of backyard finds. She's uncovered wicked weeds and evil insects in her previous works - though neither sound quite as enticing as an examination of how and why agave becomes tequila and sugarcane creates rum, along with cocktail recipes and cultivation tips. Price: Free; book costs $19.95 -- Becky Bartkowski
Friday, April 19: Modern Phoenix Superlite Block Plant Tour @ Superlite Block Though recently she left Phoenix for Portland, Blooming Rock Development founder Taz Loomans hasn't written off this Valley entirely. Case in point: Loomans leads the Modern Phoenix Superlite Block Plant Tour on Friday, April 19.
Loomans will discuss the types of blocks Superlite manufactured (and continues to make), as well as how the blocks are incorporated into local architecture. Price: $40 -- Becky Bartkowski
Friday, April 19: Midnite Movie Mamacita Presents Ms. Behaving: Hooker's Revenge @ FilmBar To paraphrase some musty, old Klingon proverb we've heard once or twice, revenge is a dish best served cold. And in the 1973 Swedish sexploitation schlockfest Hooker's Revenge, it's served up at with a breakfast of buckshot via the one-eyed, shotgun-wielding female protagonist known as Frigga.
Kidnapped, raped, mutilated, and forced into a life of prostitution, this heroin-addicted heroine (portrayed by Christina Lindberg) spends the second half of the ultra-violent film, which was one of Quentin Tarantino's many influences when making Kill Bill, offing pervs and dispensing double-barreled retribution.
It's the sort of trashy cinematic throwback that's right up the alley of local film guru Andrea "The Midnite Movie Mamacita" Beesley, which is why she'll be showing the flick at FilmBar as a part of her Ms. Behaving series of bad girl movies. -- Benjamin Leatherman
Check out more things to do today (and everyday) in our Calendar section ...
